I have already wondered with the sbs of this tea cup, once again I am wondering that it is so simply explained here that a beginner can make this as it is. cant believe the is not real with seeing these steps.
Amazing tutorial and amazing result. Very well done author.
Photoshop Tutorial: Create an Ultra-Realistic Tea Cup From Scratch
I made it by only using very simple techniques in Photoshop:
1. Basic shapes, Pen tool
2. Brushes, Burn/dodge tools
3. Gaussian blur.
We will be starting from scratch on a simple white canvas!
Let's go.

Author:
Step 1
Start making the sketch of tea cup.
figure 1. Make an ellipse from the basic shapes.
figure 2. Copy the ellipse and move down.
figure 3. Use the pen tool to join the two ellipses.
figure 4. Draw the handle with pen tool.
(Making the sketch tip: After creating the paths, make pencil in selection and reduce the radius to 1 or 2 and right click >stroke path)

Step 2
Now we are going to color the sketch.
Feel free to use your own color combination to the cup.

Step 3
We are going to make the top of the cup.
Make selection of the layer 'cup top' and transform it to W-96% and H-90%. In a new layer fill color and name the layer cup inside.

Step 4
Make a copy of the layer 'cup inside' and fill it with 'AD4D01'. Name the layer 'tea' and move down as shown in the figure.

Step 5
Still the 'tea' layer in selection, 'Ctrl+click' on the 'cup inside' layer.

Step 6
Press 'Ctrl+Shift+I' to inverse the selection and delete the tea out side of the cup.

Step 7
Let's have a look at the layer pallet. We should have our layers arranged like this.

Step 8
Now we are going to use brushes over the cup. Make new layer between cup side and cup top layers. Colorize as shown in the figure.
(If you use your own colors try to brush brighter at the center.)

Step 9
Our light is coming from the left top.
Now we are going to shade the inside of the cup.
Select the 'cup inside' layer and pick the burn tool with soft edged brush and exposure around 20. Use burn tool over the left inside of the 'cup inside' layer, and use dodge tool with same opacity and brush pressure at the right inside of the same layer.

Step 10
Now we need to create a reflection in the inside of cup.
Create a new layer under 'tea' follow the step 4 (Same steps used for making the layer 'tea') and move down as in the figure . Fill it with 'B67431', name the layer 'tea reflection'.

Step 11
Apply Gaussian blur with radius 15. ( you can reduce the opacity of the 'tea reflection' layer so that it will look more convincing)

Step 12
Still the 'tea reflection' layer in selection. 'Ctrl+ click' on the 'cup inside' layer and inverse the selection. (ctrl+shift+I) Delete the rest of the reflection that is out side of the cup.

Step 13
Copy the layer 'tea' (ctrl+j). Fill it with white color and apply Gaussian blur with a radius 6.

Step 14
Put the white filled layer under the 'tea' layer. Select the layer 'tea' and apply a Gaussian blur with radius 6.
Now move down the 'tea' layer a little that we can see a narrow edge of the white that is under the 'tea' layer.
Now merge the 'tea' layer with white filled layer and again ctrl+ click on the 'cup inside' layer. Select inverse and delete. Name layer 'tea'.

Step 15
Take the burn tool with Exposure 20 and use it at the left side of the layer 'tea', as shown in the figure

Step 16
Make sure the foreground color is white.
In a new layer over the layer 'tea' use a soft edged brush with a very small radius ( opacity around 80-90). Start making some dots as in the figure. This will make our tea glowing.

Step 17
Select the 'cup top' layer and dodge with a soft edged brush and exposure 80. (check the figure)
Also paint the cup inside layer as shown in the figure.

Step 18
Fill color to the handle. And more shading on the 'cup side' layer. Link 'tea', 'tea reflection' and 'cup inside' layers and transform again (W-96%, take a look at the change in step 17 and 18).

Step 19
Use burn/ dodge tools to modify the handle as shown in the figure.

Step 20
Painted again at the cup side layer with a gray color.

Step 21
Take a soft edged brush, select the foreground color white, draw some reflection over the 'cup side' Layer, as shown in the figure.

Step 22
Use a low opacity soft brush again.
Change foreground color into gray (k-30).
Make a new layer under the teacup ( This should be the bottom layer) paint shadows, until you get convinced.

