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Chrome Reflection
Creating Reflective Chrome in
Paint Shopp Pro
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It's a common misconception that if you
want to create a good chrome effect without a plugin, you need to have the
latest version of Photoshop and about 2 hours on your hands...
Wrong. |
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Step 1
Create a new 200 by 200 pixel image, and fill the
background with a dark grey (this will make it easier to work with lower
contrast, it's just for convenience). Create a new Raster layer, and select a
circle 160 pixels in diameter. Form the Selections menu, click Save to Alpha
Channel to save your selection.
From the Selections menu, click Modify > Expand, and enter a value of
2. Fill the area with black. Now deselect ( Ctrl+D ).
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Step 2
Create a new Raster layer, and load your selection ( Selections
> Load from Alpha Channel ). Fill the selection with a medium-dark color
(the one used here is #556C97).
From the Selections menu, click Modify > Expand, and enter a value of
2.
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Step
3
Click Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel.
Depending on the object, you may want to play around with the values a
bit, but for this object, use the following. Repeat this step another
time, so the bevel contrast is high.
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Step 4
Deselect ( Ctrl+D ).
Click Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a value of 5.
Load your selection ( Selections > Load from Alpha Channel ), and
invert it ( Selections > Invert ). Now press Delete to remove
the 'fluff'.
Deselect ( Ctrl+D ).
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Step 5
Create a new Raster layer, and load your selection ( Selections
> Load from Alpha Channel ).
Now you'll have to find a photo to use for the reflection. Images of objects,
architecture, and scenery work well. Use the image to fill your selected area
(pattern fill).
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Step 6
From the Selections menu, click Modify > Expand,
and enter a value of 2.
Click Effects > Geometric Effects > Ripple. The values depend
on the size of the image. This time, enter the following:
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Step 7
Deselect ( Ctrl+D ), and load the original
selection ( Selections > Load from Alpha Channel ).
Click Effects > Illumination Effects > Sunburst. We apply
this effect for the reflection highlight, so the "lense flare"
effect won't be needed, and the rays are set to minumum:
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Step 8
Deselect ( Ctrl+D ).
Right-click your current layer, and select Duplicate (that will be the highlight
layer). Now make the layer invisible (we'll get back to it later), and return to
the previous layer.
Click the Selection tool, choose Circle, and set the Feather value to 25. From
the center of the image, select an area so that the feathered selection will
touch the object. Now press Delete to punch out the center area.
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Step 9
Set the layer's blend mode to Multiply. This is the
darker reflection area. Depending on the shape of the object, you may want to
change the deleted area, or tweak the blend mode.
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Step 10
Now go back to the layer you've duplicated (click it to
make it visible again). As in step 8, make a selection of a feathered circle.
Now use the same method to select another feathered circle on the bottom-right
(opposite the reflection highlight). To add the selection to the current one,
press Shift while selecting. The size of the circle depends on the
object, but for now, try to select a circle about the size of the circle in the
image to the left.
Now press Delete to punch out the center area.
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Step 11
Deselect, and change the blend mode of the layer to
Luminance.
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Step (!)
See if you can create this diamond-like effect using the
methods in this tutorial.
(Tip: Sometimes the Dodge blend mode has a stronger effect than the Luminance
mode. Also, since the object isn't a circle, try using the Punch effect to align
the reflection with the edges)
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