Tutorial
Click on thumbnailed images to enlarge
This is a VERY LONG tutorial so please be patient about this. In the end though, you will love it and you will like what you see.
1. Create a new image, preferably a square. (The bigger the image, the more detail it brings out.) Press D to reset the colors.
2. Fill the background with any color you want by pressing Alt+Backspace.
3. Create two new layers. (The second layer will only be used for merging.) On the top layer, using the pen tool, draw a four pointed blob. Try to make it as smooth as possible otherwise it will come out jagged. Make sure your pen tool toolbar looks like this:
4. Click on the Paths tab (next to Layers and Channels.) You should see the shape you just created. Right click on the Work Path and click Make Selection, with
Feather Radius: 0px
Anti-Aliased: checked
Operation: New Selection
5. On the Layers palette, make sure you are on the top layer. Click the gradient tool.
Make a new gradient by clicking on the rectangular shape showing the gradient.
Drag the gradient from around the center of the blob to one of the edges.
6. Without deselecting, go to >>Filter>>Sketch>>Chrome with the following settings:
Detail: 0
Smoothness: 10
7. Deselect, by pressing Crtl+D.
8. Now, go to >>Edit>>Transform>>Perspective. Grab the lower right hand corner and drag it all the way to the left. The free transform lines should make an hourglass shape. Double-click inside the transform box to apply.
9. Go to >>Edit>>Transform>>Perspective again. Grab the upper right hand corner and pull it all the way down. Double-click inside the transform box to apply.
10. Right click on the layer with the blob on it and go “Blending Options.” Put a “Drop Shadow on it with the following settings:
11. On the Layers palette, click on the eye next to the black background layer to hide it. Click on the layer with the blob on it. Go >>Layer>>Merge Visible. Unhide the black background layer now, by clicking on the box where the eye used to be.
12. Now we need to create the action, which is a set of procedures that can be automatically run by pressing a key or clicking an icon. Make sure you are on the layer with the blob on it. Click on the Actions tab (next to the History and Styles). Click on the New Actions button (it looks like a paper with its edge folded). Name your new action 3D Abstract Twist and assign a Function Key, and make sure you remember your function key!!!
13. The Action is now recording and a red button should be visible. Now, duplicate the Blob layer by pressing ctrl+J. On the copy of the blob layer, go to >>Edit>>Transform>>Rotate. Leave the X and Y alone and enter the following settings:
14. Start pressing your Function Key over and over again. Do it slowly or Photoshop will not be able to keep up and it will freeze for a while, until the blob gets so small that you cannot see it.
15. Hide the background layer. Click on any blob layer (since there will be about 40-50) and go >>Layer>>Merge Visible. Unhide the background layer. If you want to add some color, press Ctrl+U. Make sure to click colorize and change the settings to your preference. You can change the color of the background as well. Here is my finished product:
**Optional:
- If it seems too dark, duplicate the layer with the abstract and set the upper layer’s Blending mode to Screen.
- If you want to make your abstract glow, duplicate the layer with the abstract on it and set the upper layer’s Blending mode to Screen. Go to Filter>>Blur>>Gaussian Blur on the upper layer with a power of 2-5. Then set the opacity down and merge.
Here are some others that I have made:
and the best one in my opinion:
This tutorial is based on a tutorial found at [url=http://www.n-sane.net]n-sane.net[/url], but I tried to make it simpler.
1. Create a new image, preferably a square. (The bigger the image, the more detail it brings out.) Press D to reset the colors.
2. Fill the background with any color you want by pressing Alt+Backspace.
3. Create two new layers. (The second layer will only be used for merging.) On the top layer, using the pen tool, draw a four pointed blob. Try to make it as smooth as possible otherwise it will come out jagged. Make sure your pen tool toolbar looks like this:
4. Click on the Paths tab (next to Layers and Channels.) You should see the shape you just created. Right click on the Work Path and click Make Selection, with
Feather Radius: 0px
Anti-Aliased: checked
Operation: New Selection
5. On the Layers palette, make sure you are on the top layer. Click the gradient tool.
Make a new gradient by clicking on the rectangular shape showing the gradient.
Drag the gradient from around the center of the blob to one of the edges.
6. Without deselecting, go to >>Filter>>Sketch>>Chrome with the following settings:
Detail: 0
Smoothness: 10
7. Deselect, by pressing Crtl+D.
8. Now, go to >>Edit>>Transform>>Perspective. Grab the lower right hand corner and drag it all the way to the left. The free transform lines should make an hourglass shape. Double-click inside the transform box to apply.
9. Go to >>Edit>>Transform>>Perspective again. Grab the upper right hand corner and pull it all the way down. Double-click inside the transform box to apply.
10. Right click on the layer with the blob on it and go “Blending Options.” Put a “Drop Shadow on it with the following settings:
11. On the Layers palette, click on the eye next to the black background layer to hide it. Click on the layer with the blob on it. Go >>Layer>>Merge Visible. Unhide the black background layer now, by clicking on the box where the eye used to be.
12. Now we need to create the action, which is a set of procedures that can be automatically run by pressing a key or clicking an icon. Make sure you are on the layer with the blob on it. Click on the Actions tab (next to the History and Styles). Click on the New Actions button (it looks like a paper with its edge folded). Name your new action 3D Abstract Twist and assign a Function Key, and make sure you remember your function key!!!
13. The Action is now recording and a red button should be visible. Now, duplicate the Blob layer by pressing ctrl+J. On the copy of the blob layer, go to >>Edit>>Transform>>Rotate. Leave the X and Y alone and enter the following settings:
14. Start pressing your Function Key over and over again. Do it slowly or Photoshop will not be able to keep up and it will freeze for a while, until the blob gets so small that you cannot see it.
15. Hide the background layer. Click on any blob layer (since there will be about 40-50) and go >>Layer>>Merge Visible. Unhide the background layer. If you want to add some color, press Ctrl+U. Make sure to click colorize and change the settings to your preference. You can change the color of the background as well. Here is my finished product:
**Optional:
- If it seems too dark, duplicate the layer with the abstract and set the upper layer’s Blending mode to Screen.
- If you want to make your abstract glow, duplicate the layer with the abstract on it and set the upper layer’s Blending mode to Screen. Go to Filter>>Blur>>Gaussian Blur on the upper layer with a power of 2-5. Then set the opacity down and merge.
Here are some others that I have made:
and the best one in my opinion:
This tutorial is based on a tutorial found at [url=http://www.n-sane.net]n-sane.net[/url], but I tried to make it simpler.
Tutorial Comments
Showing latest 2 of 2 comments
W0AH D00d
By NoWorriesDesigns on Aug 3, 2008 3:26 am
[font=Century Gothic][size=2]What if the gradient won't let me drag it, everytime I try to it says that I can't edit it properly.
By KamiTehdark on Oct 21, 2006 1:07 pm
