If you ever played pool, you know the game is quite difficult. For me, the game is probably the hardest game besides the sport of golf. I decided to create a pool ball (the number 6 – solid). So in this tutorial you will learn how to design one for yourself. You may want one if you are buying a sports bar with pool tables.

Step One

Open up Photoshop and create a new document that is 500 pixels wide and 500 pixels high. With my example, I created a background. You can do this if you want, if not, fill the background with white (#000000).

Step Two

With your Marquee Tool, create a circle in the middle of the document. Do not fill the this with any color, but click on the Gradient tool. Make sure your foreground is a light red, and your background is a dark red. I used #ee8181 for my foreground, and #810000 for my background.

Select Radial Gradient and do the following:

Step Three

You want to create a dark bottom to the ball. Hit control, then click on the layer with the ball. This will highlight the circle. Create a new layer and go to Select > Modify > Contract and choose 5 (this number depends on the size of your ball). Fill this area with a black to white foreground. change the blending mode to Overlay, and the Opacity to 43%.

Step Four

Now you want to create the top shine to the ball. Hit control, then click on the layer with the ball. Go to Select > Modify > Contract and choose 10. Create a new layer, and fill it with white. Hit control, and click on the layer with the white circle, and go to Select > Modify > Contract and choose 3. Press delete on your keyboard. You will be left with this:

Step Five

Select your Rectangle Marquee Tool, change the feather to 10px, and draw a box just under the top of the white circle and press delete on your keyboard. After you hit delete on your keyboard, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and choose 2.7

Step Six

You want to add some more glow to the top. Select the paint brush tool, with a large brush. Select white and paint under the fade that is already at the top. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and choose around 5.0 or 6.0. If that is not enough, change the Opacity of this new layer to 30% – 42%.

Step Seven

Press control and select the layer with the red ball. Create a new layer, and move the select marquee up the ball about 55% up. Fill it with white. While you are on this new layer, press control and select the red ball layer, then press shift + control + I (Select – Inverse) and press delete.

Change the blending mode to overlay and the opacity to 6%.

Step Eight

Now you need to create the number. In a new layer, create a small circle and fill it with white.

Step Nine

Go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. Do the following:

Outer Glow

Inner Glow

Step Ten

Add the number. I used Arial font in bold.

Step Eleven

Add some shadow under the ball.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

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