Creating a dimensional looking sphere in Photoshop

1. Photoshop Background
Making a Dimensional Looking Sphere

2. Backgrounds
This is the second part of what we started last week.
Using the gradient background from last week, we will
make a dimensional looking sphere using the tools of
Photoshop.

3. Open last week’s file from
Photoshop. It should look like
this, a dark blue center, radiating
out to black along the edges.

4. First, we will set guidelines to
help find the center of the
document.
Go to View/New Guides…
This will open a dialog box,
chose Vertical for the guide and
enter 50% for the position.
This creates a guide centered on
the document, vertically.
YOU CAN
USE
PERCENTAGES

5. Return to View/New Guides…
This time chose Horizontal for
the guide and enter 50% for its
position.
This creates a second guide
centered on the document,
hortizontally.

6. In the Layers Panel, click on the
New Layer Icon to create a layer
above your artwork.
NEW
LAYER

7. We will need to use an Elliptical
Marquee tool to make our
ellipse. You might only see the
Rectangle Marquee tool, press
and hold to see the others.
DOCUMENT
SEETINGS

8. Using the cross section of the
two guides and the Elliptical
Marquee tool. Start to draw an
ellipse, remember to use the
Option Key as a modifier to
draw from the center out and the
Shift Key to create a perfect
Circle. Make a circle, similar to
what is shown here.
START
HERE

9. We will now make our base
colors for the Sphere. Double
click on the foreground color to
open it. Change the color to the
values seen here.

10. Now, double click on the
background color to open it.
Change the color to the values
seen here.

11. Your color swatches should now
look like these.
Select the Gradient tool.
GRADIENT
TOOL

12. Under the Gradient Options
located at the top, click on the
gradient icon and choose
Foreground to Background
colors under the Basic Folder.
FOREGROUND
TO
BACKGROUND
GRADIENT
OPTIONS

13. Your color swatch should look
like this with a gradient fill with
the two oranges. Chose the
Radial Gradient button.
Double click on this to open the
Gradient Editor panel.
FOREGROUND
TO
BACKGROUND
RADIAL
GRADIENT

14. Move the left stop over some
and click on the bar to create a
new stop to the far left.
Double click on the small bow
below and make that stop white.
Each gradient box that you
select will have values to it.
To make your gradient match
what is show here you need to
ender in some values shown on
the next screen.
COLOR
STOP

15. COLOR STOP 1
White (R:255,G:255,B:255)
Location: 0
COLOR STOP 2
Bright Orange (R:240,G:148,B:45)
Location: 9
COLOR STOP 3
Orange (R:233,G:98,B:45)
Location: 23
COLOR STOP 4
Dark Orange (R:153,G:72,B:88)
Location: 82
COLOR STOP 5
Orange (R:233,G:98,B:45)
Location: 100
COLOR
1
COLOR
3
COLOR
5
COLOR
4
COLOR
2

16. Start at the spot shown and
drag to the edge.
START
END

17. Click on the fx at the bottom
of the layers panel to open
the layer styles. Click on
drop shadow and use these
settings.

18. This creates a realistic shiny
orange sphere as seen here.
The multi-color gradient
provides the various areas
needed to convey the sphere
concept.
Highlight
Base color
Shadow
Reflection

19. Your final design should look
like this.