Photoshop Reversals.

[BenKrishman]

Hello all. I'm not a glass blower, but an avid glass enthusiast who browses these boards to try and learn more about the art I love. The other day I was hanging out at a friends house and messing around on photoshop when I came up with a way to make reversal like designs fairly simply in photoshop. I've only been messing around with this for a little while, but I've come up with some neat designs, and as someone mentioned to me it would be a great way to check reversal color combos before going to blow a piece. If any of you guys out there use photoshop and would like to know how to do this just tell me and I'll write up a tutorial to post. This is the color combo I've used the most, I referenced it from this Jason lee piece: Click Me. (http://www.glasspipes.org/Gal11872_05_Summer_Appreciation.asp)

I set the colors up Like I saw them set up on that tube:

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/beginning.jpg

And from that I created these.

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/reversal1.jpg


http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/reversal2.jpg


http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/desktopreversal.jpg


http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/spider.jpg


And this is my attempt at a wig wag. I need to find a different way to distort thats not so curved to get this looking right.
http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/wigwag2.jpg


If anyone wants to know how to do these I'll write up a tutorial for it, It's not too hard, and the possibilities are endless it seems. Alot of the cool ones happen by accident, and I'm not exactly sure how to recreate them, but it's fun as hell to play around with.

[Swampy]

Which ver?

I use 7.0

[Shatner]

That's cool.

Mind if I ask why you don't blow?

[BenKrishman]

I'm using CS2, but I don't think I'm using any tools that aren't available in previous versions, I'll double check to make sure though.

I don't blow because I've only become interested in glass over the past year or two, and as a college student in Oklahoma there doesn't seem to be much as far as resources locally. I'd love to learn how eventually, but I'm not sure where to get started.

[JsN]

looks cool .. thanks for sharing

[The Goat]

I dont photo shop but that is sick man. I love it. you really should look around on these sites Glass Pipes and Glass Artist to get in to blowin theirs pull down windows for lampwork stores. those paterns are great!

[The Goat]

but i dont know it looks like some blowers might loose some torch time. LOL

[medicatedMELTDOWN]

nice stuff.....I can do basic reversals with photoshop but I dont know how you did some of those :)

yo swampy- i have version 7.0 also and it works...

"And this is my attempt at a wig wag. I need to find a different way to distort thats not so curved to get this looking right."

try this..
filter - distort - wave

this is what I got after tweaking it awhile

[Randorf the Red]

What town do you live in? Nompton?

[BenKrishman]

That wave is exactly waht I need to fix my wig wags, Thanks alot!

And thanks to all for the compliments, I'm glad you guys like them :) .

Here is a desktop I just made for myself, I saw a similar wig wag window effect on a Toro headpiece(and on alot of marbles on GA), it looks much cooler on glass, but it's a hell of a lot easier in photoshop, lol.

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/wigwagwindows.jpg


For those of you who use photoshop here's how to get started:

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/beginning

Lay out some colors like above, you can go ahead and use this image to try it out. I prefer to make really large images(2400x2400 300 dpi) because all the warping causes some rough lines, so after you finish the design on a large scale you can scale it down to make for smooth nice lines.

Next go to Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates. Right now the picture is in rectangular mode, so choose Rectangular to Polar. After messing around with each option a bit you'll understand how they work, it's a bit difficult to explain. Anyway, when you choose Rectangular to Polar it will look as below:

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/step2.jpg

Next you have a couple options as to what to do in the Filter > Distort menu. You can choose Twirl or Zig-Zag. The twirl will just twist up the center in a very simple manner, but choosing zig-zag, and selecting "around center" from the style menu will make a pattern similar to this(though you can adjust it to create a variety of patterns.

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/reversal1.jpg


From here just mess around with the polar coordinates at various steps, it seems there are almost infinite possibilities of crazy ass reversals and other wild designs to be made. If anyone needs any help feel free to ask, Once I get my wig-wags looking better I'll make a write up for that as well.

[WORLD FAMOUS]

Awesome dude!

Can you post the full size of that window reversal image? Something about 1600x??? I have a 21" monitor, so I need something huge!

[The Goat]

Damn right im gon to put that on my desk top you got to sign it somewhere though!!!!

[BenKrishman]

Here are 2 different layouts at 1680x1050, I like the one with the black bars as all the orange makes it feel like empty space.

Black Bars (http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/wigwagwindowdesk2.jpg)

Without Black Bars (http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/wigwagwindowdesk.jpg)

[β]

here's a real-life depiction of my reversals.........LOL

[The Goat]

you gon to sign it? and N8 love those window marbs i did my 2nd last week.

