This Tutorial has come about due to a few requests. I am deeply sorry that I couldnt post this earlier, but hope it’s helpfull nonetheless.
This starts with a quite simple object, and finally ends up with the orb Design. Take it step by step, and you shall not only understand how to create this object, but realise that a little bit of thinkin and understanding of light effects goes a long way into creating lots of things.
This is what we set out to make :
http://members.lycos.co.uk/omengeorge/TUT-5.jpg
This surprisingly starts from making a simple glassball, like wat I think one of Colin’s and lots of other peoples tutes used to show, and goes onto create the final object.
TUTORIAL
http://members.lycos.co.uk/omengeorge/TUT-1.jpg
Step 1. make a simple circle with your circular mask tool. Red makes for a nice colour, but you can go with anything you like.
Step 2. Give the circle a innerglow layer effect, just change the glow colour to black and the blendmode to multiply. Why am I using the Inner glow instead of the inner shadow? Because inner glow doesn’t have an angular deflection, and thus is easily uniform.
Step 3. Select the circular area and on a new layer drag the gradient (white to nothing) downwards from top (close to the bottom but not completely bottom).
Step 4. Now press cntrl+T to transform the white gradient. extend it upwards halfway through, and extend it a bit in from top and a bit in from the sides too.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/omengeorge/TUT-2.jpg
IMPORTANT *** all these calibrations depend on your eyes a lot, both the above steps as well as those to follow. Adjust to make the look just right..:D
This is a method I perform all the time to make sure I can always go back without a prob. first make the white background invisible and the press cntrl+shift+E so as to
merge visible. Then press cntrl+A to select the entire area, and then press Cntrl+C and then Cntrl+V. dont forget to paste. now keep pressing cntrl+z to take you back to before you did any of the merging, and make the background visible again. then press cntrl+V to gain the merged copy, while still having your unmerged layers intact. This has saved me a lot of headache in a lot of projects. simple, yet usefull.
Step 5. take the merged layer and create a circular mask above. the circle should be much larger than the original circle. Again use your eyes to tell you what seems right, then copy the section and paste it in. This creates the top portion of the orb. Place it again in the proper exact position.
Step 6. Now to go onto the base of the orb. In a new layer create an eleptical mask that fits into the lower half of the circle. Duplicate this layer and reduce the size a little, as shown in fig.6.
Step 7. Select the larger elipse layer and get the shape masked by pressing cntrl and clicking on the layer tab. Now select the cylindrical gradient tool and going with the grey-white-grey-white-grey colour combo, drag across.
Step 8. Duplicate this layer too and bring the duplicate upwards, as shown. Now place the white small portion up above the actual gradiated layer. Place it as shown in fig.8. Link both layers and reduce their size by a bit, so that the outer gradiated elipse is just a bit within the red circle.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/omengeorge/TUT-3.jpg
Step 9. Take the duplicated gradient layer and again select it , now giving it a slightly different gradient of greys and whites. Now bring the duplicated gradient layer down. arrange it beneath both the other layers, and position as shown in fig.9. It should be a visible from both sides as it is the rim of the orb.
Step 10. Now to remove the portions of the orb that aren’t required. As before by keeping cntrl pressed and clicking on the layer tabs, first select the large outer rim elipse and then shift+cntrl +select the upper topportion layer. NOw using the square mask tool also addon the lower portion of the orb into the selection. Then press SHift +I to invert selection and delete the middle portion of the orb. The figure should look as it is in Fig.10.
Step 11. Now to create the glass portion. Create a circle of the same size of the orb, any colour you want. Place it behind the other layers.
Step 12. As with the initial outer orb, give it the same kind of innerglow effect, and now bring it forward so as to cover all but the red outer portions of the orb.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/omengeorge/TUT-4.jpg
Step 13. Now goto the layer tab and make the fill amount =0. This makes the layer invisible, but keeps the layer effects visible, as shown in Fig.13.
Step 14. As you had done with the red circle, ie, creating a white gradient reflection, create the same in a new layer above the glass layer, so as to creat a more realistic lighting effect. Adjust the settings as required to make it as realistic looking as possible.
Step 15. Now select the base layers, ie the grey metal gradient layers and the white elipse, and merge them together. After this press Cntrl+U to adjust the hue of the layer. Since its grey, click on colourise, and adjust to a redish colour in keeping with the colour of the orb itself.
Step 16. Finally give a very slight drop shadow to the upper portion of the red orb, just to attain more realism. Secondly the lower portion seems off. SO create a new layer above the red lower orb portion. Then select the radial gradient tool, and select the white to nothing option. Now draf from somewhere above the red towards a lil bit in. Erase portions that arent contained within the red portion. Check Fig.16. to see the effect.
You orb is ready. You can display any items in there now, just make sure any Items kept in have a good reflection added on. This is to keep with the shiny surface we are meaning to show the base has.