How to make a Glassy Vase

[Pixey]

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

How to make a Glassy Vase

 

 

 

This tutorial was originally written by @yellowman.  Since the horrible decision by Photo Bucket to block a lot of people’s images on the forum, I offered to help with trying to re-do this tutorial as close as possible to the @yellowman stellar original.

 

 

Plugins used are:

 

1.  Shape 3D by @MKT

2.  Quadrilateral Reshape by @evanolds

3.  Splashes by @MadJik

4.  Polar transformation  by @MadJik

5.  Transparency by @BoltBait

6.  TGAngle by @Red ochre

 

Begin:

1-Start with new file 800w by 780h pixels (larger canvas a better result.)

2-Fill it with black, this is the background layer.

3-Add new layer, name it body interior and fill it with transparent white 40:

 

 

 

4-Add new layer and name it body exterior, if you are planning to add some Inscriptions/patterns then add them to this layer (like lines, rings, stars or any shapes.) In this tutorial we will use a transparent green splash.

 

 

5-Fill exterior layer with white, then use the Splash Plugin on this white layer (found in Effects>Render>Splashes) and make your splash shape (you can choose your own color if you want) and fill inside with the same color as the outline:

 

 

6-Convert the splash using Polar transformation and make sure the option is: Transform Polar to Rectangle (found it in Effects>Distort>Polar transformation):

 

 

 

7-Add some transparency (-80) to body exterior layer using Transparency Plugin (find it in Adjustments>Transparency):

 

 

 

8-Add new layer, name it highlight and draw some white thin rectangles starting from top to bottom:

 

 

Use Linear Gradient with Transparency Mode to fade up the top and the bottom of the white rectangles created above:

 

 

9-Make the secondary color black, open Canvas Size (Found in Image>Canvas Size)and change the image height from 780 to 800 pix choosing Middle anchor – make sure ‘maintain aspect radio is un-checked:  You need the canvas to be 800 x 800 now.

 

 

10-Now select body interior layer, open Shape 3D Plugin and apply these effect and values shown by the 12 red arrows in the image below.
(Hint: Don't reset the effects and values of the Shape 3D plugin just yet, as we will use the same values on a few other layers.)

 

 

11-Select body exterior layer and apply Shape 3D Plugin - changing only these 2 values from step 10:

 

   

   

12-Select highlight layer and apply Shape 3D with same values in step 11 changing only the Texture Map from Half Cylinder Map(repeat) to Half Cylinder Map and turn off the light, then use the Transparency Mode gradient to fade up the highlights if they look too bright.

 

 

13-Make sure the top layer is the highlight then body exterior then body interior then merge them and name they resulted layer body, you should get an image like this:

 

 

We are now done with the vase’s body.  Now let’s move on to the head and base:

14-Turn off the body layer (for a better view) and add a new layer name it head and fill it with transparent white 40:

 

 

15-Add new layer and name it head highlight and draw white rectangles something similar as in step #8.

 

 

16-Open Shape 3D on head layer and Reset All old values and apply these new values shown in red arrows:

 

 

Select head highlight layer and apply Shape 3D with same previous values changing only Texture Map from Half...(repeat) to Half Cylinder Map and turn off the light, you will get this shape:

Note:  If your highlights are too big after doing the last step, just use the linear gradient again to shrink the lines.

 

 

17-Now let’s add thickness to the head.  Duplicate head layer and open Rotate/Zoom (find it in: Layers>Rotate/Zoom) with these values:

Hint: If you’d like to use different values then play with Zoom and Pan effects to align the image so the top ring in the two layers sit well exactly on each other.
Then merge the two head layers to get something like this:

 

 

18-Make sure the head highlight layer is on top of head layer then merge both, Don't merge them with body layer (which is already off)...!

Then add new layer and draw a white ellipse with 4 pixels width on the top ring of head layer, align or re-shape it if it needs using Move Selected Pixels tool to sit exactly on the edges like this:

 

 

19-Use Gradient tool with Transparency Mode (Linear Refl.) to add some gradient effect to the ellipse then merge it with head layer:

 

 

20-Use Bulge effect( find it in: Effect>Distort>Bulge) to add some curvature to right and left side of the cylinder shape in head layer:

-For right side:

 

 

And for left side just change (1) to (-1) as shown below:

 

 

21-In this step we will use Quadrilateral reshape Plugin (Effects > Quad. Reshape) and this Plugin has no values to play with, so it all depends on you to make a cone shape to the object in the head layer. In the image below, it shows how you can move the 2 knobs in the bottom corners toward the center of the canvas leaving some space in between the two knobs.  Any way you can shape the image as you like but turn on the body layer first to shape the head to something that matches the vase body.

 

 

22-Select the head shape with Rectangle Select tool and size it down to make the bottom ellipse same size as the top ellipse in the body layer:

 

 

23-Now let’s do the base, which is very similar to the head.

-Turn off body and head layers temporarily.

-Add new layer name it base fill it with transparent white 40

-New layer highlight, draw the white rectangles, and give them some transparent gradient

-Apply Shape 3D with the values shown:

For base layer:

 

 

And for the Base Highlight layer do the same as the above settings , except change to: Half Cylinder Map and switch off the light.

