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Let's Make a Software Box


BuzzKill

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This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it

 

 

Here is a quick and simple way to create a box.

You're going to need to make two images. One image is for the front of the box and the other is for the side of the box.

I am not going to go into detail on what you should put on your box. I'll leave that up to you to figure out. I will, however, provide you with the .pdn's of my box to give you an idea on how I put it together.

 

[Zip file link added by EER - thanks to ReMake]

 

Once you have created both the front and side of your box, you're going to need to put both flattened images on the same canvas in a manner that allows you to rotate each image keeping the edges butted up against each other.

Let's start out with your front image by widening the canvas area so it is doubled in width. To do this, first adjust the secondary color's alpha to zero. If we don't do that, the newly acquired canvas area will be filled in using the secondary color.

1

Goto Image > Canvas Size. In the Canvas Size dialog, select the "By absolute size" option and unselect the "Maintain aspect ratio". In the Width input area, double the width of the canvas. The front image of my box has a width of 768 pixels. Doubled would be 1536 pixels. Be sure to set the anchor point to Right and click OK.

2

Now, let's insert the Side of our box. Goto Layers > Import From File... and open the flattened Side image. Position it to where the right side edge is butted up against the left side edge of the other image.

3

Time to give it some perspective. Highlight the layer that has your Front image. Goto Layers > Rotate/Zoom. Adjust the Twist Radius to 45.00 and click OK.

4

Now, highlight the layer that has the Side image. Goto Layers > Rotate/Zoom. Click Reset All. Adjust the Twist Angle to -180.00 and the Twist Radius to 45.00.

5

That's pretty much all there there is to it. The only thing left to do is to flatten the image, crop it, and feather it if so desired.

Here it is with a background and a reflection.

6

Edited by Ego Eram Reputo
Rehosted to Postimage. Added link to PDN files
  • Upvote 2

BK_BloodSaw_sig.png

- DO NOT contact me asking for the .pdn of my avatar or the PDN logo. Thank you. Have a nice day.

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That's just the way I do things. I like to keep things separated. Even more so now that we have the MDI.

Eventually you're gonna have just two layers. One will hold the front image and the other the side image. This is the case when you're butting up the edges of the two.

If you want to keep everything on the same canvas, by all means, do so. It's entirely up to the user.

BK_BloodSaw_sig.png

- DO NOT contact me asking for the .pdn of my avatar or the PDN logo. Thank you. Have a nice day.

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I think this tutorial is great! I could never get box'ish images to line up with the rotate tool. Now I know to center it first. Thanks for the great, simple tutorial!

 

Take responsibility for your own intelligence. 😉 -Rick Brewster

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Thank You Buzz. I was going to ask you how to do a product box like the one in your sig just the other day before I got tied up.

Spooky how you read my mind :shock:. You got powers don't you :|.

I tryed them before but never could get them to look real so maybe now with your tutorial I may be able to get a nice one done :).

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...how did u make the shadows?

For the front of the box, I used a Radial Transparent Gradient on a black filled layer. Starting at the top-left corner of the image, right-click and drag to the bottom-right corner.

For the side of the box, I used a Linear Transparent Gradient on a black filled layer. Starting at the top of the image, right-click and drag to the bottom of the image. I held the Shift key down while dragging the gradient inorder to keep it level.

You can read the Help Topics in Paint.NET for an explanation on the Gradient tool.

BK_BloodSaw_sig.png

- DO NOT contact me asking for the .pdn of my avatar or the PDN logo. Thank you. Have a nice day.

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You should add few more steps on how to make the top. I already have some ideas on how to do it.

"The greatest thing about the Internet is that you can write anything you want and give it a false source." ~Ezra Pound

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You should add few more steps on how to make the top. I already have some ideas on how to do it.

Weird you should say that...

I woke up this morning with this idea in my head...

bushinabox.png

I write out the steps tomorrow when I don't have to work.

 

Take responsibility for your own intelligence. 😉 -Rick Brewster

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what do you think of this?

*pic*

Seems like the side text is not vertically centered.

But it's maybe because I can't clearly see what is the box and what is the background.

But nice job however!

No. Way. I've just seen Bob. And... *poof!*—just like that—he disappears into the mist again. ~Helio

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bushinabox.png

I write out the steps tomorrow when I don't have to work.

Did you use the Oblique plugin for the side and top? I tried to reproduce it last night but I did not succeed. It was late and I was... three sheets to the wind.

BK_BloodSaw_sig.png

- DO NOT contact me asking for the .pdn of my avatar or the PDN logo. Thank you. Have a nice day.

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Thats is correct.

I placed the three boxes like this:

â–¡

â–¡â–¡ (touching of course...)

I made sure that the boxes were centered in the canvas where they all touched.

Then I folded the top down and the right over to the left. Then I used the Oblique effect to do the rest.

 

Take responsibility for your own intelligence. 😉 -Rick Brewster

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runescapeboxjf6.png

Great tutorial!

Awsome result :lol:

EDIT: Something went wrong with this post, see the grey field to the left of this :shock:

EDIT2: Appearantly something in barkbark's post caused it, he got that away now :D

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