Topic awaiting preservation: Loosing it on 3D/chrome emblem (Page 1 of 1)

First, I must say, I've been continuously following the threads of this board for a year (or two) now and I highly respect most of the members and their skills here. Reading your posts had lots of influence on my way of seeing graphics and trying to realize what I had in mind. Just thanks for that.

So,
I'm really loosing it here with the following task:

I am trying to give my own company's emblem not only a chrome/platinum sort of look but also a distinctive 3-dimensional aspect in which the letters appear higher towards the vertical center. (This sketch of a profile might better describe what I mean:


Now, I found out, with all the many tutorials out there it is pretty simple to work this out for an image up to the size of - let's say - 700 px width. Tweaking a little on the layer styles and adjustment-curves, using Alpha-Channels for light-filters, and I got a descent result.

Trying to use the same tools at larger sizes - I do need my emblem at 7000 px width (in order to have a high quality 30 cm @ 600 dpi for printing purposes) I had to learn, that this goes beyond my skills. Especially the "3D-with-the-higher-depth-towards-the-vertical-center"-thing.

This is my latest attempt (reduced to 1/10 of the original size), it looks dirty and I cannot get the desired 3D-feel into it.


This is my original file to start with, I would like to share with you:
http://www.wiegers.de/guest/aFw-logo_bw.eps
(size: 43KB)

What would you suggest is the best approach? I don't need some 3D-programm, do I?

Hi McHotte,

In my humble opinion, there are only two ways to achieve this depth effect.

The first is explained in this tutorial that was written by DL-44.

If I were you, I would create three alpha channels instead of a single one ( one for "wiegels", one for "auto...orum", and one for the "F" ) : this way, using the lighting effect would be easier and you could tweak it more efficiently for each text part.

You could also try using the displace filter combined with the gradient tool. The idea is to create a black and white layer in which the parts you want to add depth to are filled with white, to save it as a .psd and use it as a displacement map. I won't detail it further, for more info read Steve's tutorial.

I assume you already used similar techniques, if not these ones. They also work with huge documents provided you adjust the settings of the gaussian blur, the lighting effects, the displace tool etc. And if you still don't manage to achieve your effect, all you have to do is to tweak each letter separately. Even if your document is 7000px wide, a single letter won't be wider than 500 px, and at that size these techniques work perfectly.

----
If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets.



(Edited by Moon Shadow on 06-13-2004 17:08)

For the logo design deal you might think of using something like Illustrator and not PS. It is often much better to work with vectors for logos. If that isn't an options follow MS's advice, and ask more questions if you have them. I say that the Illustrator would be a better solutions because text is drawn as paths an dyou can manipulate it so that it will achieve the curve you are looking for. Else wise you might have some problems. Look for the "text-transform" option, I think it might be one of the submenu's under "layers". That performs some matrix transforms on your text which might approach the effect you are looking for.

@ Moon Shadow:
Thank you. Indeed light-filter with alpha channel (as explained by DL-44) was my first attempt. I must admit, going letter by letter, has not crossed my mind yet. Therefore I will give it another shot this way.
Displacement map: Got to go over Steve's again, see what result I come up with then. Never been too good at it.

@ WarMage:
You do have a good point there. Also Illustrator would give the option to stick with the EPS-Format, which print shops prefer. (And EPS doesn't make sense when you work on a pixel-basis.)

I didn't find the "Transform"-option you mentioned. Where you thinking of "Effect/3D/Extrude&Bevel"? That would create a "flat" 3D look only.
Or am I looking at the wrong menu? I didn't see a fitting submenu in the layers-palette. (I apologize for asking, especially in a PS-forum, but Illustrator has never been my favourite programm.)

(Edited by McHotte on 06-14-2004 11:34)

I haven't run PS in a while, but I know it is in there somewhere. It was added in v6 I believe. It allows you to do all kinds of matrix based transforms on a text layer, but it requires a lot of playing around.

I don't have much time right now to go information hunting, I will see if I can get time to stop by a lab to take a look a little later.

Warp Text is what it is called not text-transform sorry...

http://graphicssoft.about.com/library/course/bllps506f.htm

Thanks WarMage, appreciate it.
Will take a look at it later tonight.

This is the latest attempt, using alpha-channels and light again, this time in 3 steps, as hinted by Moon Shadow. (Not all there yet, but already looks ok, even scaled down to a tenth of the original size: )


(Edited by McHotte on 06-14-2004 15:45)

Yep, definately looking good.

MS's suggestion is also what I would have done. With three distinct areas, 3 seperate masks is almost a must.

The only thing I see that looks off is the top of the F. Logically it *would* have less visible shadow, but it sut doesn't look right. You may even want to mask that bar seperately, and jsut tone down the effect a little on that part to make make it belnd in right.

Aside from that, I would suggest palying around with having an image refelcted as well. A photo of a street scene for instance, set to either overlay, hardlight, or something similar with the opacity dropped (keep it subtle) would be a good touch I think. Give it a little more life.

Finding a photo of a high enough resolution may be difficult for a print version, but since it will be such low opacity there are plenty of ways to make an image usable for this purpose.

True, the 'F' was bothering me too.

I worked that 'F'-bar with a seperate mask:


Reflection? ... I like the idea, but it doesn't work where I intend to place the logo. Would probably overload the first impression and distract too much.

Certainly the intended use will have a lot to do with how busy you want things.

I most often prefer a very subtle reflection (you don't have to be able to actually see the image...it just helps suggest an actual chrome more realistically), but as you mention, it doesn't always work.

Anyway, nicely done, and it does very much give the appearance you were after.

I'd just like to say welcome to the asylum, McHottie.
Whatever you do, when they come to give you your meds in the mornings, DON'T TAKE THE GREEN ONE!!!

Also, I like the way that's coming along, it's really looking nice!

enjoy your stay,




...Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most (ozzy osbourne)

Geez... green pills. Whatever happened to the good ole black ones?

Chrome came out very nice, by the way.

___________________________
Suho: www.liminality.org | Cell 270 | Sig Rotator | the Fellowship of Sup | "Hooray for linguistic idiots and yak milk!"

Thank you, everyone.

(Edited by McHotte on 06-15-2004 18:17)

Here, have a pink pill instead.

Ribbed for your pleasure.

Oh, I almost forgot.

To make a height map as shown at the beginning of this thread, Layer Styles is good.
One way that I've used is Bevel/Emboss.
Ummm... white text on a black background.
Set both thingies to black and normal or multiply.
Change the contour to the downhill one.
Play with other settings until happy.
ctrl + a
ctrl + shift + c
New alpha and ctrl + v
Use as a height map with lighting effects or whatever.

Y'know warjournal if I hadn't read the text above the pill first, I would've thought that pill was something different (hint).