Photoshop Tutorial

In this tutorial i will show you how to create a 3d blueprint. In the next days i will use my result to create a new layout. The result will be very nice, and i will promise you it is not difficult to create a nice looking 3D blueprint with photoshop.

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This is my final result:

For start i will create a new document with the following size: 800x 800 pixels and with a white background.

I will set my foreground color to #196cca

I will select Rectangle Tool and i will create a simple shape

Now i will download the following font : Download

I will add this font to my sistem. To add a new font you need to copy the font to your “font” folder. I recommend you to search how to install a font under your own operating sistem.
After you have the font installed, you can write some text over this blue shape. Please use a white color when you write something

Select Rectangular Marquee Tool and create a selection like in the following image

Create a new layer ( the easy way to create a new layer in photoshop is by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+N )
The next step is to go to Edit > Stroke.

Use the following settings

After you click on OK, be sure you press also CTRL+D to deselect

I will create a new pattern. For this i need to create a new document 60 x 60 pixels with a transparent background

Now you can zoom the document to 500 %. You can use the navigator panel. If you do not have this pannel open you can navigate to Windows > Navigator

Select Pencil Tool, and set the brush size to 2 pixles

I will create two lines on the document. for a short moment i will create a background. It will be easier for you to see what i am doing

The i will change the brush size to 1 pixel and i will create another thin lines

I will delete the blue layer i have used, and this is my result

I will Go to Edit > Define Pattern

I will choose a name for my pattern, then i will click on OK. You can close this document because we don’t need it anymore.I will create another selection with Rectangular Marquee Tool

Then i will create another new layer ( press on CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+N )

I will grab Paint Bucket Tool, and with the the following pattern ( the one from above )
Note : Download our huge set of photoshop pixel patterns

I will click one time on my document, then i will deselect the selection ( press CTRL+D )

I will drag this layer over the blue shape, and in the same time i will change the opacity value to 10 %

I will create another layer ( press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+N ). Be sure you have this layer on top of all layers, then with Pencil Tool ( set the brush size to 1 pixel ) i will create some lines like in the following image

I will select Eraser Tool, and with a smooth round brush i will delete the end parts of the lines. This is my result. If you look carefully you will see that mine lines look like some thin arrows. This is the effect i am trying to create.

Now i will create some circles with Ellipse Tool ( while you create the circles please hold down the SHIFT key ) it will allow you to create some perfect circles. I will create these shapes with a white color

Now for all these small circles add the same settings for the layer styles

This is my result so far.

I will add some other details with another patterns. You can download my huge set of pixel patterns. I will load the patterns, thne i will create new layers each time i want to create a different pattern

I will select the layer with Grafpedia Text in my layer palette

Then i will press on CTRL+J ( this shortcut will duplicate the selected layer )

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. You will be asked if you want to rasterize layer. Press OK. In the Gaussian Blur settings, please use a big value like 20 pixels

I will change the blending mode for this layer to Overlay. This is my result

Now we will transform this 2D blueprint into nice 3D blueprint.For this we need to work only on a single layer. I will select all my layers in my layer palette ( Hold CTRL and click on all layers without the background layer ) Then drag all the layers to the ” Create new layer ” button from the bottom of your layer palette

You will see that you have duplicate layers for all the layers. If you do not touch anything you will have all the duplicated layers selected. Press now on CTRL+E. This action will merge all the duplicate layers into a single one. Then you can hide the previous ones because we do not need it anymore. It will be usefull in the future if you want to change something

From now one we will work only with this layer. Now i will select Pen Tool, and i will create a simple shape like in the following image

I will right click on this layer, and i will choose Rasterize Layer.

Then i will add the following layer styles

You can find the gradient in one of the biggest gradients packages available

This is my result so far

I will select Eliptical Marquee Tool, and i will create a small selection on the left side of our blueprint

Then i will hit delete on my keyboard ( be sure you have the last layer selected - the one made with the Pen Tool )

Then i will press a few times on my Up arrow key until i place the selection tangent with my bottom part of the blueprint

Now i will inverse the selection ( press CTRL+SHIFT+I ).

I will select the blueprint layer. With Eraser Tool i will delete the bottom left part of my image.

Now i will hide the selection by pressing CTRL+D.
I will duplicate the corner layer

Then i will select both of them in my layer palette, and i will merge them together ( press CTRL+E ) to merge both layers into a single one.
The effect is not visible. I did this step because i will use the Dodge Tool in the following step to add some lights. If you want to draw with Dodge Tool or Burn Tool over a layer with layer styles you will not see the effect. that’s why i merged the two layers.

As i have told you i will use the Dodge Tool with the following settings

Then i will start drawing over the corner of the blueprint. the following steps are very important if you want to have the same effect like mine. So please be careful. Select Smooth Round brush with the following size: 80 pixels, and click one time on the following spot.

HOLD DOWN SHIFT KEY, and press on the second spot

You will not see a big difference, but i prommise you will see in the following steps. Change the size of the brush to 60 pixels, and click one more time following the steps from above. Repeat these steps a few times until your brush size will be 10 pixels. This is my result so far

I will select the other layer, and with Brush Tool, i will cover the white lines

Now i will create a white line with Line Tool ( set the line weight to 3 pixels )

Go to Edit > Transform > Warp, and modify the line until you get a nice result

Now i will select one more time the layer with the corner, adn i will go to Image > Adjustmens > Desaturate

Now i will give the nice 3D Effect i was talking about. I will select all my layers in my layers palette ( without the background layer ) and i will merge all the files into a single one ( press CTRL+E ).
The next step is to go to Edit > Transform > Skew, and play with the corners until you are happy with your result

For this layer add a simple layer style with a drop shadow

You can add also another warp effect. Go to Edit > Transform > Warp , and play a little with this blueprint

This is my result

I will select Lasso Tool, and i will create a selection

Then with Burn Tool, and with Dodge Tool i will add some shadows and highlights. This is my result so far.

I will create another layer on top of all layers ( press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+N )
Then with Brush Tool, and with a smooth round brush ( 500 pixels ) i will press one time over my blueprint

Then i will change the blending mode to Overlay, and i will change also the opacity value to

This is my final result

If you want you can duplicate the blueprint layer, and you can modify by using one more time using the warp tool.