[BenKrishman]

here's a real-life depiction of my reversals.........LOL


Haha, I can't even imagine how you guys can work color like that in glass, It's mindblowing!

I'll see if I can come up with a sig real quick. And those window marbles are so cool, Some of the coolest i've seen!

[WORLD FAMOUS]

Damn, you're quick! Thanks Ben! I'm going to have to play around with that when I have some freetime. This will tie me over until then.

BetaB - you're funny!!!

I saw that Goat - I like the fire effect you got.

[The Goat]

im gon to go finish a sherlock be back in about 30 minutes. i cant wait for it. ill trade ya a cool little peice if you want like a spoon with a reversal on the front.

[BenKrishman]

I got those sigs on there for you goat, it's the same links. :)

If you don't see the sigs clear your cache(internet temp if you're using IE) and it should fix it.

[Swampy]

I love Photoshop, been using it since ver 2 and these days 7.0 does all I need but your patterns are neat, Ben and thanks for sharing all of that.

For me to translate that into glass is like asking me to build a space rocket heh heh and that would really do my fucking head in.

You're good if you could do that, you are what I aspire to, I'm happy with what I'm doing right now but still wish I could learn more and get to the next level. You know what I mean.

[Blade]

Faceted it for ya.
-B

[BenKrishman]

That facet looks cool. Is that just a bevel and emboss to give it that glassy look? And what effect did you use to get that facet? I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to scale that reversal down and feather the edges and make it look likes it's being reflected in the facet, that would be pretty cool looking.

here's one I made yesterday, used noise and texturing to give the purple a dichro like effect. I have a couple that are animated with the backmost reversal spinning that I'm trying to make into screensavers, but I'm not having much luck so far.


I also got my wig wag to look decent thanks to medicatedmeldown, thanks :)

http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/dichrospiral.jpg

[blazeoffire]

Those are great ! I am using them for a desktop screen right now, so cool.

[The Goat]

love that sig one you did for me man didnt get back on here the other night.

[BenKrishman]

No problem man, I love making these things, I'm glad someone likes them :)

Does anyone happen to have links to glass color charts or anything like that? I'd love to have that as a reference for colors and combos.

[Shatner]

You can check ABR imagery, as well as any other glass vendor. They have pics of all the colors.

Thanks for the cool wallpapers. :D

[medicatedMELTDOWN]

If you want to blow glass you definitely have an advantage over your average newbie since you understand reversals and wigwags already....

here are the main color companys.....
glass alchemy (http://www.glassalchemyarts.com/catalog/frame.html)
northstar (http://www.northstarglass.com/)
precision (http://www.precisioncolorglass.com/catalog.html)
momka (http://www.momkasglass.com/color.html)


the animated wigwags sounds awesome you should post them as a .gif unless you can figure out the screensaver thing :bouncy:

[BenKrishman]

Here is the animated version of a pic I posted earlier.

Click Me (http://members.cox.net/benkrishman/reversals/wigwagwindowstwirl.gif)

It's pretty big so I linked it(almost 2 megs, lol).

Thanks for the links to the color companies, that will help alot. For now I've been surfing GP.org and trying to find some good color combos(There are alot).

[Devils Defect]

Hah, thats fricken sweet. You should really try and start to glassblow. This fourm really helped me get started, ive been behind the torch now for only 2 months and these guys really have helped me out. Doesnt cost to much to just get a basic setup, atleast you could get started and see how you like it. :D

DD

[BenKrishman]

I'm really going to have to look into this, I'd love to be able to blow glass, and this board seems like a wealth of information. I have a friend who moved out to Eugene for college and he took a scientific glassblowing class and is really enjoying it. If I find I have enough time this semester for another hobby I'm going to have look into it. I know that if I end up doing this I'm probably going to end up blowing too much and not getting as much classwork done as I need to. :D

[Devils Defect]

Bah, stupid school always getting in the way of the more important things in life, fun! :devil1:

[Mac Maestro]

I'd say keep doing this for a while.

That way you can keep creating and finding new patterns...
But aren't bound by the physical laws we have to adhere to.

And keep posting them!! Good stuff.

[BenKrishman]

I'd say keep doing this for a while.

That way you can keep creating and finding new patterns...
But aren't bound by the physical laws we have to adhere to.

And keep posting them!! Good stuff.


Yeah, Whenever I want I can change/delete colors and patch anything up that doesn't look perfect. Some of the designs I can tell are worked in a similar fasion in photoshop, but are probably much more intensive and difficult in glass. I'd really love to work with glass just so I can understand it better, and then appreciate it more.