How To: Build a 3D rocket in Photoshop and Illustrator

Pixel Perfect is the "perfect" show to help you with your Photoshop skills. Be amazed and learn as master digital artist Bert Monroy takes a stylus and a digital pad and treats it as Monet and Picasso do with oil and canvas. Learn the tips and tricks you need to whip those digital pictures into shape with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. In this episode, Ben shows you how to turn build a 3D rocket in Photoshop and Illustrator.

How to use the 3D pen tool, gradients and the spatter brush to build a better space craft.

Bert shows us how to create a 3-D rocket this week with the help of Illustrator and Photoshop. First, Bert uses Illustrator to create the 3-D shape, using the pen tool, Effects>3D>Revolve and adjusting the perspective of the image. With Photoshop, Bert adds a sky background by adding blue tones and using the radial gradient. Then, Bert creates fire for the rocket in a new layer with the spatter brush, adjusting the spacing, size and angle jitter, and adding color dynamics. Bert then gives the rocket a little warp to make it more realistic.

To create a trail of smoke following the rocket, Bert creates a new image. First, he fills a layer with a neutral color, used the render>fiber filter and adjusts the variance and strengths. Bert adjusts the perspective , adds a gaussian blur and brush stroke>spatter to give it a soft and smoky feel.

Search Pixel Perfect on WonderHowTo for more Photoshop episodes from this Revision3 show.