Sports Jersey Mania, Part 1 By Joel Day This tutorial will walk you through creating a photo rendering of a basketball jersey. I developed this process using a variety of different techniques, including custom brushes, pattern fills, layer styles, etc., to create a sports jersey template for Nike to use as conceptual art. In part 1, we ll create the jersey and then in Part 2, we ll add the stitching details. First, you ll need to create a 25%-scale layered vector file so you can work with each component separately, from the neck ribbing to the mesh fabric panels. Then export the file as a layered PSD file. STEP ONE: Open your layered PSD file that was created in a vector-drawing program. Ensure each layer s object is filled with black but have one layer with no fill, which will give you margins around the jersey. You can delete that layer in Photoshop. Because this file can be used again to create different jerseys, it s best to keep it organized from the start by using layer sets. Option-click (PC: Alt-click) the Create a New Set icon in the Layers palette, rename it Master Components, then drag-and-drop the layers into the set (renaming and repositioning your layers as shown here).
STEP TWO: Now, we ll create a displacement map. First, set the Master Components layer set to 50% Opacity. Option-click (PC: Alt-click) the Create a New Layer icon and in the resulting dialog name the layer Shading, set the Mode to Multiply, click the Fill with Multiply-neutral color (white) checkbox, and click OK. Drag this layer above the layer set, hiding the grey-box background pattern. Then press D to set your Foreground color to black and switch to the Brush tool (B). Use a large, soft-edge brush and paint folds and wrinkles. To soften it, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, enter 10 20 pixels, and click OK. Click the Eye icon next to the Master Components set to hide its contents and save (File>Save As) a copy of this file as Displacement_Map.psd. Back in your original file, drag the Shading layer into the layer set.
STEP THREE: Now we ll create the mesh pattern. Go up to the File menu and select New. Name the file Mesh.psd and make it.125"wide.125" high at 300-ppi resolution. Press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill it with black, then press the X key to switch your Foreground color to white. Zoom in (Z) to around 400%. Press Shift-U until you have the Line tool active. In the Options Bar, choose a 1 2 pixel Weight and click the Fill Pixels icon. Now draw a small, vertical line. Continue to create small lines until you ve created the pattern shown here. Go up to the Edit menu, select Define Pattern, and click OK. Then save and close the file. STEP FOUR: Back in the jersey file, we ll create an alpha channel. In the Channels palette (Window>Channels), click the Create New Channel icon. A new solid-black channel will appear. Now, let s fill this channel with a pattern by pressing Shift-Delete (PC: Shift-Backspace). When the dialog appears, choose Pattern in the Use pop-up menu, and then select the Mesh pattern you just created from the Custom Pattern pop-up menu. Now you have an alpha channel that can be used for the next step.
STEP FIVE: Now it s time to create the mesh fabric layer. Start by creating a new layer set called Front Panel. Then create a new layer within that set and name it Mesh Fabric. Press Shift-Delete (PC: Shift-Backspace) to get the Fill dialog, scroll down to 50% Gray in the Use pop-up menu, and click OK. Now pressand-hold the Command (PC: Control) key and click on Alpha 1 in your Channels palette. This will load the mesh pattern as a selection. Now press Delete and then press Command-D (PC: Control-D) to deselect. Go back to the Layers palette and you ll see the Mesh Fabric layer has transparent holes in it. Choose Bevel and Emboss from the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu at the bottom of the Layers palette. When the dialog appears, enter the settings as shown here.
STEP SIX: This is where the fabric starts to take shape. We ll distort this layer with the displacement map that we created earlier. Go to Filter>Distort>Displace, enter 5 for both Horizontal and Vertical Scale, and click OK. Now, browse for the Displacement_Map.psd file that you created in Step Two. Notice the slight distortion to Mesh Fabric layer. Press Command-F (PC: Control-F) to distort it a little more. To give it some dimension, go to Image>Apply Image and when the dialog appears, enter the settings shown here. For extra texture, you can even add a little Monochromatic noise (Filter>Noise>Add Noise); 4 6% should be plenty.
