Create a Festive Cocktail Using Photoshop’s 3D Capabilities

For many of our readers, this time of year is filled with family, friends, and celebration. In this tutorial, we will explain how to create a festive cocktail using Photoshop’s 3D capabilities just in time for your New Year’s celebrations. Let’s get started!

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

• Fabric and Fabric (Image 7)
• Foam
• Wood
• Splatter
• Patterns and Shapes
• Reflection texture

Step 1

Create a new document, the size is 768x1024px. Insert fabric image, we will use this texture to create background. Apply Flip Horizontal transformation to it. Go to edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Then expand the layer proportionately, press Shift as you drag a corner handle to scale. Choose Edit > Transform > Scale. You should have visible just the drapery left bottom part of the image.

Step 2

Select the bottom part of the red fabric just like on the example, use Rectangular Marquee Tool . Copy and paste it into a new layer. Then go to Edit > Transform > Perspective. Drag one of the bottom corners handles to apply perspective transformation. Then choose Free Transformation and move bottom edge of fabric shape to the bottom edge of Photoshop document. You should completely cover the white background space.

Step 3

You will get similar result.

Step 4

Create glass wall silhouette. You may use Pen Tool in the Shape Layer Mode .The size is 145x359px. It should be a half of full glass shape silhouette. You may create you own shape, but keep right cross edge vertical and bottom line horizontal – check out the guides on the screen shot. Do not rasterize created shape.

Step 5

Open 3D Tools palette. And create a new 3D object from the glass silhouette path.

Step 6

You will see the 3D settings window. Apply adjustments like on the screen shot below. Especially pay attention to "Reference point location" click on right point to choose right spinning axis. Our shape should spin around inside edge with Angle 360° . Choose Best Mesh Quality. Click "Ok".

Step 7

Tilt down 3D perspective a bit. Make active "Rotate the 3D Object Tool" and adjust only "X" Orientation setting (-10). Keep "Scene" Render Settings like on the screen shot.

Step 8

In order to set materials for the glass cup, make active "Materials" palette. In this tutorial we will use only Extrusion Material (marked with green color) for the most of the shapes. That’s why the Opacity parameter for all other materials should be 0% (!). So, set Opacity = 0% for the "Front Inflation Material", "Front Bevel Material", "Back Bevel Material", " Back Inflation Material".

Step 9

Apply following settings for the Extrusion Material. Upload texture for Diffuse Parameter by clicking small folder icon. I used another Fabric (Image 7) texture, cropped as the square 1000x1000px and flipped by vertical and horizontal. You may play with Opacity, Gloss, Shine etc settings to see how 3D effects change.

Step 10

To change texture position Right click Diffuse icon and choose "Edit Properties". You may play with Scale and Offset settings (use the scrubby sliders) to find better texture position or use settings like on the screen shot.

Step 11

Open Lights palette to add a light, click the Create A New Light button , and choose the light type from the drop down menu. You may start from "Infinite light" with adjustments like on the screen shot. Find Light position settings in the top part of screen shot or apply your own by rotating 3D Axis guide. To view Axis guide click the Toggle icon  and select 3D Axis. 

Step 12

You may find the rest of lights settings for this glass shape on following screen shots.

Step 13

Apply Inner Shadow and Bevel and Emboss layer style effects to created 3D glass object.

Step 14

Duplicate created 3D glass layer. Change Extrusion Material setting for this layer. Remove texture and apply black color to Diffuse parameter. Adjust lights settings.

Step 15

Return to the Layers palette and apply Color Dodge Blending Mode and Fill = 60%. Add Inner Shadow effect.

Step 16

In order to create large streamline light reflection, duplicate previous 3D glass shape. Apply Screen Blending Mode to this layer and Opacity 70%. Add Layer Mask, click small icon in the bottom of Layers palette. Fill Layer Mask in the bottom part of the glass with Black and White gradient.

Step 17

Open materials palette and upload the new texture to Diffuse map. It should looks like a black square with white horizontal line. You may fill the line with white/gray gradient, just like on the screen shot. Play with texture properties to move it on the right side of the glass shape. You may see how light spot position changes with different texture properties, check out the last screen shot.

Step 18

Apply following light settings to the shape with light reflection.

Step 19

Draw a new shape for the foam inside the glass. The size is 139x117px.

Step 20

Create the 3D object just like in the previous actions with the glass shape. Use the same Repousse Shape settings and set X Orientation "-10" to apply the same perspective as for the glass shape.

