Photorealism Challenge: Glass

[T Paul]

In this challenge you can use photos for reference, but none can be used for the actual image. You must create the image from scratch. Be sure to include your steps, as this will be a great way to pick up some new techniques.

Challenge:
Create a photorealistic glass. It can be a drinking glass, a wine glass, a vase and so on. If you need some tips there are some great tutorials out on the web.

When you've got your entry, just reply to this thread. Attach your file to your post (no URLs, please). Don't forget to include an excellent description on how you did it.

As always, this Challenge doesn't expire, ever.

[Janet Petty]

This one is a simple try at making a frosted glass. I found plenty of tutorials for making glass, some for making glass transparent. In fact, one for making glass transparent comes with PhotoshopCS. But I wanted something different.

Created the glass shape by using the rectangular tool, and the elipse tool. Stroked both with a 1 pixel stroke.

Transformed the tumbler to a more tumbler like shape.
Merged layers.
Selected shape
Applied (and this was the easy part ) one of the clear button styles that comes bundled with Photoshop. Adjusted the settings and color of said style.
Adjusted layer opacity. Deselected tumbler.
Added a layer below the tumbler.
Added a fill color to the layer, Added a gradient to the layer for effect. Still wasn't satisfied, so I added a pattern fill. Adjusted the opacity of this layer.
Added vignette.

[JustChecking]

cool it seems to me like it lacks bottom, but the top half is very nicely done

[T Paul]

Nicely done Janet and excellent description! Also extra points for being the first to post an entry!

I like the frosted look, but agree with JustChecking that you are missing the bottom of the glass. Just duplicate the oval that you did for the top and transform and adjust opacity and perhaps hue accordingly. Great work!

P.S. I really like the pattern background...lovely wallpaper or faux painted look.


~T

[Janet Petty]

Where did the bottom go? That is the question. LOL the phone rang just as I was going to post; by the time I got back I was just distracted enough that I forgot to look and see if all the layers I needed were open. I must have accidentally flattened (and saved darn it) the tumbler without that layer. It was there in the original. I promise.

Why don't I get a life? Giggle.

Janet

[Mark Adams]

I think the frosted glass is a really good idea, and I agree that the bottom looks "funny" somehow. Ah well,this isn't easy.

Take for example this offering that took me the last three hours. I did it with the GIMP. Sorry.

1. Create the bowl, stem, base and backside of glass in seperate layers and paths. Fill with white.

2. Copy and combine all the layers except the backside of the glass rim.

3. Duplicate the glass image. Select it and fill it with a nice golden-brown color (I used hex #b88432). Turn this layer's visibility off for now.

4. Make the white object active and Gausian blur (RLE) about 5 px.

5. Turn on the brown object's visibility and bump map it against the white object. Give it a depth of about 30.

6. Select the brown object and shrink the selection 3 px. Feather that selection 2 px.

7. In the Curves adjustment, choose the Alpha channel and move the anchor in the upper-right corner down to about 25%. This will make the brown object transparent while leaving a dark rim around the shape to define the edge. DO NOT CANCEL THE SELECTION! We're not done with it yet.

8. Duplicate the brown object and delete the contents of the selection to clear out the middle of the image. We are done with the selection now, so cancel it.

9. Activate the layer containing the last copy we made of the brown image. Invert the color to produce a transparent blue figure. The shade of brown you chose will determine the shade of blue that you get, but we can change that in a minute.

10. Repeat the process on the layer containing the backside of the rim. We will need to finesse it a bit with some handwork to account for perspective (this piece is farther from our eye) and transparency.

11. There is some handwork involved in patching some small spots where the stem meets the bowl and the base and painting highlights. Use an airbrush and go lightly at the ends of the stem until it looks right. Highlights need to be fairly hard, crisp and dense. (If you look really close at my example, you can see a drop of good Merlot in the bottom of the glass.)

12. Paint in a drop shadow. Clear the inside with a large, soft eraser. Reduce the visibility until it looks right.

13. Change the hue and saturation to taste.

14. create a background and populate with whatever looks natural. And don't forget a little lens effect on the background behind the glass. You may also add a reflection by mapping an image to a sphere and pasting it over the glass with a very low opacity.

[Janet Petty]

I agree the bottom looks funny. I really did forget to include the layer I needed. So...I went back and recreated the glass bottom again. Hope this one is a bit more realistic.

Ditto for instructions above in first post.

[Janet Petty]

I'm humbled. My "easy" frosted glass tumbler just waiting for a nice cold soft drink at the end of the day and your WOW decanter with all those steps. If there were an icon with the little smiley taking his hat off to you, I'd use it; but this one will do.

[Mark Adams]

Aw shucks Janet, t'wernt nothin'. The glass was pretty easy, but that cork -- THERE'S a work of art! :-)

Now, your glass looks much better, but there's this optical illusion going on so that my mind wants to see the glass from the top and from the bottom at the same time.

Would it be possible to go back and blur or "frost" or somehow seperate the backside of the glass bottom that you just added?

Do you understand what I'm trying to say (with the Dallas v. Minnesota game on in the background)?

Keep up the good work.