STEP SEVEN: We ll finish up the front panel of this basketball jersey. First, go into the Master Components layer set, click on the Front Panel layer, and press Command-J (PC: Control-J) to duplicate it. Then drag-and-drop it into the Front Panel layer set, positioning it under the Mesh Fabric layer. (You can also duplicate the Mesh Fabric layer and drag that copy into the Master Components layer set.) Now, select the Mesh Fabric layer in the Front Panel layer set and press Command-G (PC: Control-G) to group it with your Front Panel layer. Then select the Front Panel copy layer and apply a Bevel and Emboss layer style as shown in this illustration.
STEP EIGHT: Now, we ll simply copy existing layers to create our back panel. First, create a new layer set named Back Panel. Then duplicate (Command-J [PC: Control-J]) both the Mesh Fabric and the Back Panel layers from the Master Components layer set and drag them into the Back Panel layer set. Group them in the same way as the Front Panel layer set. Then select the Mesh Fabric layer and darken it slightly using Curves (Image>Adjustments>Curves or Command-M [PC: Control-M]). There s no need to add a Bevel and Emboss to the Back Panel layer.
STEP NINE: Now, we ll make a custom brush to create the knit ribbing for the neck and sleeves. First, create a new file (File>New) that s 2 pixels wide by 100 pixels tall at 300-ppi resolution. Press D to set your Foreground color to black and press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill it with black. Go to Edit>Define Brush Preset, name it Knit Rib, and close the file without saving. Now you have a new brush shape, but you need to customize the brush. Choose the Brush tool (B), open the Brushes palette in the top right of the Options Bar, and select the new brush. Click on Brush Tip Shape and set the Spacing at 200%. Then click on Shape Dynamics and change the options as shown.
STEP TEN: Let s create a path for the Back Neck Rib to add texture to. First, create a new layer set named Back Neck Rib and then create a new layer within that named Back Rib. Now, duplicate the Back Neck Rib layer in the Master Components layer set and drag it into this new layer set below the Back Rib layer. Click on the Eye icon to the left of all the other layer sets to turn off their visibility. Switch to the Pen tool (P), click the Paths icon in the Options Bar, and in the Paths palette s flyout menu (Window>Paths), choose New Path. Name it Back Neck, click OK, and then draw a path along the center of the Back Neck Rib copy layer. STEP ELEVEN: We ll use this newly created brush to create a knit rib texture on the back neck. Click on the Foreground color swatch and choose a medium gray (I used R 128, G 128, and B 128). Select the Back Rib layer (this layer should be blank), press the B key, and then click on the path in the Paths palette so that it s highlighted. Now, select Stroke Path from the Paths palette s flyout menu. When the dialog appears, make sure Brush is selected and click OK. Apply a Bevel and Emboss layer style (as shown) to give it some dimension. Next, select the Back Neck Rib copy layer, Command-click (PC: Control-click) its thumbnail, and press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill it with gray. Deselect by pressing Command-D (PC: Control-D). Apply a Bevel and Emboss layer style as well as a slight Drop Shadow (as shown) then select the Back Rib layer and group it with the Back Neck Rib. Select Merge Down from the Layers palette s flyout menu and add some Monochromatic noise (Filter> Noise>Add Noise); 4-6% should do it.
STEP TWELVE: Now, repeat Steps 10-11 for the Front Neck Rib and the Sleeve Ribbing layers, renaming the layer sets and layers accordingly. (Note: When you create a path in Step 10, be sure to select New Path from the Paths palette s flyout menu before you draw your next path.)
Now the jersey is finally taking shape. All that remains are the finer details, which we ll cover in Part 2. Joel Day has over 15 years of experience in the Graphic Design industry. He has worked at Nike for over 13 years in various roles. Currently, he leads a team specializing in digital photography, and digital image creation and editing. More tutorials by Joel Tutorials Index Back to Top ^ Privacy policy 2004 National Association of Photoshop Professionals. All rights reserved. Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc