February 2011 - month of Bevel - RealWorld forums

Starting now, each month will have a special topic. I declare February 2011 the Month of Bevel on rw-designer.

Bevel is one of the most important image effects, it creates illusion of a 3D shape. If you have never used it, go try it right now. You can find the Bevel command in the Effect menu in any of RealWorld applications.

So far, I have updated the documentation page of the bevel effect and added a sample image and a short description of the parameters of the effect. You are all welcome to request additional info or modify the page yourself (using that green Edit page link in the footer).

A new addition is the article Bevel effect explained. It explains the idea behind the bevel filter and gives hints how to use it effectively.

More stuff on the way - bevel filter was updated and it will be available in future versions of RealWorld tools.

Whoever wants to join the bevel mania, now is the right time! Start using it, experiment, show us the results.

March 2011 - month of Layer Styles >>

Yes, bevel is a nice effect and I also often use it. But if you set the blur to 0,1 or 2, the bevel doesnt look well. Maybee you could improve it in new software.

Yes, I noticed the same thing. That is the reason why I used the opposite gradients in the metal icon series. It resulted in a much sharper looking bevel. If you are working on a large object, the softness of the bevel is okay, but not for icons and cursors so much if you want a sharp image.

This is a great idea BTW.

I'll be explaining why this is happening and possible workarounds in a separate article later this month. 100% solution is sadly not trivial.

Oh, and I welcome every critique of any aspect of the current bevel implementation. That is what allows me to improve it.

I have added a new article about bevel. Parts may be too technical, so let me know if all is understandable in the comments section (or edit the page with the green link in the footer).