How to spherize images?

[chobo]

Hi, I am trying to create an earth icon and I would like to sort of wrap or spherize the continents image so it looks like it is on a globe (not flat). What tools would be best to use to achieve this?

Thanks!

[iamtheblues]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
You could try Xtreme's live effects tool - deformation - fisheye perspective.
EDIT: if you place a circle behind the middle graphic and apply clip view, you get the result furthest to the right.
Saludos,
Bob.

[HayTay]

A warm TG welcome to you, chobo.

You could try this tutorial from the XaraXone entitled A Glass Sphere (August 2005, ©2005 Gary W. Priester). I found it an excellent learning experience and may be just what you're looking for, for your world.

Here's my finished version circa Oct. 2008.

IHTH,
HayTay

.

[chobo]

That's exactly what I was looking for Thank you both very much!

[iamtheblues]

if you have either Paintshop Pro or Photoshop, you can get an even more realistic spherized effect.
Saludos,
Bob.

[steve.ledger]

There's another way to create the illusion of a sphere which is something I picked up from Gary a while back.

Perhaps better explained with a quick video


* Press Play ► to start (1.9mb streaming video) | ►► Full Screen

[HayTay]

AHA, you've jogged my memory Steve. I knew I had seen another way of producing this effect but I couldn't quite place it. Your video made me recall the barn owl from the Clipart Gallery used in The XaraXone Workbook #64 - Bitmap Fish Eye Lens Effect tutorial (©2007 Gary W. Priester). Sledger's video shows how to create the effect with ease but sometimes it's nice to be able to use the printed version of a tutorial for reference instead of switching back and forth between applications.

How are you coming along chobo?

Just checking,
HayTay

[steve.ledger]

Back to chobo's Earth icon question..

You can create planets using this method by first creating your texture by whatever means.

Here I have used fractal plasma and fractal cloud overlays using different colours.
I then create a bitmap copy and proceed to follow the spherize directions in the video above or Gary's tutorial (with note to the post spherize highlighting).

[kinetica]

Hi, I am trying to create an earth icon and I would like to sort of wrap or spherize the continents image so it looks like it is on a globe (not flat). What tools would be best to use to achieve this?

Well, since you already have a "continents" image, I would start with that. I took a physical map of the world bitmap and cropped it left and right until it was a square. Then I made a bitmap copy of it (much easier to work with than the original huge image). Then I bitmap traced it to transform it to a vector. Then I applied the Circular Envelope mould which made my square vector a circular "fish eyed" vector. Then I added a white layer of fractal cloud transparency as a Clipview. Finally I added a black circle over the top and gave it some circular transparency.

Here is the XAR file as well (apologies for the size of it, but it contains the original world bitmap)

[gwpriester]

Steve and Harry _ I Cannot take credit for the blend trick. That technique came from Availor. But it is a good technique and works very well.