There was some discussion in the forum a while ago about how to make realistic window glass.
1. The first thing you need to do is to open up an image with a window in it. Remove the existing scene from the window. You will also want to remove the wall background from the image so all you have is the window frame itself. For the tutorial I have not done that. Then change the name of this layer to “Frame.”
2. Next choose a suitable image for your new scene. This is the one I used. Now this image would be what you are seeing outside of the room you are building or to be truly a window in RLC you would not use a image behind the window. But for this tutorial it works better with a image.
3. Add the new scene into your image and call the layer “New Background.” To add the image you can simply open up both images and, using the Move tool (V), drag and drop your “New Background” into the image.
4. Now go the Layers palette and, if it is not already there, drag the “New Background” Layer below the “Frame” layer.
5. Next, create a new layer above the “New Background” layer. Layer>New>Layer and call this layer “Highlight.”
6. Set your foreground colour to white and, with a hard small brush, draw in some streaks as I have done in the image shown below. These streaks need to go in the same direction as the light. If you have light coming from the right the streaks need to go from the right down to the left as I have done. Do remember that to draw a straight line you can simply click at one end and then shift click at the other end and PS will draw in the straight line for you.
7. Next do Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and use a setting for the radius of 25 pixels. This will blur the streaks and make a soft highlight.
8. You now need to reduce the opacity of the “Highlight” layer until it looks realistic. For my image 30 percent worked well but yours may need a different setting.
9. We are now going to add a reflection of the room into our window, so choose a suitable image. Here is the one I used. For RLC stand at or outside where you window is being place and take a screenshot of the room looking in.
10. Add it to your image in the same way we added the previous image and make sure that it is positioned just below the “Highlight” layer. Go to the layers palette, call the new layer “Reflections,” drag it just below the “Highlight” layer then reduce the opacity to around 10 percent.
11. We now need to add depth to the frame and we will do that by using a shadow.
12. Change your foreground colour to black, create a new layer below the “Frame” layer and call it “Shadow.”
13. Go to the layers palette Ctrl-Click (Mac: Command-Click) on the “Frame” layer to regain the selection and fill the selection with black. Edit>Fill Selection.
14. At the moment the shadow doesn’t show but our next move will sort that out. Just choose Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, use a setting of around 10 pixels and a slight shadow will appear.
15. Now is the time to take a look at your overall image and, if need be, adjust the opacity of the “Highlight” and “Reflections” layers. I decided that I would increase the opacity of the “Reflections” layer to 15 percent, but you will need to try different settings until you see which works best in your image.
17. That finishes off the tutorial and hopefully you now have realistic looking glass in your window frame.
It’s a fun technique to try out and there are many things you can add to it. Do try different variation and most of all remember to experiment and enjoy!
