Step 1
This tutorial should help you through making a simple, yet realistic-looking microphone using Adobe Photoshop CS 2, and only Adobe Photoshop CS 2.
Open a new document in Adobe Photoshop CS 2 with the size 500x500 pixels and a white background. Create a new circle in a new layer on your scene. To do this use the Ellipse Tool (U), you can find it in the Tools Tab (if the Tools Tab is not open select Window > Tools to open it).
To make a perfect rounded circle hold down the SHIFT key when you draw the ellipse. Now you have two layers in the Layers Tab: the layer "background" and the layer which contains the circle. Name this layer "circle". Right click on the layer "circle" in the Layers Tab and select the option Rasterize Layer. On the same layer apply a gradient color. To do this, select Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay; use the next settings for the "Gradient Overlay" (you can add an gradient to an layer using the Layers Tab window, just clicking the icon "Add a Layer Style" at the bottom of the window):
After this step the result should be like this:
Step 2
Duplicate the layer "circle". Name this new layer "duplicate circle" and delete the gradient effect. Click on the arrow icon in the Layers Tab to view the "Layers Effects", right click on the effect and Disable Layer Effects (you can delete the layer effect just using the "drag & drop" technique: drag the layer effect on the recycler icon in the bottom of the Layers Tab). In the Tools Tab select the Single Column Marquee Tool and delete a area like in the next picture (to do this use the next technique: 3 steps right, delete, 3 steps right, delete ... and do this for entire area of the circle):
Look at an intermediary step:
And the final step:
Step 3
Using the Filter > Distort > Spherize apply a "Spherize Effect" to the layer "duplicate circle". Use the next settings for the "Spherize Effect":
Adjust the size of the layer "duplicate circle". To do this select Edit > Transform > Scale and reduce the scale until it has the initial size (this may be the same size with the size of the "circle" layer; hold on the SHIFT key, in this case the resize area should be symmetric) like here:
Step 4
Duplicate the layer "duplicate circle" and name it "duplicate circle 90". Rotate the layer with 90 degrees choosing Edit > Transform > Rotate 90° CW and set the opacity (in the Layers Tab) to 18%. After this step you should obtain the next result:
Step 5
Set the background color to a light green (#dffca2). For this double click on the "Foreground Color" in the Tools Tab and type the color code like here (or choose the color using the "Color Sampler"):
Add a lighting effect to the layer "background" using Filter > Render > Lighting Effects. We're doing this step to apply a kind of perspective to our work:
And this is the result after this step:
Step 6
Above the layer "duplicate circle 90" make a new layer and draw a rectangle inside this new layer. Name the new layer "rectangle". Set the rectangle color to black (double click on the "Layer Thumbnail" in the Layers Tab and set the black color in the window that appears):
Step 7
Right click in the Layers Tab and select Rasterize Layer (do this to manipulate easier the rectangle). Using the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) (select that in the Tools Tab), delete an area like in the next picture:
With the same tool delete an area like this:
Make same thing on the right side of the rectangle, and the result:
Step 8
Transform the rectangle perspective using Edit > Transform > Perspective. Drag the bottom-left rectangle corner to the center like here:
Step 9
Make another rectangle at the bottom of the first one, change the perspective and adjust the position to be like here:
Step 10
Duplicate the layer "rectangle"; now you have a new layer "rectangle copy". Change the color by selecting Layer > Layer Style > Color Overlay and choose a light grey color. Use Elliptical Marquee Tool to delete an area of the rectangle:
Now select Select > Inverse and delete again:
Step 11
Use a small brush like "Soft Round 135 pixels" to delete the right and the left margins of the layer "rectangle copy". Do this step with caution if you want the result to be something like this:
Step 12
Duplicate the layer "rectangle copy" and move it in a new position like here:
Duplicate the layer again and move it again. Pay attention to details and the result is something like:
You can play with the details or the background elements like me, or better, and the results can be very realistic; now you have a microphone created using just Abode Photoshop CS 2:
