Tutorial Details
- Program: Adobe Photoshop CS+
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Estimated Completion Time: 2 Hours
Download Source Files
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
Photoshop is a fantastic app to use to manipulate photos but it is also a great app to use to illustrate still life objects. In today’s tutorial we will demonstrate how to create a semi-photo-realistic knife in Photoshop using vector drawing tools, layer styles, textures, and effects.
Step 1
In new document (size 1000px x 1000px), create a new layer and call it “knife”. Use the Pen Tool and draw a shape as in (1a) and fill it with any color (1b). Then apply the layer styles as shown in (1c).
Step 2
On the “knife” layer, use the Pen Tool and draw a shape as in (2a). Press Command + Enter to make the selection. Press Command + J to duplicate this selection. Rename the new layer “knife 2” then apply a layer style as shown in (2b).
Step 3
Press Command + J to duplicate “knife 2” and delete its layer style and rename this new layer “knife 3”. While holding down “Command” click on “knife 3” to obtain its selection. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, set as in (3a). Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and set as in (3b). Then change its Blending Mode to Overlay and reduce Opacity to 40%.
Step 4
On “knife 2”, use the Pen Tool to draw a path as in (4a). Press Command + Enter to make the selection. Press Command + J to duplicate this selection and delete its layer style. Rename this new layer “knife 4” then move it on top of “knife 3”, fill with white color and reduce its Opacity to about 70% (4b).
Step 5
Select “knife”, “knife 1”, “knife 2”, “knife 3” and “knife 4”, press Command + E to merge these layers into one layer. Rename this new layer “silver knife”. Create a new layer on top and call it “hole”. Use Pen Tool to draw a shape as in (5a) and fill it any color. Keep the selection of “hole”, choose “knife” and press Delete (5b). Select Rectangular Marquee Tool then press the down arrow key 3 times and press left arrow key 1 time to move the selection as in (5c). On “hole”, press Delete (5d).
Step 6
Open the layer style menu for “hole” and adjust the settings as shown below.
Step 7
Create a new layer on top, call it “hilt”. Use Pen Tool to draw a shape as in (7a) and fill it with any color. Then open its layer styles and use settings as shown in (7b).
Step 8
Press Command + J to duplicate “hilt”, rename the new layer “golden hilt”. Delete layer style “hilt” and place as shown below.
Step 9
Create a new layer between “hilt” and “golden hilt”, call it “golden hilt 2”. Use the Pen Tool to draw a shape as shown below.
Step 10
Merge “hilt” “golden hilt” and “golden hilt 2” into one layer, rename new layer “golden hilt”. Place texture on top of “golden hilt”. While holding “Command” down click on “hilt 2” to obtain its selection. On the texture layer, press Command + J to duplicate this selection. Rename new layer “texture hilt”.
Step 11
Use Dodge Tool and Burn Tool with smooth brush to add shading to the hilt.
Step 12
Create a new layer on top of “texture hilt”, call it “line”. Use Pen Tool to draw as shown in (12a). Set a hard 2 px brush then select the Rectangle Tool, right click on path, choose Stoke Path with Brush to draw the black line (12b). Apply layer styles as shown in (12c).
Step 13
Press Command + J to duplicate “golden hilt”, rename the new layer “noise hilt”. While holding down “Command” click on “golden hilt” to obtain its selection. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, set as in (13a). Go to Filter > Blur > Blur. Then change its Blending Mode to Overlay and reduce Opacity to 15%.
Step 14
Merge all layers (except background layer), rename new layer “final knife”. Then press Command + T to transform it as shown below.
Step 15
Press Command + J to duplicate “final knife”, rename the new layer “shadow 1” and transform it as shown in (15a). Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, set as in (15b). Use Rectangular Marquee Tool to make the selection as in (15c). Press Command + Alt + D, set Feather Radius as in (15d) and press Delete. Then reduce Opacity to 60% (15e).
Step 16
Create a new layer on top of “shadow 1”, call it “shadow 2”. Perform the following steps.
Final Image
Your final design should look similar to the image below. Hope you learned something new and fun!
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WOW nice tutorial ;)
Will try it myself!
But stop doing some boring useless icons… Try to make something new!
This is the simplest tut yet. I think most people could have figured this one out without the tut… if you do something more complex though, we might actually learn something new.
Thanks for the tut, but I just won’t benefit from it, hopefully someone else will.
Yes. I think it easy for everyone to do.
Great tut, thanks for sharing! I personally learned some things, and “refreshed” some old knowledge as well.
I like the outcome of the blade. For anyone interested in product design, houseware etc, there are some good tips here.
Thanks.
Thanks. Hope you like it
The attention to detail is poor:
http://psdtuts.s3.amazonaws.com/0455_Create_a_Knife_in_Photoshop/9ab.jpg
Last image.
Are you reading same tutorial as we do?
