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Step 1
Create a new document and using the Elliptical Marquee Tool make a circle in the middle of the document. The size I have used here is 150 by 150 pixels.

Step 2
Now select the gradient tool and set it to reflected gradient (this will obviously reflect the two colours that you use instead of just a straight gradient). Set your foreground colour to #1d1e1e and your background colour to #605e62 and make sure that you are on a new layer. Left click in the center of your selection and drag to the top of it and release. This makes a gradient from the lighter grey at the top to the darker grey back to the lighter grey at the bottom.

Step 3
Our next task is to add some effects to this boring circle so apply the following layer styles.
Layer > Layer Styles > Outer Glow

Layer > Layer Styles > Inner Glow. The colour is #023f78.

Now your orb should be looking like this.

Step 4
Now to use the pen tool, select the “Pen Tool”.

And add some points like so…

Select the Convert Point Tool – this is another form of the pen tool.

Zoom in a bit with the (short cut is z and left clicking). Now click on the little boxes that you have made and drag them out a bit so that you make a curved shape.

Right click the area and select make selection (with a feather of 0 pixels). Make sure that you are on a new layer (if not, create one). Fill this selection with the colour #007eee, you can do this by going Edit > Fill.

Step 5
Add an inner glow to this new layer by going Layer > Layer Style > Inner Glow. The colour there is #023f78.


Step 6
Duplicate that recent layer and rotate it around by going Edit > Transform > Rotate and rotating it around. Move it to the bottom of the base of the orb.

Step 7
Now lets add some text to our logo, firstly just move the orb over to the left a bit so it’s out of the way.

Grab the text tool and add some text. The colour of my text is #007dee.

Step 8
Add some layer styles to the text layer so that it doesn’t look so boring
Layer > Layer Style > Inner Glow. The colour is the same as before, #023f78.

Layer > Layer Styles > Gradient Overlay

Now your logo should be looking like this.

Step 9
Lastly we are going to be adding a sort of shadow to the text so create a new layer and make a selection like below with the rectangular marquee tool.

Fill that selection with a linear gradient from #d3d3d3 to #ffffff with the gradient tool.

Select the eraser tool and using a large soft brush erase around the sides and bottom of the gradient until you have something you like and you have finished your orb logo












Nice. but the pen tool is extremely hard to use.. any tips?
Yea, the pen tool does take a bit of getting used to. I don’t really know enough to write a decent tutorial on the pen tool but check out the pen tool tutorial at mickm.
hi james , thnx for the tutorial. how can i post mine, i had discover lots of new things but i dont know how to post it.
may be u help me
Good to hear you’ve learned lots
Save it as a .jpg or .gif or something then upload the image to somewhere like ImageShack and then post the link to the image here.
thanks, good tutorials
FYI the link for the pen tutorial has changed… to here:
http://www.mickm.com/tutorial/141-the-pen-tool
thanx dude nice tutorial…..:)