Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Warning: Adobe has removed 3D from Photoshop. The 3D workspace used in this tutorial began to be retired in Photoshop 22.5 (August 2021), and the legacy 3D feature set was removed completely in July 2024. You cannot follow these steps in current versions of Photoshop. This tutorial is kept as a record of how the technique worked. For 3D work today, Adobe points people to Substance 3D.
In today’s tutorial, I will show you how you can use Photoshop CC’s 3D features to create a realistic composite between a 3D model and a Photograph.
You’ll learn how to place the 3D model in the proper perspective and apply materials to the various pieces of geometry.
Then you’ll learn to use IBLs (Image Based Lights) to help illuminate the scene and create reflections.
We’ll finish the tutorial by using adjustment layers to adjust the brightness and color of the 3D model and to create lights to enhance this image further.
After watching this tutorial, you will be well equipped with the knowledge to import 3D models into Photoshop and composite them into your Photographs.
If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Jesús Ramirez is a graphic designer and the founder of the Photoshop Training Channel, which he started in 2012 and has grown past two million YouTube subscribers. He has taught at Adobe MAX, Adobe Summit, and Photoshop World, teaches courses for CreativeLive and Pluralsight, and was one of five artists chosen for Adobe Stock's Make a Masterpiece campaign. His Photoshop templates shipped inside Photoshop CC 2018.
Pans and zooms across still images in 3D space, moving foreground, mid-ground and background separately for a parallax Ken Burns effect in Photoshop CS6.
Chrome 3D text built with Image Based Lights in Photoshop CS6 Extended, kept as a record of the method after Adobe removed 3D from Photoshop.
20 Comments
Slick tutorial. Very nice
Thanks, Steve!
That background you used is a great photo. Did you take that?
I did not. It’s actually 3 stock images composited together. It’s most obvious that the image is not real because of the light down the street. It’s the only one with a glare. Also the road, you can see the bricks don’t quite match.
I also threw in a few Easter-eggs. For example, on the left side, there is a white poster with red and a tree. Evidently that’s was my family’s coat of arms…or at least that what the internet tells me.
Ah! I didn’t even notice.
Later today, I’m going to give this tutorial a go with some added elements of my own
Very impressive with clear advice on the use of Photoshop’s 3D features and quite a few other tips to bring the composite image together.
Thank you, Ted!
I can’t get my 3D object onto my background
never mind, I figured it out
I tried following this tutorial. When I imported the car, “ferrari_599gtb.obj,” mine doesn’t have the separate components, only the whole vehicle. I downloaded the obj file like you stated. Am I missing something. TY
I enjoy your tutorials.
If you share a screen shot of you Layers panel with the 3D Object enabled I may be able to help.
I tried it with another vehicle and all of the components were there. just not your farrari
Is there anywhere else I can get the file from as all of the other vehicles are to complex
Really interesting, want to learn more…
I’ll be creating more 3D tutorials soon!
Hi, I can’t get my 3D object onto photoshop. I download like the video said, but when i press 3D unit and then OK then pop out a window. It say:
Adobe Photosho CC 204 Could not complete yout request because 3D functionality is currently disable due to OpenGL being disable.
:S
Enable your OpenGL
Ctrl Alt K (Mac: Command Option K) to bring up the preferences panel, then go to “Performance” and look for the Graphics Processor settings and click on the Advanced Setting button, and make sure that OpenGL is Checked.
If not then your graphics card may not meet the minimum requirements, or you may need to update your drivers.
Jesus, I realize this is a relatively old tutorial, but I can run through it OK until I get to the IBF portion. I cannot make the IBL photo to show on my 3D object. I have tried using the sliders in the “body” part of the 3D image but nothing seems to work. Is there anything different in PHCS6 that I should consider? By the way, I think all your tutorials that I ave used (and there are many) are great. Thanks Ed Cabrera
Hi Jesus I have tried to use this Tutorial a few times. I have PS CS6 extended. Everything goes well until I get to the IBL part. I cannot place the photo as a reflection. Is there a special way of doing it in CS6?