 

- New layer for the white ellipse and apply the Transparent gradient for the bottom ring this time.

 

 

- Merge all 3 layers for the base (base, base highlight and ellipse layers)

- Use Bulge to add some curvature to the sides:

 

 

 

 

- Turn on body and head layers, then use the Quadrilateral Reshape Plugin to create the cone shape for the base layer, this time is up-side down:

 

 

- Select the base shape with rectangle selection and reshape/resize it to sit fit in the vase base:

 

 

24-Turn the body layer to black and white, use Curves and/or Brightness/Contrast effects under Adjustments to give the 3 elements similar effects, put head on top of all then body then base and merge the 3 layers.

 

 

25-Add new layer and draw these 3 curves or as you like, using Line/Curve tool with width about 10 - 15 pixels:

 

 

26-Gaussian Blur the 3 lines with an amount of 27 to 30:

 

 

27-Select vase layer and use Magic Wand with low Tolerance (15 to 20) to select the outside around the vase, then switch to other layer (with the blurred curved lines) and hit Delete on the keyboard to cut the extra pieces from the lines.

 

- Then add a good background or additional effects.  To change the color use Sepia effect then Hue/Saturation  to get a final glassy vase:

 

[mackenzieh]

is PDF format available?

[Pixey]

Hi @mackenzieh - A PDF will get attached shortly.   Meanwhile you should be able to download here: 

Edit:  EER added a PDF.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2017 by Pixey
took out link

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Fabulous! Thank you for bringing this tutorial back go life Pixey.

[Woodsy]

Great job on the resurrection of this tut Pixey! It always has been one of my favorites.

[lynxster4]

Stellar @Pixey !   Wonderful tut.         BTW...what's the difference between 'Like' and 'Upvote'? Do people get their reps no matter which one you choose?

 

***also, there is an awful lot of blank space at the end of your tut....maybe the forum software needs tweaked?

Edited July 21, 2017 by lynxster4

[Ego Eram Reputo]

2 hours ago, lynxster4 said:

***also, there is an awful lot of blank space at the end of your tut....maybe the forum software needs tweaked?

 

Those were ordinary linefeeds. I'm not sure why they were there. It may have been the recent forum upgrade. I removed them.

[Seerose]

 @Pixey! I really appreciate this and all your hard work.   Thank you so much.  

[Red ochre]

Thanks for your hard work restoring tutorials Pixey!

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Added PDF link

[Seerose]

 Hello Dear @Pixey and @Ego Eram Reputo! 

 

When I click on the instructions the pictures are still small.
Also in the PDF file the pictures are small.
Is it possible to watch the instructions big?

[Pixey]

Hi @Seerose - I will edit the tutorial and make them clickable again, but the PDF will then have to be redone as well ..... perhaps later?

[Seerose]

@Pixey! I'm an old granny. My eyesight is no longer what it was,  the magnifying glass didn't help either.  Thank you very much for your answer.   

[Pixey]

2 hours ago, Seerose said:

@Pixey! I'm an old granny. My eyesight is no longer what it was.

 

Me too

 

I've fixed the thumb nails.  They should work now

[Ego Eram Reputo]

The PDF is showing up with full-sized images. Have you changed the zoom level of your PDF viewer?

[lifeday]

Hi, Pixey,
I click on the thumbnail, I am redirected to the Postimage page, where I download the image in normal size.
Thanks for this way, especially since I would also have to copy these pictures from the PDF. The downloaded pdf-file will now be used by me as a template.

 

lifeday

[Pixey]

@lifeday I'm so glad the thumbnails were of help to you.  Because there are so many images in this tutorial, I did not use bigger sizes.  I can check with Admin to see if it would be okay to change them to a bigger size.

[lifeday]

Hi Pixey,
For me the thumbnails with their forwarding to the Postimage page are a good and useful help. The second, more difficult way will be, the meaningful translation, in order to be able to rework the vases. ?
Have a good night!

 

lifeday

Edited May 11, 2018 by lifeday

[Seerose]

 Dear @Pixey! Thank you very much for the restoration.  

[Pixey]

Added a newer version of the PDF

[Seerose]

 Dear @Pixey! You are a sweetheart.   Thank you so much for your effort.  

 

 

[Vagabondi]

Thank you very much for the tutorial. Learning Shape 3D is not that scary at all.   My aim wasn't glass but rather something like this so I changed it a little. (The original images are fantastic & worth trying one day.)

 

[Pixey]

That's a lovely rendition @Vagabondi and the brick walls and floor are a great background

[yellowman]

That is so nice of you @Pixey to restore this tut 🙂

These were the original images created with the tut at that time 🙂:

 

 

 

And @Vagabondi that is truly awesome, thank you very much for sharing your result!

[Manc]

Hi @Pixey nice tutorial.

Got to admit, took me ages.🤨

I thought @welshblue ' s were complicated but this one takes the biscuit.😃

I did enjoy it though and will probably come back to it sometime.😉

Thanks again.

Edited September 30, 2020 by ipswichmanc