Photoshop: Virtual Jack O'Lantern

Today we will be creating a Jack O'Lantern using Layer Styles and some basic tools.  Although the steps are relatively simple (just follow along) the process can be very tricky.  I have put together this lesson a lot like a recipe -- meaning you should follow the steps closely and in order.

Getting Started:

1. Open the pumpkin picture (above) in Photoshop to use as the background for our creation (click the pumpkin first to view it full-size, then copy, open Photoshop, and paste).
2. Select LAYER > NEW > LAYER (call this layer "mouth")
3. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to draw the outline of a mouth
4. Fill the polygon with black
5. Select FILTER > DISTORT > RIPPLE (use a LARGE ripple so the edges aren't perfect)

Gradient Overlay:

1. Select LAYER > LAYER STYLE > GRADIENT OVERLAY
2. Choose STYLE > RADIAL
3. Choose ANGLE > 0
4. Choose SCALE > 100%
5. Double-Click the Gradient Bar
6. Set the "left triangle" to a bright orange
7. Set the "right triangle" to a dark orange
8. Click OK

Inner Shadow:

1. Select INNER SHADOW (from the LAYER STYLE menu)
2. Choose BLEND MODE > COLOR BURN
3. Choose OPACITY > 100%
4. Click the "color box" and choose a semi-dark yellow
5. Choose ANGLE > -90 (drag the line to the bottom)
6. Choose SIZE > and around 2
7. Set CHOKE to 100%
8. Set DISTANCE to around 30 (you can adjust this to determine the pumpkins thickness)

Bevel and Emboss:

1. Select BEVEL AND EMBOSS (from the LAYER STYLE menu)
2. Choose STYLE > EMBOSS
3. Choose DIRECTION > DOWN
4. Under Shading un-check the box that says "Use Global Light"
5. Set ALTITUDE to about 25
6. Choose HIGHLIGHT MODE > OVERLAY
7. Set the OVERLAY to about 40%
8. Set the SHADOW MODE to about 10%

Inner Glow:

1. Select INNER GLOW (from the LAYER STYLE menu)
2. Choose LINEAR DODGE (ADD)
3. Change the color to a Light Orange
4. Choose TECHNIQUE > SOFTER
5. Set SOURCE to CENTER
6. Set OPACITY to 60 or 70%
7. Drag the SIZE up to 40-100 (depending on what looks best)
8. Set the RANGE as desired
9. Click OK

Other Effects:

1. You can also add an OUTER GLOW (from the LAYER STYLE menu)  I prefer a lower OPACITY (i.e. 10%) with a larger SPREAD and SIZE.  You can modify any settings as you desire.

Create the Eyes:

1. Create a new layer (LAYER > NEW > LAYER) called "eyes"
2. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to draw the outline of an eye
3. Fill the polygon with black
4. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to draw the outline of the other eye
5. Fill the polygon with black
6. De-Select everything (CTRL+D)
7. Select FILTER > DISTORT > RIPPLE (use a LARGE ripple so the edges aren't perfect)
8. Right-Click the "mouth" layer and select COPY LAYER STYLE
9. Right-Click the "eyes" layer and select PASTE LAYER STYLE
10. Double-Click the fx indicator on the "eyes" layer to edit LAYER STYLE
11. Select INNER SHADOW and Un-Check the "Use Global Light" button.
12. Drag the pumpkin picture to adjust the shadow/thickness of your pumpkins eyes

Something Else to Try:

1. Try pasting these LAYER STYLE effects to a black Text layer
2. Try copying a pumpkin carving pattern, pasting it onto your pumpkin, deleting the white area, and applying your LAYER STYLE

After you have your layer styles all set up you can try using a different background.  If you start with a different background layer the effects may not come out correctly.  Here are a few that you might try:

Here are some student examples from last year:

You can also check out a YouTube video tutorial for this project: