Transparent Reflecting Sphere

Use this tutorial to create shiny spheres for your interfaces or to enhance your logos
and whatnot. Right now it's working in Photoshop 5x, but not guaranteed for
Photoshop 6. This tutorial is quite long, and complex; however, every detail is
described. If you encounter any problems, try reading it more closely, or take some
of my other tutorials, to ge more aquainted with Photoshop. Good luck!

1 Create a new image 400x400 pixels. Make a

new layer and then disable visibility on
the Background Layer, by clicking the eye
icon next to that layer.

Using the Elliptical

Marquee Tool (shown
right), hold down Shift,
and create a circular
selection, taking up most
of the image. Then,
select RGB(100,58,9) as
the foreground color, and
fill the selection by
pressing
Alt+Backspace. Do not deselect.

Double click on the layer, and name it Sphere

Shape.

2 Drag the layer Sphere Shape, onto the new

layer button , to duplicate it.

Click on the little eye icon beside the original

Sphere Shape layer, to hide it.

Now, to contract the selection by 32 pixels, in

the menu go:
Select > Modify > Contract... 16 Pixels
and repeat this one more time.

Feather the selection by pressing Ctrl+Alt+D,

by 25 pixels.

Now clear the selection by pressing Delete, and

then deselect Ctrl+D.

3 Make a copy of the layer Sphere Shape

Copy, by dragging it onto the new layer
button, . Double click on the new layer,
and rename it Glow.

Click on Preserve Transparency . Or if you're

using Photoshop 6+, Lock Transparent Pixels .

Select White as the foreground color, and then

fill the layer by pressing Alt+Backspace.

Set the blending mode to Color Dodge, and the

layer Opacity to 70%.

4 Holding down Ctrl, click on the original

Sphere Shape layer, to select it's
transparency. Create a new
Layer , double click and rename it Shadow,
then choose Black as the foreground color.

On the new layer, fill the selection with black

Alt+Backspace, and then choose the Marquee
Tool . Drag the selection up and to the left,
about 60 pixels.

Press Ctrl+Alt+D to feather the selection by 40

pixels, and then clear the selection by pressing
Delete.

Deselect Ctrl+D.

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5 Set the Opacity of the layer Shadow to
60%, and then drag it onto the new layer
 Deselect Ctrl+D.

5 Set the Opacity of the layer Shadow to

60%, and then drag it onto the new layer
button , to make a copy of it.

Set the new layer's Opacity to 15%, and the

blending mode to Color Burn.

6 Holding down Ctrl, click on the original

Sphere Shape layer, near the bottom of the
layers. Now, create a new layer on the
very top, and rename it Highlight.

Select Black as the foreground color, and fill the

selection Alt+Backspace. Set the layer's
blending mode to Screen, and deselect Ctrl+D.

Change the layer's Opacity to 60%.

7 Filter > Render > Lighting Effects...

Change the light to an Omni, and put it's

intensity to 100. Position the light in the upper -
left area of the sphere, by dragging it's center,
and enlarge the radius by pulling on the outer
dots.

Change the Material Properties to:

Gloss: 100
Material: -100
Ambience: 0
Exposure: 0

Press OK to render the lighting effects, and then

go: Image > Adjust > Auto Levels

8 Make a copy of the layer Highlight, and set

the blending mode of the new layer to
Color Dodge, and the opacity to 50%.

Your image will look similar to what is seen on

the left. It's shiny and transparent, but not yet
reflective.

Click here to download the reflecting

image, save it to your desktop, and
then open it in Photoshop.

Open the image of the reflecting buildings, and

press Ctrl+A to select the entire image, and
then Ctrl+C to copy it. Now, go back to the
sphere document.

9 Holding down Ctrl, click on the layer

Highlight, to select it's transparency. Now,
Edit > Paste Into

This will create a new layer, and use the

selection as a mask for the building image.
Double click on the new layer and rename it
Reflection.

If the building image is too small for your

sphere, click on the little image part of the layer,
and press Ctrl+T on the keyboard, and resize
the layer so it fits. Double click in the center to
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 If the building image is too small for your
sphere, click on the little image part of the layer,
and press Ctrl+T on the keyboard, and resize
the layer so it fits. Double click in the center to
accept new size values.

10 On the Reflection layer, click on the

thumbnail of the building image so that
a small brush appears in the box
beside it.

Next, holding down Ctrl, click on the little white

circle to the right of the layer thumbnail, to
select the layer mask.

Filter > Distort > Sphereize... 100%

Now, deselect Ctrl+D, and set the layer's

transparency to 30%, and the blending mode to
Color Dodge.

Now that you have completed the sphere, use it

in your interfaces, or other imagery.

If you got lost, or you need a guide for this

tutorial, click here to download the .psd file
(848 Kb).

See the eyeball I created with this tutorial!

Tips
a) To make text, or a logo appear inside the
sphere, place the object in the center of the
sphere. Holding down Ctrl, click on the Highlight
layer, to select it's transparency. Filter >
Distort > Sphereize... and then change the
blending mode to Color Dodge, and adjust it's
transparency to reach the desired effect.

b) To change the color of the sphere, click on

the layer Sphere Shape copy , and enable
Preserve Transparency (Lock Transparent
Pixels). Fill the layer Alt+Backspace with a dark
color of your choice.

c) To make the sphere not transparent, or

have a different color in the center, click on the
original Sphere Shape layer, to unhide it, and
select Preserve Transparency (Lock
Transparent Pixels ). Fill it with the color of your
choice.

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