[T Paul]

Mark,

I’m so glad that you tried this challenge. I hope that you tackle some of the other Studio challenges as well.

First off, you created a beautiful scene and extra points for such a descriptive explanation of your steps! The wine glass is very well done complete with sparkle and shadow. I love the marble tabletop and the cork truly is a piece of art. My one complaint is that the cork must have come from one heck of a bottle as it looks rather large when compared to the wine glass…although I have seen those MEGA bottles at restaurants (grin). Perhaps if you made the wine glass just a tad taller and wider the proportions would even out. Just a thought. Excellent entry!

I've attached a quick example of what I mean...


~T

[T Paul]

Janet,

Kudos for resubmitting! I agree with Mark that the glass is still playing tricks with your eye perspective-wise. Try lightening and blurring the back portion of the black oval on the bottom of the glass and perhaps add just a hint of highlight on the front oval on bottom as well as the entire oval on the top. Perspective is always a challenge!


I've attached a quick example of what I mean.

~T

[Mark Adams]

Thanks for looking TPaul. I vote for a smaller cork.

As for Janet's glass, your edit looks better. I think it looks much better and my head doesn't swim as much when I look at it.

Mark

[T Paul]

Hopefully no offense at the edits...just suggestions and an easier way to show what I mean. I am learning just like everyone else.

~T

[T Paul]

Mark,

Did you use noise to create the cork's texture? Love the extra detail of the wet side and the dry side.

[Mark Adams]

Originally Posted by T Paul

Mark,

Did you use noise to create the cork's texture? Love the extra detail of the wet side and the dry side.

The cork was a rectangle filled with a "corkboard" pattern, but by the time I scaled it (too large!), put the text on it, capped the end with a foreshortened disk of "corkboard", warped a little bulge on the dry end, applied a gradient to make it look 3D and stained the wet end, I had no cork grain left. It was just a light brown cylinder with a funky taper.

So yes, noise and motion blur.

BTW, I never find the edits offensive. Half the fun of this stuff is taking existing images and playing with them. Did you ever play Photoshop ping-pong?

[T Paul]

Originally Posted by Mark Adams

Did you ever play Photoshop ping-pong?

No, sounds interesting. I wonder if it is like Art Tag. PM me the basic rules. Perhaps it is something I can set up here.

[Janet Petty]

Too funny about the optical illusion. That was on purpose folks. Notice how the glass seems to be floating? It isn't standing on anything. There is no reference point behind it to give one the idea that it might be against a wall or whatever. The glass is just floating around.

Yes, I could have given it different lighting or put ice cubes in it or...but I didn't. Tis just my idea of weird for the day.

Janet

[Mark Adams]

Yup, Tag Art is like Photoshop ping-pong for teams. I'll have to get in on one of those Art Tag thingies.

Thanks.

Mark

[T Paul]

Originally Posted by Janet Petty

Too funny about the optical illusion. That was on purpose folks. Notice how the glass seems to be floating? It isn't standing on anything. There is no reference point behind it to give one the idea that it might be against a wall or whatever. The glass is just floating around.

Yes, I could have given it different lighting or put ice cubes in it or...but I didn't. Tis just my idea of weird for the day.

Janet

Well good on yah! Weirdness is welcomed, and you got to love a floating glass..harder to knock over and spill
~T

[T Paul]

Originally Posted by Mark Adams

Yup, Tag Art is like Photoshop ping-pong for teams. I'll have to get in on one of those Art Tag thingies.

Thanks.

Mark

Love to have you play a round of Art Tag. Always looking for new players! Subsribe to the Next Round of Art Tag thread to keep current on upcoming rounds. Next round is 16 Sep. PM me if you'd like to play!

[Janet Petty]

If the glass floats and doesn't tip over, does that mean I can call it a sippy cup?

Oops no. Then I'd have to create one of those little sippy things. Duh!

[Mark Adams]

Janet, you've worked hard and you deserve a nice cold glass of root beer. Here, put some frost on this.

[T Paul]

Too funny Mark. That's some extra fizzy root beer!

~T

[Mark Adams]

Nobody likes flat root beer. :-)

[T Paul]

True, very true! What's the half-life on that brand? I don't think the fizz will give out any time soon.

[Mark Adams]

You should have seen it before I toned it down. It did look radioactive!

[Janet Petty]

I'm so glad I "popped" in here one last time tonight. Mark, you gave me the best laugh of the day. That glass looks like it belongs in the Halloween challenge next to the witch's cauldron. Remind me to add it when I finish the great makeup job I'm giving myself for that challenge.

Bottoms up...but not THAT rootbeer,

Janet

P.S. The plastic ice cubes are a great touch!!!

[Mark Adams]

Hey Janet, can I put "our" glass of whatever this concoction is in the gallery on my website? I'll give you credit.

Mark

[Mark Adams]

Okay, so why didn't anybody pick up on the fact that there is no reflection of the cork in my image?

Hmmm?

And what about the shape of that reflection? I'm pretty much stumped on it.

Mark

[Janet Petty]

Double Double Boil and Trouble...

Continuing the saga of our frosty glass. Enjoy

Smoke courtesty of a warped imagination. Water drops courtesy of warped realism.

Have fun folks.