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61 Comments:
its very well described and by follwng this steps anybody can make this thnx fr this type tutorials
(2 years and 53 days ago)EXCELLENT...
(2 years and 53 days ago)Wonderful tutorial. Congratulations! hugs directly from Brazil, Zetti
(2 years and 52 days ago)Simple and excellent......... I am going to try this one.
(2 years and 52 days ago)wow..its very nice tutorial...
Great to have one...
That is a VERY NICE cup of tea!!!
(2 years and 52 days ago)Absolutely wonderful! Thanks so much!
(2 years and 51 days ago)awesome tutorial!
(2 years and 50 days ago)really realistic!
(2 years and 50 days ago)wonderful; you are a guru.
(2 years and 50 days ago)Excellent tutorial! Very photo realistic! However the cup has a warm earthy glow and in step 19 so does the handle, after that the warm brown tone disappears from the handle, did you upload the wrong version? I now think the handle looks a little odd compared to its visual continuity in step 19.
I painted the whole cup with a gray color.. you can see the color change for the cup too.. I did it because I came to know that color is more convincing in a white back ground.. thanks for the comment...
(2 years and 50 days ago)Nothing other than a handful of thanks for sharing the tea with us. You are an excellent writer.
(2 years and 50 days ago)Not only is the end result wonderful, how to get there is too! Thank you!
(2 years and 49 days ago)outstanding tutorial, amazing result, by Riya
(2 years and 49 days ago)This tut explanation shows the talent of you Author, Thx
(2 years and 48 days ago)perfect tutorial, nice description's and tool usage.
(2 years and 48 days ago)perfect tutorial, nice description's and tool usage.
(2 years and 45 days ago)nice
(2 years and 44 days ago)Another way to make coffee! (yah yah.. I had to say it)
(2 years and 43 days ago)a nice and well explained tutorial and the result is amazing
(2 years and 43 days ago)aweesome.. inspires me to make more like this.. maybe try something more interesting like coke bottle
(2 years and 42 days ago)naw, its too much on a higher level for me, need to give directions more. Don't you think so???
(2 years and 39 days ago)Nice, easy to follow, and well explained tutorial. Congratulations! Outstanding work!
(2 years and 38 days ago)Very well explained. A tad advanced but I expected that from the example.
Thanks!
Very well explained. A tad advanced but I expected that from the example.
Thanks!
Great tutorial and great result. Congrats! Anoop 
just want coffee now
(2 years and 31 days ago)great job
(2 years and 30 days ago)Well explained and well illustrated, hence easy to do and enjoyed.
(2 years and 28 days ago)Amazing ..
Keep it Up ..
Very Good and simple explain all things.You are very good tutor.
(2 years and 21 days ago)CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO DO THE STEP 5. How to make the layer still? I don't know how to do that. Please
(2 years and 20 days ago)CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO DO THE STEP 5. How to make the layer still? I don't know how to do that. Please
(2 years and 20 days ago)very good
(2 years and 20 days ago)its not about 'still' just select the layer you want crop and ctlr+ click the cup inside layer (to load selection)
(2 years and 19 days ago)I would like to say Thank you
I would like to say Thank you
Nice work.its look real.thanks for the post.
Please visit this site:
http://www.clippingimages.com/blog/
I don't know how to do it but l think it's better if you show all layer aside the details.
thanks
Very Good.
(2 years and 7 days ago)Hey, this is a great job. Thank you.
(1 year and 343 days ago)its amazing.
(1 year and 341 days ago)I like it veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery much.
(1 year and 336 days ago)Very nice tutorial........Thanks.
(1 year and 301 days ago)Shugoyeee.....ari gato ...
its so nice..thanks for this kind of tutorial..its so helpful and encourage me to start creating some designs. : )..user friendly . 2 thumbs up w/ u guys.
(1 year and 290 days ago)This is so kool tutorial
(1 year and 278 days ago)thats beautiful......great tutorial
(1 year and 228 days ago)GrEaT WoRk
(1 year and 221 days ago)i think very beautiful tutorial.great work.thank u for sharing.
(1 year and 144 days ago)well explained tutorial !
(1 year and 143 days ago)Nice 1. Thanks for the tutorial. easy to understand steps...
(1 year and 134 days ago)Thanks for this great and wonderful tutorials even beginners like me can really learn how to use and blend things quicker in photoshop. Thanks.
(1 year and 120 days ago)This tut explanation shows the talent of you Author.
www.admecindia.co.in
Nice
(306 days ago)Awesome tut!!!!
(306 days ago)awesome
(103 days ago)I don't use photoshop very often, preferring Paint Shop Pro instead. Because I'm not used to working with photoshop, I actually recreated this cup, making adjustments as I followed your tutorial...and came out with a pretty decent looking cup of tea for having never done it before.
(85 days ago)
With the level of detail you have given here, even I may be able to get a result that resembles a tea cup. This has the level of well explained detail that all tutorials should have. Super job.
(2 years and 54 days ago)