Excellent tutorial on 3d compositing. It has really helped me in my line of work. I am a 3D visualizer and I make 3d models. But the problem I face is that whenever I bring my 3d model into photoshop it comes in as a single object, most of the time I couldn’t select different parts of the model to give individual materials. Is there any solution for this, is there some way I should modify my model for the photoshop to process it properly?
Hi Jesus: I love your tutorials, and this is the first one I have come across that I couldn’t get to work as you suggest…perhaps because it is older. I am running the latest Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, and since the Ferrari is no longer available on Turbosquid, I tried with several other of their 3D models. When I go to “New layer from file” the models all import, but the car is not visible, only the lines. When I change the camera angles, the car (or parts of it) are visible, but they disappear as soon as I stop adjusting. Any idea what I am doing wrong? Thanks for all you do! You are a great instructor!
Slick tutorial. Very nice
Thanks, Steve!
That background you used is a great photo. Did you take that?
I did not. It’s actually 3 stock images composited together. It’s most obvious that the image is not real because of the light down the street. It’s the only one with a glare. Also the road, you can see the bricks don’t quite match.
I also threw in a few Easter-eggs. For example, on the left side, there is a white poster with red and a tree. Evidently that’s was my family’s coat of arms…or at least that what the internet tells me.
Ah! I didn’t even notice.
Later today, I’m going to give this tutorial a go with some added elements of my own
Very impressive with clear advice on the use of Photoshop’s 3D features and quite a few other tips to bring the composite image together.
Thank you, Ted!
I can’t get my 3D object onto my background
never mind, I figured it out
I tried following this tutorial. When I imported the car, “ferrari_599gtb.obj,” mine doesn’t have the separate components, only the whole vehicle. I downloaded the obj file like you stated. Am I missing something. TY
I enjoy your tutorials.
If you share a screen shot of you Layers panel with the 3D Object enabled I may be able to help.
here’s a link to the screen cap.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=2C896D862E3B4B36!7804
I tried it with another vehicle and all of the components were there. just not your farrari
Is there anywhere else I can get the file from as all of the other vehicles are to complex
Really interesting, want to learn more…
I’ll be creating more 3D tutorials soon!
Hi,
I can’t get my 3D object onto photoshop. I download like the video said, but when i press 3D unit and then OK then pop out a window. It say:
Adobe Photosho CC 204
Could not complete yout request because 3D functionality is currently disable due to OpenGL being disable.
:S
Enable your OpenGL
Ctrl Alt K (Mac: Command Option K) to bring up the preferences panel, then go to “Performance” and look for the Graphics Processor settings and click on the Advanced Setting button, and make sure that OpenGL is Checked.
If not then your graphics card may not meet the minimum requirements, or you may need to update your drivers.
Jesus, I realize this is a relatively old tutorial, but I can run through it OK until I get to the IBF portion. I cannot make the IBL photo to show on my 3D object. I have tried using the sliders in the “body” part of the 3D image but nothing seems to work. Is there anything different in PHCS6 that I should consider?
By the way, I think all your tutorials that I ave used (and there are many) are great. Thanks
Ed Cabrera
Hi Jesus
I have tried to use this Tutorial a few times. I have PS CS6 extended. Everything goes well until I get to the IBL part. I cannot place the photo as a reflection. Is there a special way of doing it in CS6?
Excellent tutorial on 3d compositing. It has really helped me in my line of work. I am a 3D visualizer and I make 3d models. But the problem I face is that whenever I bring my 3d model into photoshop it comes in as a single object, most of the time I couldn’t select different parts of the model to give individual materials. Is there any solution for this, is there some way I should modify my model for the photoshop to process it properly?
Hi Jesus: I love your tutorials, and this is the first one I have come across that I couldn’t get to work as you suggest…perhaps because it is older. I am running the latest Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, and since the Ferrari is no longer available on Turbosquid, I tried with several other of their 3D models. When I go to “New layer from file” the models all import, but the car is not visible, only the lines. When I change the camera angles, the car (or parts of it) are visible, but they disappear as soon as I stop adjusting.
Any idea what I am doing wrong?
Thanks for all you do! You are a great instructor!
Is the background image still available?