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Subtle Insets and Bevels

The Bevel layerstyle is a powerful tool that is often used at the default settings. Unfortunately, the default settings don’t look too great and most individuals don’t take the time to make their bevels look really great.In this tutorial, learn to use Shape tools, selections, the air-brush, and layerstyles in combination to render a simple but effective bevel giving the appearance of fading chiselled insets. And there’s nothing default about it!

Tutorial: Subtle Inset Effects, Photoshop 6.0

Add some details to your skins.

.: by mrbiotech :.
Prerequisites:

• Photoshop 6.0 or higher.
• An IQ greater than 60.

This tutorial will be easier if you activate your Layers palette (WINDOWS->SHOW SWATCHES).

1. Fire up PhotoShop and create a new file (CTRL+N). Set it’s dimensionsto 50 px by 50 px, with a transparent background, and give it a nameyou’ll remember.

2. To make the background,double-click on your foreground color in the ToolBar and type in B4B4B4 in the center-bottom box vaguely named “#”. This is a hexadecimal representation of an RGB color, the quickest way to enter it. Itcorresponds to an RGB color with Red:180, Green:180, Blue:180 (thescale being 0-255). Select your Paint-Bucket tool: and click in the middle of your new file to fill it with the B4B4B4 color. If you don’t see your paint-bucket tool, it may be hidden by the Gradient tool; you can get it back by pressing SHIFT+G.

3. Apply the following layerstyles to Layer 1 (which you just filled with grey):

You should now have a box that resembles this:

4. Create a new layer above the previous one (CTRL+SHIFT+N), and name itPATTERN. We’ll make some solid shapes that will serve later as theselections for our actual insets on a different layer. Press U toselect the current Shape Tool, then at the top of the screen select theRounded Oval shape, and set the RADIUS to 10px. Then click the DOWN ARROW next to the shapes and set the shape to Fixed Size of width=20px,height=6px, and check SNAP TO PIXELS:

Press“D” to set your foreground color to black and your background color towhite, and click towards the middle left of your image with the PATTERN layer selected to make an oval shape.

Click“A” to activate the Path Component Selection Tool !http://www.skinyourscreen.com/server/e107_images/articles/mrb-tut-insets/pathtool.gif!, click onthe black shape you just made, press CTRL+C to copy the image andCTRL+V to paste a copy in. Use the Path component selection tool(black arrow) to grab the copy (superimposed over the original), and drag it straight up so that there are 4 vertical pixels between the twoshapes. You might want to zoom up to see it in more detail, and I turnon the grid (CTRL+SHIFT+” ) in order to make pixel alignments easier. Notice: both shapes are on the same layer, PATTERN.

5. Duplicate and move 3 more shapes so that you have a vertical stack of 5 similar shapes with 4 pixels between each.

PressCTRL+A to select the entire image, then from the menus selectLAYER->ALIGN TO SELECTION->VERTICAL CENTERS to center the shapesvertically within the image and LAYER->ALIGN TO SELECTION->HORIZONTAL CENTERS. Then press the “V” key to activatethe Move tool and press the “LEFT” botton 20 times to move the entirelayer over to the left 20 pixels. The left-most edges of the blackshapes should be off-screen:

6. Now create another layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N) and name it “INSETS-LEFT”. Drag this layer so that it is topmost in the layer stack, if it isn’tso already. Now CTRL+LeftClick the PATTERN layer in the layer palette to select only the layer’s contents. You should now have fiveselection areas exactly where your black shapes are. Click the little eyeball next to the Pattern layer to hide the black shapes. Make sureyour INSETS-LEFT layer is selected by left-clicking it, and then selectyour airbrush tool

Set the Airbrush settings at the top ofyour screen as follows: Brush Size: 27px, broad MODE: normal, OPACITY:10%:

7. Time to freehand! Expand the image window so that you can see plenty of the grey area around it where you can’t draw. Then click and drag the following trajectory a few times until you have a faded gradient in the selection area. Once you’re satisfied with the darkness, press CTRL+Dto deselect.

8. Layer-styles: Apply the following layerstyles to the INSETS-LEFT layer byright-clicking on INSETS-LEFT in the layers palette and entering thefollowing values:

You should now have a sharply beveled edge to the faded shapes you just made:

9. To make a similar set of insets for the right side, we will duplicate the INSETS-LEFT layer, flip it, and drag it into position. In theLayer’s Palette, drag the INSETS-LEFT layer to the “New-Layer” buttonat the bottom of the palette (or alternatively, RIGHT-CLICK theINSETS-LEFT layer and select “Duplicate”). Name the duplicated layer“INSETS-RIGHT”, and make sure you spell it right, or you might end upwith “insest-right.” :) With the INSETS-RIGHT layer selected,navigate through the menus at the top: EDIT->TRANSFORM->FLIP HORIZONTAL. Now press CTRL+A to select the entire image and center thelayer as we did above (LAYER->ALIGN TO SELECTION->VERTICALCENTERS, and LAYER->ALIGN TO SELECTION->HORIZONTAL CENTERS). Select the move tool again (press V) and then the “right” button on your keyboard 12 times to move the INSETS-RIGHT layer 12 pixels right. You should now have a nearly symmetrical image:

That’s the technique! Use selections to make airbrush faded shapes and apply this specific bevel effect. Experiment with shapes and forms to create your own unique variations, and toss on some glass effects for depth contrast.