Unless my browser is lying to me or PSDTut’s server. Then yes.
So, based on one screenshot you have labeled whole tutorial as detail poor???
What can i help you ?
One of the easiest tutorials I have seen in a long time. The design itself looks so complicated but the tutorial steps made creating the design easy. Thanks for another great tutorial!
I alway want to make simple tutorials. So everyone can learn easily
Half of these tutorials should be on vectortuts.com. Honestly psdtuts.com is a joke in terms of actually learning anything, they make you pay for anything that’s vaguely interesting, but could probably guess the process yourself.
I like how you work on the detail of the knife’s hole. However, I think the leather texture need more transformation because it looks too flat.
Nice outcome, but is PSD tuts all about making pointless Icons lately?
Firt of all this is not being presented as an icon.
Second of all why are icons pointless? Learning to create things from scratch doesn’t hurt you.
you’re right ,i mean who wants to make a knife or a usb cable.
where do you use this icons…realy?
lately all i’ve seen on this site are icons…don’t you have any other ideas ? i’m pretty bored…
Thanks your comments
Very nice. Thanks your tutorial.
Well written tutorial. You’ve decomposed the process wonderfully. Some advice however, the textural perspective is a tad off and should start to shrink ever so slightly to convey the idea of a curve/bend (I’m speaking about the handle of course)
Great stuff.
I agree with Jeprie the blade is amazing but the handle could use a bit of work
Thanks a lot, excellent tutorial!
Love easy tuts, makes me feel good =)
Great tutorial; I haven’t messed with Photoshop in a while (I’m a Maya guy myself). I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like it would almost be easier to model a knife in Maya then render it? That way you could have it in any position you wanted. Just a thought.
Thanks. I will try to learn Maya :)
Ugh… the handle’s texture looks horible nice job on the blade though
Nice tut, but shadows don’t cast color :-)
no, but reflections do.
Damn, That looks sharp!
Brilliant tutorial, thank you.
I felt that the handle was a bit too realistic, but I liked the process you showed with the gradients, and making every shape with the pen tool.
Hope you learned something new and fun.
Very nice and well done!! A lil off perspective..
Thanks for the tut.
Instead of using a texture photo, you might show us how to create one, because it’s an illustration tut and the outcome is not so realistic (in a positive way) creating a texture for the hilt would add an extra depth to your tutorial.
Your description is very clear,it’s useful for us to learn.Thanks very much.
Great tutorial, easy to follow. Looks also good with a wooden texture for the hilt.
Thanks!
Really like the blade of the knife. Looks quite good. The only thing that I didn’t like was the handle of the knife due to the flat texture. I think it could’ve benefited greatly from being warped to look like it was curving around the handle rather than being flat. Still some good base instructions that we can use to create our own variations though :)
Umm Nice Tutorial but what’s going on that all your tutorials for the past few weeks/months are just about creating “icons” ’cause even tho this is not an icon you can tell how alike it is. These tutorials are nice but at the same time we expect to see something more “WOOW”.
Hope you guys get what I’m trying to say…
Im trying to make more. Thanks your comment :)
Very nice tutorial, will try do it …
there was a time this site wanted less photo manipulations and more of other types of graphic design, but now they over did it. for the last 10 tutorials, they were all about creating icons or vector art.
Not a huge fan of the pattern on the handle, but the rest looks great! Nice job!
This shouldn’t be Intermediate level, more like beginner.
Wauw, this is really usefull for when i need to create a floating/hovering knife…
Does anyone actually like this look? I think it’s cheap.
Just buy a friggin’ stock for $5.
Its very easy right :D ?
Uufffff, my good, very nice
Fellow designers should definitely check that out
Great collection of original web teamplates
china-private-sales.weebly.com/
cheers~
Very nice tutorial, will try do it …
Thank you ~ :D
That’s awesome. As I’m very new to photoshop It still looks complex to me. But I love these!!
I wrote it for beginer. So dont worry. I think you can do it :)
very nice presentation and strategy, I learned several new approaches. good going!
Sorry mate, the reflection goes terribly wrong. You’ve tried to do a reflection as you would do a shadow, but that’s not the way reflections work. Try it in reality to prove: get a knife, a semi-reflective ground and see what happens.
I tried. Thanks :)
wow……..
Whata nice Tutes
very nice
Nice Work, thanks for sharing :)
Thanks… I learned some new tricks…. I stuck my knife in the wall cause the hovering bit didn’t look right… see it here: http://www.wesedholm.com/2010/05/22/daily-photoshop-knife-tutorial/
Very nice ! Did you use broken brush ?
Amazing. I like what you do
WOWHH! So great!!!!
nice tutorial, but i’m stuck on step 2 (yes im new to photoshop, call me a noob if you like). how do i select the second shape without selecting the knife as well? When i press ctrl+j (windows) it selects both shapes. Thanks