Create Your Own Christmas Balls

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Here I’ll show you how to make funny colorful Christmas balls using Photoshop techniques.

First of all, you should create a new document about 500×500 pixels and fill it with white color. After that select the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create selection as on my picture below. Fill selected area with color of #580001 on the new layer.

Ok, use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to create another one selection and fill it with the same color.

Remove selection with Ctrl+D. Now, time to bring some ornament to the ball. I used this ornament or you can use another one which you want. Open up this file and copy ornament to the main canvas. After that apply the Color Overlay layer style to the layer with ornament.

You can mix current picture a couple of times. The result should be next:

Select the ball shape (Ctrl + left click the Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette) and press Ctrl+Shift+I to invert selection, after that press Delete to clear selected area.

Remove selection with Ctrl+D and continue to create ball’s texture. Create a new layer and fill it with black color. After that apply Filter > Noise > Add Noise with following presets:

Change layer opacity to Screen now and use Ctr+T to reduce the noise texture.

Now, we need to clear area out the ball again. Select the ball shape one more time (Ctrl + left click the Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette) and press Ctrl+Shift+I to invert selection, after that press Delete to clear selected area.

Deselect area with Select > Deselect. After that use the Sharpen Tool to sharpen noise layer.

Now, merge all layers except background layer in one. After that use Select > Load Selection to select ball again and apply Filter > Distort > Spherize to make the ball volume:

Remove selection with Ctrl+D and use the Sharpen Tool again to sharpen centre of the ball a little bit more.

Time to add glares. Use the Dodge Tool (Brush: 100px, Range: Highlights: Exposure: 50%) to create bright spot on the ball as on my picture you can see below.

Create another one glare in the same way.

Then select the Burn Tool (Brush: 100px, Range: Shadows: Exposure: 20%) to add the dark glare.

Now, create a new layer and use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create round selection. Fill it with white color.

Remove selection using Ctrl+D and apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

See the result below.

Merge this layer with previous. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to create selection like mine and use the Dodge Tool again to make little dodge-work.

Ok, remove selection with Select > Deselect. Time to add the top to our ball. How to do this? In the beginning create new layer above, then select Polygonal Lasso Tool to create selection as mine and fill it with color of #a09c95.

Deselect current layer (Ctrl+D). Now, use the Dodge Tool (Brush: 45px, Range: Highlights: Exposure: 50%) to add a little glare to the top.

Merge current layer with previous and use Ctrl+T to reduce the ball about 20%.

And the last one thing left. Select the Line Tool and set foreground color as #2f1e00. Draw two lines about 1 pixel as on my picture below.

Ok, we are done for now! I added two different colors balls more. Please don’t be afraid to experiment with different colors and techniques.