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Create A 3D Grid Styled Photo Gallery

posted by John Owen on July 3rd, 2009, in 3D Design, Layouts, Photoshop | 6 Comments

I recently read a Sky Movies Magazine that I received in the post (Issue 30, July 2009 if you wanted to know) and saw a nice grid effect used. This tutorial will show you how to achieve a similar effect to the one in the magazine. Personally, I think mine is better and has more depth to it. Along the way I will also be teaching you how to use the Vanishing Point in the Filter Menu.

Resources

If you want to use the same image as you can download it here:

• Spartan 300 Image

Step 1, The Pattern

Create a new document 25 x 25 pixels, Double click on the background layer to convert it to a normal one. Next open up it’s blending options and set them to these screenshots.

Now go to Edit > Define Pattern.

After you’ve clicked define pattern, type in the name of the pattern and click OK.

Your pattern is now ready for use!

Step 2, Vanishing Filter

Before we create the grid here is a little info on the vanishing filter. The Vanishing Filter lets you create plains where you can place graphics on, this creates a 3d effect. It can be used in many ways as a upcoming tutorial will show.

Close the current document, no need to save (we saved the pattern) Create a new document, I made mine about 1250×750. Make sure the background layer is set to white.

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Pattern, click on the pattern box and select your 25×25 pattern (it’s most likely the last one on the list). Click OK and set the layer opacity to 30%.

To keep the edges relativley sharp we need to convert the pattern to a Smart Object. Right click on the layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Press V for the move tool, and then hit CTRL + T to start transforming the grid. Right-click on the grid and select Distort.

Now, this allows you to simulate a 3D effect, don’t worry the Scary Vanishing Filter will come into play soon. I mean look how scary it is.

Anyways, create your distort similar to mine.

Press Enter to save the changes. Since we have white bits around the edges we need to crop the image. Make sure you have a complete grid in the cropped area.

Time to use the Vanishing Point filter! Create a new blank layer and go to Filter > Vanishing Point. It may seem scary at first but it’s very simple actually.

Create four points on four points of the grid like so:

Click OK, we’ll need this in the next step

Step 3

The last step was massive, thats the only big one though dont worry. We now have all the gridding set up, these can basically be called 3D guides.

Import your image to a blank layer and desize it if neccasary, after that CTRL + Click the picture box of the layer, this selects everything inside the layer. Go to Edit > Cut, then create a new layer and delete the old one (so no trace image is left).

Now open up the vanishing point again and press CTRL + V to paste the image into the vanishing filter.

Now drag the image fully accross into the plain. Now, see that tool similer to the transform tool? Try and find it (Under the brush tool). Resize your image as you see fit.

Press OK and bask in the results of the vanishing point!

At the moment it will most likely have jagged edges but dont worry. Since it’s a image it will do this. Thats why if you look at the thumbnail the image is nice, smooth, silky and round. I’ll show you how to do this right away! (Note you must have CS3 + to do this effectivley)

Step 4

CTRL + Click the picture box containing the spartan layer, right click with the Marquee Tool (M) and select Refine Edges. Set the options to this screenshot:

We now have the inside of the layer selected, we want the outside selected. Press CTRL + SHIFT + I to invert the selection or Select > Inverse. Anyway is good

Press DELETE on your keyboard and behold! A nice clean smooth image!

To make it even better apply these layer styles.

The image still looks a little bland, select the layer and hit CTRL + L to bring up levels, adjust them to this:

Should be looking better!

Step 5

Your image should look a little something like this:

Now for the text, we will create the textbox and text slightly different, we won’t be using the vanishing point. (Hoorahh!)

Create a new layer and select the rectangle tool, select a orangey color. Draw a plain rectangle and use the transform tools to get into distort mode.

Now apply the same layer styles as the Spartan layer.

If it looks jagged you can refine the selection like I taught you in Step 4, I’m not going to repeat the steps you need to learn!

So far:

Step 6

Time to add some text!

(NOTE: At this point in the tutorial I lost my whole .PSD file so the rest of the images may look a little different! Sorry)

Select the text tool and type whatever you want to go in the box, make the font size small enough to fit most of the text in the box.

We now need to convert it to a shape, go ahead and do this Right-Click layer > Convert To Shape (Click YES for rasterize). Now, just as before distort the text to conincide with the plain angle to make it look real.

I added a few layer styles of my own, experiment yourself! Thats how you learn!

Finished! Any questions? Just comment!

Here is an example of mine:

Click for full size