Learn To Make Photo-Realistic Volume knob in Photoshop

In this tutorial, you will learn to create a beautiful volume knob or dial that looks photo-realistic. It may look a bit difficult to achieve a realistic look but with a few simple techniques, which I have used in this tutorial I assure you that you will be able to do that yourself and without any trouble.

So let’s get down to business and note down the requirements or things we will need for the tutorial.

Requirements: Metal background

Program: Photoshop CS5

Time: 20-35 min

Before we start the tutorial let’s have a look at the final image of our Photo-realistic volume knob.

Tutorial Steps

Step 1: Start your Photoshop and open up a new document of 800×800 px.

Step 2: Open up the metal background image, select it, and copy-paste on our working background.

Step 3: Select the Ellipse tool and make a circle of the size you want your knob/dial with the fill of black color #000000.

Step 4: Now make another circle just 1px short of the first with gray color # 626262. See the image given below for reference.

Step 5: Now select the Eraser of the hard round brush of size 122px and eraser a little round edge of the gray circle as shown below in the image. Do the same keeping an equal distance around the gray circle.

Step 6: Now right-click on the gray designed circle and go to blending options, select gradient overlay. Make the gradient from gray to black. See the image shown below for the color numbers I’ve used for the gradient.

Step 7: Again right click on the same layer, go to blending options, and this time select Bevel and Emboss. Use the settings shown in the image given below.

Step 8: Now we are going to give a drop shadow. Select drop shadow in blending options and use the settings shown below.

Step 9: Make a new layer, select the Ellipse tool and make another gray circle of the same size we made before. Erase the edges as we did before but a bit deeper this time so that the layer beneath would show.

Step 10: Now right-click on this layer and go to blending options-> select gradient overlay like before, set the gradient shown below but this time keep the style radial instead of linear.

Step 11: In this step, we will add a bevel and emboss. Make the settings as shown below.

Step 12: You can see the shape of the knob clearly now.

Step 13: Select the Ellipse tool and make a circle in the middle as shown below with the black color # 000000.

Step 14: Right-click on the black circle layer->Blending Options->Bevel and Emboss. Follow the settings shown in the image and select the Gloss Contour Cone-Inverted to show the depth.

Step 15: Now we will create the shiny part of the knob and for that make another circle just 1 px short than the previous with the fill of gray color # 888888.

Step 16: Now we will add a gradient overlay over the gray circle and do that, right-click on the layer->Blending options->Gradient Overlay. Make the gradient shown in the picture below. I’ve shown the two colors used in the gradient and the way you have to place them. Set the style of the gradient to angle, this way we will have a shiny look of steel on our knob.

Step 17: I’ve added few rings on the shiny part to give it a bit of texture. They are really easy to make just use a ring brush or ellipse tool with the color # 707070. Adjust the opacity to 85%.

Step 18: Okay now we are going to add shiny metallic dots around the knob. Use an ellipse too or a hard round brush with black color #000000 to make a very small circle.

Step 19: Right-click on the layer->Blending Options->Gradient Overlay. Use the same gradient we used before for the shiny middle circle of the knob.

Step 20: Select Bevel and Emboss from Blending Options and make the settings shown below.

Step 21. Now check on the Drop shadow and use the settings shown in the given image below.

Step 22: Now make more metallic dots like this one around the knob as shown below. I’ve made 18.

Step 23: Now we will add numbers to each dot. I’ve used Algerian font of size 18pt and used the same layer style as I’ve given to the dots to make the numbers look metallic.

Step 24: It’s time to add the text. Select the type tool and type “Websoulz Volume” using Arial font of size 43pt with color # bcbabb.

Step 25: Right-click on the text layer go to Blending Options and check on gradient overlay. Use the gradient (gray to white) shown below.

Step 26: Add inner Glow. Use the settings shown below.

Step 27: Next we will add Drop shadow. Again use the settings shown below in the image.