Step 21

Place foam layer above first glass 3D shape and below the second one. Choose Screen Blending Mode and Fill = 85%. Apply Gradient Overlay layer style effect and Pattern Overlay effect. In order to create this pattern, make a new Photoshop document 1000x1000px with the white background. Insert several layers with different splatters, choose Multiply Blending Mode for each splatter layer. Flatten layers, go To Edit > Define Pattern. Also, save created texture as JPG or .PSB to use splatter texture for swirl cream 3D shape in the future steps.

Step 22

Prepare foam texture. Open original foam image and crop square area 1000x1000px, choose the area with small brown bleed lines. Apply Gradient map effect to this image. Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map. Then add Smart Sharpen effect. Filter > Sharpen > Smart sharpen. Save created image as.JPG or .PSB.

Step 23

To make spongy foam effect apply following settings and created texture to the Extrusion Material. Upload to Diffuse and Bump parameters the same foam texture with the properties just like on the second screen shot.

Step 24

Apply Light setting.

Step 25

Draw oblateness ellipse using Ellipse Tool in Shape Layers Mode . Create a new 3D object once again.

Step 26

Use following settings, Mesh Quality should be the Best. Adjust Orientations settings, you may find them on the second screen shot. Move the shape on the top of the glass with Move tool .

Step 27

Apply Material settings, upload the same foam texture as for the previous shape with the texture properties like on the second screen shot.

Step 28

Set light effects for the swirl shape.

Step 29

Duplicate swirl cream 3D shape, apply Multiply Blending Mode to it. Use splatter texture from Step 21 to upload it into Diffuse map.

Step 30

Create the cup handle shape using Pen Tool in the Shape Layer Mode . The size is 128x198px.

Step 31

Convert it to the 3D object with following settings, use Bevel effect for this shape. Apply the same map settings to the "Extrusion Material" and "Front Bevel Material" as for the first glass 3D shape(red glossy shape, Step 9).

Step 32

Adjust light effects.

Step 33

Move handle layer below all glass layers and apply layer style effects.

Step 34

Draw the straw shape with Rectangle Tool, rotate it a bit – around 12° . Apply Gradient and Pattern Overlay layer style effects.

Step 35

Rasterize straw shape and duplicate it. Use one of the duplicates for the top part of straw. Erase marked areas.

Step 36

Make active second copy of straw shape, tilt down it a bit, erase area above the foam texture. Put layer above first glass 3D shape, apply Opacity = 80%, add Layer Mask and fill it with Black and White linear gradient in the bottom part of the straw.

Step 37

In order to create springy part of the straw, draw a small ellipse and convert it to 3D object. "Best" Mesh Quality is very important for this complicated shape.

Step 38

Rotate this shape, or you may put Orientation settings like on the screen shot. Adjust Extrusion Material, use red diagonal pattern for diffuse map, the same as for the straw.

Step 39

Adjust light settings.

Step 40

Copy small part of the straw and place it above crated shape and rotate like on the example.

Step 41

In order to improve 3D objects appearance and smooths contours apply Ray Traced Final Quality to all 3D shapes. Make it in final. Merge all glass layers after rendering. Make small ellipse selection on the cream surface around the straw and process this spot with Burn Tool .

Step 41

Lighten bottom right part of the background using Levels settings. In order to apply these settings just to the bottom area, fill Adjustments layer mask with Black and White gradient, with the angle around 100°.

Step 42

Duplicate merged glass layer, apply Flip Horizontal transformation to the duplicate. Move it down. Add Layer Mask to this layer and fill bottom part of Layer Mask with the Linear Black and White Gradient.

Step 43

Insert Wood texture, load selection for this shape, use Command Ctrl + Click layer thumbnail, copy selected area.

Step 44

Create a new empty layer above red background, go to Filter > Vanishing Point. Take "Create Plane Tool" and make plane like on the screen shot, use Ctrl + V command to insert copied wooden texture, drag it to created plane, then click "OK".

Step 45

Apply Multiply Blending Mode to the Wood Layer, add Layer Mask and fill it in the top part with the Linear Black and White Gradient to make smoother far wooden edge.

Step 46

Create a circle under the cup to make shadow effect, apply Overlay Blending mode, Fill = 0% and Inner shadow layer style effect.

Step 47

Load selection for the original merged glass shape and fill it with any color in a new layer, apply layer style effects to this shape to create black glass silhouette with transparent liquid area, don’t forget to fill with black color straw area inside the glass. Merge created shape with the new empty layer.

Step 48

Apply Free Transformation to shrink the created shape by vertical and Skew Transformation to move top edge left. Edit > Transform > Skew.

Step 49

Apply Soft Light Blending Mode and Opacity 60% to this layer. Add Layer mask and fill top part of shadow with gradient just like in the previous steps.

Final Image