Image 1:
1A. Beginning with the Elliptical Marquee Tool create a circle. Doesn't need to be perfectly centered but we're able to resize it along the way.
1B. Next we choose what color we're going to create out ornaments primary background. So I'll go with the red the website gave me #580001.
1C. Course next we need create the top, so we use the Polygonal Lasso Tool but also I use the Pen Tool which helps when I'm not able to control the Lasso so well. So, once created fill in the blank...
1D. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here is the fun part, myself for this tutorial I used text. We're not limited to simply just text here. Which shows in my holiday logo as of the moment I had used a brush pattern instead, also a simple silhouette will work. Find something you wish to decorate it with, place it on this new layer.
Image 2:
2A. Now we want to add a color overlay to 1D. Your decoration/text/silhouette layer. Right click the layer and select "Blending Options". Here we're going to click on the Color Overlay to add a 100% overlay of #fee4e3 to add a bit of a pink tint to the decoration layer.
2B. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here we take simple flat black #000000 and Paint Bucket Tool to just fill this new layer, next inside this same step we're going to select Filter/Noise/Add Noise and give it about 15% Uniform, check the box for Monochromatic and click Ok.
2C. For the noise layer, select the layers Blending Options, General Blending or top of that Layers tab change it from Normal to Screen. You'll notice it is now similar to my own image.
2D. We want to bring the noise in a little, just shrink it down some so we can go Edit/Free Transform or simply hit Ctrl+T. You can choose also to Sharpen the noise a bit to add some additional sparkle. Filter/Sharpen/Sharpen.
Image 3:
2B. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here we take simple flat black #000000 and Paint Bucket Tool to just fill this new layer, next inside this same step we're going to select Filter/Noise/Add Noise and give it about 15% Uniform, check the box for Monochromatic and click Ok.
2C. For the noise layer, select the layers Blending Options, General Blending or top of that Layers tab change it from Normal to Screen. You'll notice it is now similar to my own image.
2D. We want to bring the noise in a little, just shrink it down some so we can go Edit/Free Transform or simply hit Ctrl+T. You can choose also to Sharpen the noise a bit to add some additional sparkle. Filter/Sharpen/Sharpen.
Image 3:
3A. Well, we don't want the outside so we can use the Magic Wand Tool to select the primary colors layer, select the area outside the sphere itself. Click back to the noise layer, hit Delete to remove any extra noise.
3B. Fun part now... Take all 3 layers, the Noise layer, your Decoration/Text/Silhouette and the primary ornament background. Merge them into one layer. Now we can play with Dodge a bit to give it some highlights.
Dodge Tool:
Brush 100 px
Range Highlights
Exposure 50%
Where the light falls, totally up to you since it's hanging on your tree or wherever you hang your ornaments.
3C. Now of course where there is light! There is also the dark! So now we take our Burn Tool to add a little bit of depth to the ornament.
Burn Tool:
Brush 100 px
Range Shadows
Exposure 20%
How much, how little, still up to you since your lighting up your home..
3D. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here we take the Elliptical Marquee Tool to draw an oval shape on our new layer. Which we then fill with flat white #ffffff. We then deselect the oval for the next step.
Image 4:
3B. Fun part now... Take all 3 layers, the Noise layer, your Decoration/Text/Silhouette and the primary ornament background. Merge them into one layer. Now we can play with Dodge a bit to give it some highlights.
Dodge Tool:
Brush 100 px
Range Highlights
Exposure 50%
Where the light falls, totally up to you since it's hanging on your tree or wherever you hang your ornaments.
3C. Now of course where there is light! There is also the dark! So now we take our Burn Tool to add a little bit of depth to the ornament.
Burn Tool:
Brush 100 px
Range Shadows
Exposure 20%
How much, how little, still up to you since your lighting up your home..
3D. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here we take the Elliptical Marquee Tool to draw an oval shape on our new layer. Which we then fill with flat white #ffffff. We then deselect the oval for the next step.
Image 4:
4A. Here we take simple Gaussian Blur, set it about 19-20 pixels. Now we've just added a little gloss to our ornament! Nice thing is you can move this layer around to see if where you place the gloss layer is where you want it to be.
4B. Well, the top looks too simple of course. So, select the ornament layer. We're going to section it off using Rectangle Marquee Tool so we do not touch the rest of the sphere itself. Just to add a little touch of Dodge & Burn, add a little life to this section.
4C. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here, you have two choices, depending on your preferences. Myself I will choose the Pen Tool to draw the cap to my ornament. You can also do this with the Polygonal Lasso Tool. All depends on your skill level, myself I'm not able to control to the Lasso so well so I work from a technical perspective instead. Handy for those who try the lasso but are not able to draw with it.
4D. Same layer, the cap layer. We're going to fill it in using #a09c95. Using the Pen Tool, right click the layer itself of the drawn cap. Fill Path afterwards, right click again and Delete Path, for the Lasso use the Paint Bucket Tool.So, now we have our ornament, it's cap which is our next set of images.
Image 5:
4B. Well, the top looks too simple of course. So, select the ornament layer. We're going to section it off using Rectangle Marquee Tool so we do not touch the rest of the sphere itself. Just to add a little touch of Dodge & Burn, add a little life to this section.
4C. [NEW LAYER ADDED] Here, you have two choices, depending on your preferences. Myself I will choose the Pen Tool to draw the cap to my ornament. You can also do this with the Polygonal Lasso Tool. All depends on your skill level, myself I'm not able to control to the Lasso so well so I work from a technical perspective instead. Handy for those who try the lasso but are not able to draw with it.
4D. Same layer, the cap layer. We're going to fill it in using #a09c95. Using the Pen Tool, right click the layer itself of the drawn cap. Fill Path afterwards, right click again and Delete Path, for the Lasso use the Paint Bucket Tool.So, now we have our ornament, it's cap which is our next set of images.
Image 5:
5A. Taking our Dodge Tool once again we want to add a little highlight to the cap itself, simple few brushes down the sides, the center, the top. Main thing here is have the lightsource flow with the ornament. So if you chose to highlight the top of the ornament you would choose to highlight the top of the cap to have your light come from above.
5B. Here, same cap layer we're going to add a little darkness to add some depth to it. if you chose your top of the cap, the bottom of course you would want darkness to fall.
5C. Our finished ornament! Combine all layers, hit Ctrl+T or Edit/Free Transform and reduce it down to about 80%.
5D. But of course now we want to hang it, pick the Pen Tool, draw the points to create a string using #2f1e00 and right click the area the points are and select Stroke Path, about 1 pixel for the Pencil.
5B. Here, same cap layer we're going to add a little darkness to add some depth to it. if you chose your top of the cap, the bottom of course you would want darkness to fall.
5C. Our finished ornament! Combine all layers, hit Ctrl+T or Edit/Free Transform and reduce it down to about 80%.
5D. But of course now we want to hang it, pick the Pen Tool, draw the points to create a string using #2f1e00 and right click the area the points are and select Stroke Path, about 1 pixel for the Pencil.
Final Image, our ornament is ready for our tree, t shirts, pants, skirts, logo's... Christmas cards... etc.. there is no limit to what has been accomplished in learning techniques used in this tutorial for the holidays themselves.
With some added effects anything is possible
With some added effects anything is possible
