Glassy Orbs

[Man1c M0g]

This is a thread to discuss the Glassy Orbs tutorial. Please keep all posts on-topic, don't spam, and read the entire thread BEFORE you post - any issues you have could be answered deeper within the thread.

lol, i just fell in love with this orb thingy, its great!!

[ojoe911]

Hey bud Thanks! Great tutorial! pretty handy too. How bout doing a pill version? any handy helpful hints?

I must be a little too new to illustrator because I can't get this one to work. I don't understand if I am supposed to make a seperate orb gradient and put it behind the colored then change the transparency. I was able to copy the layer but when I press ctrl to click on the circle in the layer pallette the option to make opacity mask is grey. the option is only open to me when I have just one layer selected. What am I doing wrong?

I'm doing something wrong as well... it happens the same that happens to mcabr!
This bit of the tutorial it's not clear for me:
"Make a gradient from top to bottom with white on top and black on the bottom. In the next step we'll work our magic and create the transparent gradient."

This gradient goes where? on the layer1 or layer1 copy? on just one object or in both?

some help marlboroman?
or some help from the people that finish the tutorial?

I was having the same problem as the last two people, till I worked something/s out:
1. You need to select only the inner two elipses. This can be done by drawing a marquee around them, pressing shift, and drawing another marquee only taking in the bottom of the big circles - this will deselect the big'uns, while keeping the little'uns selected. The 'make opacity mask' option should not now be in grey, and can be selected.
2. To view the final product, you need to make the top layer invisible - do this by clicking on the 'eye' next to this layer in the layers pallette.
...Hey Presto - it works!

"Step 2:...
Make a gradient from top to bottom with white on top and black on the bottom. In the next step we'll work our magic and create the transparent gradient."

Apply the gradient to the inner elipse on the newly created layer.

"Step 3:.. Select both ellipses you just created by holding CTRL and clicking on the small small circles in the layers palette. If you did it right there will now be two blue squares in you layers palette.
Now go to your Transparency palette and click on the little arrow on the top right and choose Make Opacity Mask."

He means select both of the small inner elipses from each of the two layers. Be sure that the white to black gradient inner elipse is arranged ontop of the white inner elipse, then make the opacity mask.

Now the effect works! Thanks for the idea.

[Gloriana82]

Originally Posted by mcabr

I must be a little too new to illustrator because I can't get this one to work. I don't understand if I am supposed to make a seperate orb gradient and put it behind the colored then change the transparency. I was able to copy the layer but when I press ctrl to click on the circle in the layer pallette the option to make opacity mask is grey. the option is only open to me when I have just one layer selected. What am I doing wrong?

when it comes to the opacity mask thing ..it's not active !...it's active only when i select one layer only !

Originally Posted by mrpowwow

"Step 2:...
Make a gradient from top to bottom with white on top and black on the bottom. In the next step we'll work our magic and create the transparent gradient."

Apply the gradient to the inner elipse on the newly created layer.

"Step 3:.. Select both ellipses you just created by holding CTRL and clicking on the small small circles in the layers palette. If you did it right there will now be two blue squares in you layers palette.
Now go to your Transparency palette and click on the little arrow on the top right and choose Make Opacity Mask."

He means select both of the small inner elipses from each of the two layers. Be sure that the white to black gradient inner elipse is arranged ontop of the white inner elipse, then make the opacity mask.

Now the effect works! Thanks for the idea.

WHAT?!?! how the heck can I select the two inner elipses? it either selects all of the entire layer or doesnt do anythinG!! i cant select the two inner elipses w/o selecting the outer elipses too...help!! and i cant make a marque... wat IS a marque?!?!

Hi everyone.
I am new to illustrator but would really like to do this tutorial!
I have the same problem here as every one else.
I cant get the transparency work.
I have read all the comments and I have tried to select ony the inner circles but it will not let me.
I can only select one or the other.
I also wonder what the opacity should be set to?

Artoony

[shirazmage]

Great tut. I actually did it! I am an Illustrator novice tho I've used Photoshop for eons. I even made one with a frosty appearance using the diffuse glow filter. That one is wicked, especially in purple.

The biggest problem I had was getting the gradients to match up properly, but that is something that you have to tweak on your own. Or so it seems. Now, I want to figure out how to soften the edge of the highlight ellipse so the differently shaded sections of the orb look more natural, to me anyway.

So, I put each ellipse on it's own layer. It seemed to work for me fine that way. Is there a reason not to do this? As in, why put the highlight ellipse on the same layer as the orb itself in the first place?

Just curious as I always put individual objects and/or groups on their own layers as a way to save myself pain and torture if I mess up something while working. Also lets me completely wipe out a layer without messing up a large chunk of my project. Always have worked this way in Photoshop and tend to do this in Illustrator as well. Is this not the norm? As I said, I am a novice when it comes to Illustrator and completely self-taught, so I am not familiar with the way everyone else does things.

[Shieldvisor]

Originally Posted by shirazmage

Great tut. I actually did it! I am an Illustrator novice tho I've used Photoshop for eons. I even made one with a frosty appearance using the diffuse glow filter. That one is wicked, especially in purple.

The biggest problem I had was getting the gradients to match up properly, but that is something that you have to tweak on your own. Or so it seems. Now, I want to figure out how to soften the edge of the highlight ellipse so the differently shaded sections of the orb look more natural, to me anyway.

So, I put each test2 ellipse on it's own layer. It seemed to work for me fine that way. Is there a reason not to do this? As in, why put the highlight ellipse on the same layer as the orb itself in the first place?

Just curious as I always put individual objects and/or groups on their own layers as a way to save myself pain and torture if I mess up something while working. Also lets me completely wipe out a layer without messing up a large chunk of my project. Always have worked this way in Photoshop and tend to do this in Illustrator as well. Is this not the norm? As I said, I am a novice when it comes to Illustrator and completely self-taught, so I am not familiar with the way everyone else does things.

Great tutorial simple but great.. Thanks...

[Kathryn69]

I am happy to read this, I do struggle with making orbs smooth and glossy. Thanks for the help.

[zabesangary]

Originally Posted by Shieldvisor

Great tutorial simple but great.. Thanks...

I just want to thank you, cause i learned something from this.