3D effects in Photoshop

While we were hard at work putting together this image, created by the brilliant Studio Liddell, someone walking past our senior art editor’s screen stopped and said, “Can I just ask you how you created that image?” “It was all done in Photoshop,” we replied. “Wow!” he said.

This is the kind of reaction you want when you’ve spent the best part of a week perfecting an image. It’s all in the detail you see, and this month’s Photoshop masterclass will teach you techniques that will enable you to build a detailed 3D effect from just a simple sketch.

You’ll be using the wide range of tools available in the Filter drop-down menu and Toolbox palette to create an image that has depth, solidity and character.

Whatever your style, scanned photos, objects and digital photography are brilliant elements, that will add an original third dimension to your work and leave people puzzled about what you’ve used. Make use of scanned fabrics, buttons, kapok, bacon, hair, leather, maps, skin, wallpaper, paper, or anything else you can fit in your scanner to get just the right skin texture. There really are no rules.

Open your mind up, and if you see texture or pattern you like, scan it, because you’re sure to find a use for it some time. These rich textures will add a depth to your images that would otherwise be tricky to achieve.