OMG the secret is out!

I don't get what the big deal is but everyone wants one of those sphere avatars that the staff have.

They are VERY simple to make if you have any idea of how to use photoshop.

This tutorial is from http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorial/Making-a-Cool-3D-Sphere-in-Photoshop/7570


1. Create a new165x165 pixel document and name it Sphere. Nowpress D and fill the document. Then add a lens flare filter with settings [Brightness: 100%, Lens Type: 105mm Prime], now for the position of the Flare, you want it kept at default. To reset your lens flare position, Hold down Alt and you will notice the 'cancel' button changes to 'reset'. Click it then it resets. Then click Ok.



2. Now distort to polar coordinates with settings [Polar to Rectangular]. Now rotate the canvas 180°. Then distort to polar coordinates again, with settings [Rectangular to Polar].



3. Here's the tricky part. Select the elliptical marquee tool, and you want to make a circular selection around your sphere. hold Shift for a perfect circle. My selection diameter was 155 pixels. Now inverse your selection, Press D, then fill. Then inverse once more so your back to the circle.



4. Now create a new layer and name it 'shadow'. Press D and fill the layer with black. Then hold Shift and press the up arrow once, and the right arrow once. Press delete, then hold shift and press the down arrow once, and the left arrow once. Create a new layer, name it 'highlight', and press X then fill with white. Hold shift and press the down arrow once, then the left arrow once. Press delete, then hold shift and press the up arrow once and the right arrow once.



5. With the selection still active, set the 'highlight' layer blending mode to 'overlay'. Then apply a gaussion blur, with settings [Radius: 4px]. Now select the 'shadow' layer and apply a gaussion blur as well with same settings as before, then change the opacity of the 'shadow' layer to about 70-80%. There you have it, a neat lookin sphere. I however moved my shadow down three pixels and left three pixels, to make the shadow blend in more. I also added color, by making a new layer, I dragged it to the top of the layers window, made its blending mode 'color' and filled with it with a blue.



There you go, this is really very simple, all you do is add your text to this. I don't know why everyone is making a big deal of them, but hopefully this will stop all of the requests.

ANOTHER METHOD

From: http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorial/Making-a-Cool-3D-Sphere-in-Photoshop/7570

1. Create a new 500x500 pixel document with a resolution of 100 and name it Crystal. Now select a medium-light blue and fill the document. Name this layer 'background'.



2. Next, create a new layer and name it 'sphere'. Use the elliptical marquee tool and make a circle selection (hold shift for a perfect circle). Then select a darker shade of the background color you chose, and press X. Now select the gradient tool. Then at the top of the screen select radial gradient. Then drag from about 3/4 up from bottom, to the bottom. If you don't understand that, put your cursor at the top of the selection, move it down about a quarter of the selection, then click and drag to the bottom of the selection.



3. Now we will align the images to the center. Now duplicate the 'sphere' layer, name it 'reflection' and then load the selection. Select the rectangular marquee tool, then hold shift and tap the down arrow once, then let go of shift and tap it three more times. Then press delete. Now you have the little slice of the top of the sphere. With the reflection layer still selected, select all and then flip vertically, the sliver.



4. Load the selection of the sphere layer, then select the 'reflection' layer. Now apply a gaussion blur with settings [Radius: 4 px]. Make the 'reflection' layer's opacity 90%.



5. Now create a new layer above all the other layers and name it texture. Here you can use a variety of things for your texture but most commonly people use cloud filter cause it gives a mystical smokey effect within the sphere. To create this Press D then apply a clouds filter. Now apply a difference clouds filter once. Then apply difference clouds again anywhere from 5 to 10 times, till you get your desired effect. Then load the selection of the sphere layer and inverse the selection and press 'delete'.



6. Now load the selection of the sphere layer again and spherize the texture layer twice with settings [Amount: 100%, Mode: Normal]. Change the blending mode to 'overlay' and the opacity to 85%. Create a new layer and name it 'darklight'. Load the selection from the sphere layer and press D, then stroke the new layer with settings [Width: 7px, Color: black, Location: Inside, and leave rest to default]. With the selection still active apply gaussion blur with settings [Radius: 4px]. Then duplicate the 'darklight' layer and then merge the copied layer down. Change the blending mode to 'Soft Light'.



There you have a nice sphere. Now what you do with it is up to you. What I did was I added some Lighting Effects. Then I copied the texture layer and applied a lighting effects to it again but with an omni light and blue light. Then i erased some of it to get a desired effect. I made a reflection. Then loaded the selection from the sphere layer, filled it with black and blurred it. Skewed it and put the opacity to like 20%. Other little tweaks, made it come out quite nice.

 

Rofl, Kool

 

It's funny, because it isn't done even remotely like that.


Good try though.

 

I mean shin is a unique guy, though

 

His is better

 

Im Unique To Nar But That Helped Me Make A Mooon

 

Alright, after pressing D I chose the right Pixels. How do you add the lens filter? What button do you press.

 

D: i rotate canvas 180 but rectangle to polar brings me back to the lens flare

 

This Is Some Advanced Shit... Lol I Get How To Make It But 1337m3ch I Don't Get It

 

"There are many ways to Rome"

There are several ways that this can be done. And as Jansen said, this way is one of the better ways to do this. I think you can do more with it, and it is less whored...

EDIT: Just added another way to do basically the same thing (much simpler though)

 

Thanks for the tut 8/10

 

I don't need it rated, but whatever. I am glad you like them.

 

Willing to make me 1 for pay Jansen? Or anyone else out there?

~Shablo5~

 

wow this is simple... didnt know simplistic could look good *goes and trys it*

omg i feel like such a noob.. dont fully understand number 4, not working for me *sigh*

 

http://sythe.org/showthread.php?p=1235461#post1235461
Here's my attempts...

 

Ive been making spheres like that for a while now and its never looked remotely like staff avatars...

 

Filter --> Render --> Lens Flare

 

lol now every1 is gunna do it

 

Sad. Just sad.

 

my attempt.. but how do u get the "glassy" affect? pm me need help.