If you have ever watched a sporting event on television, you have probably noticed some of the 3D graphics that television networks use during the programming. In this tutorial, we will show you how to create your own "Sports Center" inspired graphics using Photoshop CS6's 3D capabilities combined with Filter Forge. In the process, we will show you how to use several tools including basic shapes, gradients, patterns, and textures. Let's get started!
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
- Sci-Fi Mega Metal 1 by Ronjonie
- 3 Way Color Correction by Tinkerpixel
- Mister Belvedere Font.
- Gradient-shapes for Photoshop by Ilnanny.
- Metal Mesh Patterns - Pack 1 by Axertion.
- 3px tile pattern by Gre3g.
- Stucco pattern by Bartosz Kaszubowski.
- White Carbonfiber pattern by Badhon Ebrahim.
- Light aluminum pattern by Atle Mo.
- Felt pattern by Atle Mo.
- Metallic Texture 06 by Dknucklesstock.
- Lens Flare 2 by Aukerai.
- Optical Flare(157) by McFlutterhy.
- LED Lens Flare Render by Sk3tchhd.
Downloading Filter Forge and the Filters Used
First, you need to download Filter Forge from the plugin's website. Once you download it, run the .exe file, and that's it! It will be added inside Photoshop under the Filter menu. Super easy to install.
To add the filters, click each filter's link under the "Tutorial Assets" section, then click the "Open this filter in Filter Forge" button to install it. If you get a message asking you to confirm, just click Yes or OK. The Filter will then be added to the other filters you have.
1. Creating the Shapes
Step 1
Create a new 1000 x 1000 px document, and fill the Background with Black.
Pick the Ellipse Tool and set the Fill color to
#4e4e4e. Press and hold the Shift key then click and drag to create a 570 x 570 px circle.
Rename the shape layer to 1. The naming is essential, as it will be used throughout the tutorial.
Step 2
Duplicate the shape layer, rename the copy to 2, then change the its Fill to None, theStroke Color to
#707070, and its Width to 10 pt.
Step 3
Create a new 950 x 950 px circle and rename its layer to 3. Change its Fill to None, itsStroke Color to
#636363 and its Width to 10 pt.
Step 4
Create a new 750 x 750 px circle and rename its layer to 4. Change its Fill to None, itsStroke Color to
#ffffff and its Width to 100 pt.
Step 5
Duplicate the previous shape layer, rename it to 5, change the Stroke Color to
#7d7d7d and its Width to 10 pt.
Step 6
Create a new 650 x 650 px circle and rename its layer to 6. Change its Fill to None, itsStroke Color to
#363636 and its Width to 80 pt.
Step 7
Duplicate layer 5, drag it on top of all the layers and rename it to 7. Then change itsStroke Width to 100 pt.
2. Creating the Basic Text Shape
Step 1
Create the text in the center of the shapes using the font Mister Belvedere, the Color
#8c8c8c, and the Size 550 pt.
Step 2
Go to Type > Convert to Shape to turn the Type Layer into a Shape Layer.
Step 3
Duplicate the text shape layer, then change the copy's color to
#ffffff.
3. Creating the Outer Parts of the Text Shape
Step 1
Select the Rectangle Tool, and set the Foreground Color to
#8c8c8c. Click and drag to create a rectangle on a part of one of the text edges.
Step 2
In the Options bar, click the Combine Shapes icon. Then create some more rectangles around the text you have. Those will be the parts where the text will be separated.
Step 3
Click the Direct Selection Tool, then select the two inner anchor points of the first rectangle. Go to Edit > Free Transform, press and hold the Alt/Option key, and click and drag the top side to push the selected points inside.
Hit the Enter/Return key to accept the changes.
Step 4
Do the same for any other rectangles you like.
Step 5
Once you're happy with the shape, go to Edit > Define Custom Shape, and type in a name for the shape. You can then delete the outer shapes layer.
4. Modifying the Final Text Shape
Step 1
Select the Custom Shape Tool, then scroll down the picker in the Options bar to choose the shape you defined in the previous step.
Step 2
Click the Subtract Front Shape icon in the Options bar, then click the Geometry Settings icon, and click the Defined Size radio button. This will help you create the shape in the same exact dimensions it was originally defined in with only one click.
Step 3
With the copy text shape layer selected, click and drag to move the shape where it's supposed to be, and release to subtract it from the text shape you have.
Step 4
Select the original text shape layer, click the Intersect Shape Areas icon in the Options bar, and click and drag to place the shape where the removed parts are, then release. This will give you the outer parts only.
Step 5
Select each of the text shape layers, then click the Path Operations icon in theOptions bar and click the Merge Shape Components option to remove the extra parts.
5. Creating the Line Shapes
Step 1
Pick the Line Tool, and set the Weight in the Options bar to 3 px. Then press and hold the Shift key, and click and drag from the middle top of the document to the bottom to create a straight line there.
Step 2
Duplicate the line shape layer, go to Edit > Transform > Rotate, press and hold theShift key to rotate the line in 15° increments, and rotate the line 45° CW. HitEnter/Return when done to accept the changes.
Step 3
Duplicate the rotated line's layer, and rotate it another 45° CW, then duplicate that layer and rotate the copy one more time to get the result shown below.
6. Extruding the Shape Layers and Using the 3D Panels
Step 1
For each text shape layer you have, select it and go to 3D > New 3D Extrusion from Selected Path. This will convert the shape layers into 3D layers.
Step 2
Select all the 3D layers you have, then go to 3D > Merge 3D Layers. This will place all the 3D meshes in one scene.
Step 3
To access the 3D mesh settings and properties, you'll need to open two panels: The 3D Panel, and the Properties Panel (both found under the Window menu).
The 3D Panel has all the components of the 3D scene, and when you click the name of any of those, you’ll be able to access its settings in the Properties Panel. So make sure to always select the name of the element you want to modify in the 3D Panelbefore you change its settings in the Properties Panel.
Step 4
Select the Move Tool and check its Options bar. You'll find a set of 3D Modes for the tool to the right of the bar. When you choose one of those, you can then click and drag to perform any changes (on the selected element in the 3D Panel).
So with the Current View tab in the 3D Panel selected, you can click and drag to change the Camera View you have.
