Create a 3D Switch Icon

Quick reference

• 00:04 In this video,
• 00:04 we are going to be creating this three-dimensional switch in Photoshop.
• 00:08 Our first step is to create the hole that the switch will be sitting in.
• 00:11 For the shape, you can use a regular rectangle, or
• 00:14 to give it some style, a rounded rectangle.
• 00:16 The corner radius is up to you, but
• 00:18 to keep things subtle, I am going to use a radius of 10 pixels.
• 00:22 As for the color, we're looking for a fairly dark color which will
• 00:24 give the impression that the switch is sitting inside the shape.
• 00:28 I'm not going to go completely black, but pretty close.
• 00:32 I'm going to use 121213 for the value.
• 00:35 Once that's set, drag up the first shape somewhere in the middle of your document.
• 00:40 When that shape is in place, we're going to add a single drop shadow layer style to
• 00:44 add some extra depth to this shape.
• 00:46 As we are actually looking to add a highlight rather than a shadow,
• 00:49 start by changing the Blend mode to Overlay and then set the color to white.
• 00:54 Now, turn off global light, and set the angle at 90 degrees so
• 00:57 that the highlight is at the bottom of the shape.
• 01:01 Set the distance at 2, and the size at 3.
• 01:04 And finally down below, change the contour to Comb.
• 01:07 This will push the highlight slightly around the sides of the shape as
• 01:11 well as on the bottom.
• 01:12 Our next shape will be another rounded rectangle to act as the left side of
• 01:16 the switch.
• 01:17 Again I'm going to use a 10 pixel radius, but
• 01:19 I want to make sure to lighten up the shape a little bit.
• 01:22 This time I'm going to use the value 26282D.
• 01:24 Now, drag out this
• 01:28 shape to around the half way point inside the shape that we initially created.
• 01:32 While you're dragging out your shape, holding down the space bar will allow you
• 01:35 to move it before accepting it's final location.
• 01:37 When that shape is in place we're again gonna add a single layer style.
• 01:41 This time, we're gonna add an inner shadow,
• 01:43 which is also gonna act as a highlight.
• 01:45 Change the Blend mode to Overlay, set the color to white, and the opacity to 20%.
• 01:51 Turn off global light and set the angle at 180 degrees so
• 01:56 that the highlight is placed on the left side of the shape.
• 01:59 Now, set the distance at 2, and the size at 0.
• 02:03 Now that the left side is complete, let's move over to the right.
• 02:07 To make things simple, we can duplicate our left shape over to the right.
• 02:11 Holding down your Alt or
• 02:12 Option key along with your Shift key, drag this shape to the right.
• 02:17 When placing the shape, you wanna make sure to leave a little bit of room on
• 02:19 the right side of the shape for the 3D element which we're gonna add shortly.
• 02:24 Now, if you chose to use rounded rectangles,
• 02:25 the left side of this shape shouldn't have rounded corners.
• 02:29 To deal with this, in your Layers panel go ahead and
• 02:31 add a layer mask to the duplicated shape.
• 02:34 Now using your Rectangular Marquee tool,
• 02:36 create a selection that covers the rounded corners.
• 02:40 Once a selection has been made, fill it with black to hide that area.
• 02:43 If black is your background color, what you can set by pressing the D key on
• 02:47 your keyboard, Cmd Delete or Ctl backspace will fill your selection with black.
• 02:53 At this point,
• 02:53 we need to add a little bit of perspective to the right side of this shape.
• 02:57 Head up to the Edit menu, down to Transform, and then select Perspective.
• 03:02 Once the transform box is visible, hold down your command or
• 03:05 control key and then drag the top right corner up.
• 03:09 Press return or enter once you're happy with the perspective of this shape.
• 03:12 Now, it's time for layer styles.
• 03:14 Let's start with a gradient overlay.
• 03:16 This will help add some more depth to the shape.
• 03:18 Before we go changing colors, change the angle to 0 degrees, so
• 03:21 that the gradient is horizontal.
• 03:24 As for the colors, the left color will be the darker of the 2.
• 03:28 I'm gonna use 141517.
• 03:32 Now the right color will be slightly lighter.
• 03:34 Three, three, three, six, three E.
• 03:38 Good. Now, let's add an inner shadow to
• 03:39 give a highlight on the right side of the shape.
• 03:41 Make sure that the Blend mode is set to Overlay, the colors at white and
• 03:45 the Opacity is at 20%.
• 03:47 Turn off Global Lights at the angle at 0 degrees, the distance at 1, and
• 03:52 the size at 0.
• 03:54 Finally, let's go ahead and
• 03:55 add a slight drop shadow to add a crevice in between the two shapes.
• 03:59 Again, set the Blend mode to Overlay, set the color to white,
• 04:02 the Opacity at 15%, turn Global Light off with the angle at 0 degrees.
• 04:09 And then set the distance at 1 and the size at 0.
• 04:13 Perfect. This shape is complete.
• 04:15 Our last shape will be the piece that adds the third dimension to our design.
• 04:19 This time instead of using a rounded rectangle,
• 04:22 grab the regular rectangle tool from the tools bar and
• 04:25 drag out a rectangle from the top of the shape on the right to the bottom.
• 04:29 Again, if you need to move, it hold down your space bar while dragging.
• 04:33 Now, just like we added perspective to the previous shape,
• 04:36 we want to add it to this shape as well.
• 04:38 Head back up to the Edit menu, Transform, and then Perspective.
• 04:42 This time holding down your Cmd or Ctl key, drag the top right corner down.
• 04:48 To finish off, let's add a Grading overlay.
• 04:50 Set the angle at 180 degrees before adjusting the colors.
• 04:54 The left color will be the same color as our shape in the back.
• 04:56 You can either click and sample that color or just use the same value, 121213.
• 05:02 The right color will be a little bit lighter.
• 05:07 35373D.
• 05:08 Once the layer styles for this shape have been applied,
• 05:10 make sure to move that layer right below the previous layer in the Layers panel.
• 05:14 And that completes the switch.
• 05:15 Add your text of choice to fit this design in your own project.

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.