Design Christmas card with tree balls in Photoshop
November 11th, 2009 by ART-D Posted in Adobe Photoshop, Designing
In this tutorial, we are going to design a simple Christmas card in Photoshop. I hope you enjoy this tutorial and that it inspires you to create your own postcard for Christmas!
Final Image Preview
Create a new document (Ctrl+N) in Photoshop with the size 1920px by 1200px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Using the Rectangle Tool (U), let’s represent a big rectangle reserved for background of the card we want to have.
For this rectangle we’ll use the Layer style > Gradient Overlay by clicking on this layer on the Layers’ panel to open the Layer Style dialog box.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next background:
Using the same tool, applied before (Rectangle Tool (U)), create another rectangle on the central part of the canvas, like it is shown below:
Select Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Gradient Overlay:
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next background:
Next we must represent a Christmas tree ball, using the Ellipse Tool (U).
Go to Layer Style to add Inner Shadow
Set the Inner Glow
Also set the Gradient Overlay
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next sphere:
Now we must draw the ball’s holder, use the Rectangle Tool (U) to represent the necessary element. Add anchor points on the middle part of each side by one using Add Anchor Point Tool. Shape may be corrected using Convert Point Tool.
Select Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Inner Glow:
Add Gradient Overlay
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next holder:
Make eight copies of the last made element’s layer and select Free Transform (Ctrl+T) option to change the copies sizes, placing them as below. The copies’ layers situated from the central part to the edge should be placed under the previous one.
Next we’ll combine in a group all the layers composing the ball’s holder (press CTRL button to select the appropriate layers and then hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel). Select the group and press CTRL+E to Merge Down all the layers. Select Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Drop Shadow:
We’ve got the next holder:
Next we have to draw the ring of the ball’s holder, using the Ellipse Tool (U). Place the layer under the layer containing the ball’s holder.
Set Fill to 0% for this layer and go to Layer Style to add Outer Glow:
Set also the Stroke
We’ve got the next ring:
Next we’ll represent the highlight on the ball. Use the Ellipse Tool (U) to represent for the beginning the reserved zone for the highlight to be and then press Alt button to exclude with the same tool the highlight on its top and lowest part.
Set Fill to 0% for this layer. Select Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Gradient Overlay:
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next Christmas ball:
Now we have to combine in a group all the layers composing the Christmas tree ball (press CTRL button while selecting the necessary layers and then hold on the left mouse’s button when dragging down the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel). The new group will be copied out two times. Select then the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) option to change the copies’ sizes. Turn over the copies the same way demonstrated on the next picture. The highlights’ layers won’t be turned over.
Create a new layer again and choose here Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 15%) to draw the shadows coming out of the Christmas balls. The shadows’ layers should be placed under the layers containing the balls themselves.
The final result!
View full size here.
Tags: ball, card, christmas, design, inspiration, Photoshop, tree
BRANDON
18/11/2009
Love the tutorial, but I am getting stuck on highlighting of the ball. When I read the Ellipses, I cannot figure out the color pattern or style overlay needed…
hedda
23/11/2009
That was fun - thanks!
la teurrrra
04/12/2009
Really useful! Thanks
Thyaga
05/12/2009
Hi,
Thats was really nice.:) Thanks a lot.
Anders
07/12/2009
Great tuorial, but I dont get highlighting of the ball, cant make it
Vendela
11/12/2009
I’m sure it’s something missing in this tutorial!
Like “Bevel and emboss”? Am I wrong?
Fanci
12/12/2009
I am a newbie to PS. This tutorial claims to be simple.
I managed to make it to the anchor point part.
However I skipped adding the third color point to the ball. I didnt know how to make it.
Then I got stuck at making anchor points.
I also cant figure that out or how you zoomed in to get a closer look. to be able to place those points.
I guess there are those of us who need their hands held the whole way, through each and every step.
Perhaps it would be better say this tutorial is simple for those who have a good knowledge of the program. But not simple for those who dont.
AAima
19/12/2009
really gud..buh which photo shop program r u sing ???
Neringa
22/12/2009
Hi,
you make a third anchor point simply by double-clicking on the place in the gradient bar (in the Gradient Editor) where you want it to apear
Neringa
22/12/2009
Ups, I meant you can add additional gradient point this way.
Anchor point can be added by pressing the Pen Tool and selecting “Add Anchor point Tool” and then clicking on the Path where you want it to be. Pen Tool is in the Tools Palette.
gumby
24/12/2009
This tutorial was awful. It left out many crucial steps creating huge blanks that the user had to try and fill in themselves. I am quite competent with photoshop and have created several tutorials of my own. I really liked the idea you had here but you just left too much out. Really if you are going to do a tutorial do it right, not leaving it half baked. I still don’t know how you made the yellow shapes on top as you totally left that step out. Also the steps for creating the orb give you something that doesn’t remotely resemble your effect, though fortunately by playing around with the effects you can get something that looks half decent.
I hope that you finish this tutorial rather than leaving all of us hanging. I appreciate you considering this criticism. Thanks.
hector
28/12/2009
excellent tutorial . I am from Argentina .I just want to say thanks
you very muches.
jorges
15/01/2010
excellent.. even for photoshop or corel .. yes belive it.