Photoshop Quick Tips #13 - Creating ReflectionListThumbs
Photoshop Quick Tips #13 - Creating Reflection
This is a very simple effect to create a nice reflection. We have been asked a couple times to create so here is a very nice quick tips that you can use and abuse since it already is a big trend in web design and also very used for other types of design.
So, to start out I need an image to create the reflection, I'm going to use an iphone for this one, you can use whatever you like, this works out really well with icon and typography.
Now I'm going to paint the back ground black and duplicate the iphone layer as you can see here.
Now we are going to select the iphone copy layer and rename it to iphone reflection and we are going to flip this iphone around so it looks like it's upside down, and place it right under the other iphone so we can use this as our reflection.
Select the iphone copy layer and go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical and place it under the other iphone as you see here:
Time to make the reflection more realistic. On the iphone reflection layer we are going to add a layer mask to it just by clicking on the layer mask button.
Now we are going to apply a gradient on the layer mask, this will make our reflection look more realistic.
Select the gradient tool, and using the color black apply the gradient from bottom to top until you get a good result like the one you see on the image bellow:
This is how your layers should look like.
Now to make it even better and finish this up we are going to lower the opacity of the layer to 75% and we should have a great final reflection.
This technique is very simple and can be used to create any kind of selections, if needed you can also apply some perspective specially if working with 3d shapes.
If you have any suggestions for a quick tips, contact us at abduzeedo@gmail.com with the subject QuickTips.
About the author
Hi! I'm Paulo Canabarro and I'm here to post some really cool stuff for you, if you have any ideas or any requests please get @ me - pvpcanabarro@gmail.com you can also Follow me on twitter!
Sponsored Links:
30 Comments
Nice effect! I'd like to add that it only works with flat objects or objects that has been photographed with the bottom at eye level, otherwise you might end at Photoshop Disasters!
Definitely agree! Not so easy if you're trying to create a reflection of a car photographed at a 3/4 angle, for example. Would love to see some tutorials on that. ;)
nice tutorial can you make a quick tip for removing pics from backgrounds with quick mask
Simple and very effective !
i like the layer mask, it gives it a nice blending effect with the background
Probably one of the most basic techniques in photoshop, but good to know if you're a beginner.
Isn't this something eeeeeeeeverybody knows? You can almost make a macro of this and run it in Photoshop
this is good for only 1 color background.
It can be applied in any background, the result remains the same.
sry my bad , your right :)
great tut, 'cause it's with an easy example.
C 'est très simple mais sa peut servir aux débutants !
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://hybrid-creation.deviantart.com/
Shadow is missing...
simpy good!
________
http://lateant.deviantart.com/
lol
Ist ja einfach für "flache" Objekte, wenn es allerdings um eine perspektivische Spiegelung geht, wird es schon schwieriger.
could you take it a little forward? I mean the tricky part comes when you do not have a "full frontal" image of the product, and the relfection has to be deformed... what do you do?
Muito bom, Paulo, obrigada, seus tuts são excelentes, eu to sempre aqui e te seguindo no Twitter, vc é definitivamente "o cara", como se diz aqui no Brasil. Thanx!!!!!
Nice a simple. well done. could you also show how to add the perspective for 3d objects?
I discovered this by the BAD way (6 months ago, I sweated blood)...
Nice but too late! lol
You can also add a slight horizontal motion blur to the reflection ...
classic!
to make this reflection more realistic:
add a slight blur, reflections are never perfect like that.
add a shadow (find the light source).
Love the reflections, but where can i find good hi-res pictures of macbooks and iphones and such... i have a hard time finding good ones
Cool but I would like to see this with for example a car or other object in pespective =P
cheers.
Nice tut! Please also make a tutorial on making shadows or reflections of objects in different perspectives. I really find it hard making reflections on none flat objects.
Thanks. just reminded myself how to go about it.
cheers.
TIP : in addition you could add some blur on the reflection and desaturate the reflection a bit.
---------
http://www.dbmediadesign.nl
thanks for the tut, it will work perfectly with a project i am doing at the moment
I have found using the layer mask > fill w/black then distort or warp makes good shadows in other perspectives. Instead of filling just do the flipping then distort or warp. The rest comes from bit of artistic intuition on exact placement of reflection or shadow.
I once read a saying " how can you teach end users to use photoshop? Start by becoming an Artist"
Post new comment