Glassball Tutorial

Glass Sphere:
This is a nice little Glass Sphere tutorial I sussed from Scott over at V4 Images
This is a great little project to follow very easy and one i think you will like. You can go to V4 and try it or you can do it here,
either way have fun with it
~gp~

Glass Sphere

Step 1: Create a new 500x500 document with a white background.

Step 2: Create a new layer and press D to set your background and foreground colors to default.

Step 3: Select the elipse tool and draw out a fiarly large black circle. Just make sure there is some room between the circle and the edge of the canvas. Tip: if you hold down shift while dragging an elipse, it will create a perfectly round one.

Step 4: Hold down control and click on the layer that has the circle on it. A moving dotted line should appear around the circle. This means that is has been selected.

Step 5: Select your gradient tool as choose the black and white gradient. Double click on the black and white gradient image at the top to open up the gradient dialogue. Double click on the white slider and change it from white to red. Press OK for both the pop-ups.

Step 6: While still having the circle selected click-and-drag with the gradient tool from the top of the circle to the bottom of it. Tip: holding down shift will make the gradient tool run in a straight line while you drag it.You should have something like below. Press control+d to deselect.

Step 7: Click the Add A Layer Style button (the little button with an F, below the list of layers) a choose inner glow. Set the blend mode to normal, the color of the glow to white, and the size to 90. Leave everything else the way it is. Don't press OK yet though.

Step 8: Next click on Outter Glow. Set the blend mode to normal, the outter glow color to black, and the size to 30. Leave everything else the way it is. Now press OK.

Step 8: Create a new layer. Select the Elliptical Marquee tool (if you just see the rectangular marquee tool click and hold down on that tool until a little menu appears, now choose Elliptical Marquee). Shift-drag out a circle that is about 75% as big as your sphere. Match the top up with the top of your sphere, and make sure it is centered.

Step 9: Select the gradient tool once again. Make sure white is your foreground color, and then select the white/transparent gradient. Next, drag the gradient tool from the top of the dotted circle to the bottom of it. Press control+d to deselect. You should now have a nice glass sphere like the one below!