1. Create a new165x165 pixel document and name it Sphere. Now
press D and fill the document. Then add a lens flare
filter with settings [Brightness: 100%, Lens Type: 105mm Prime], now
for the position of the Flare, you want it kept at default. To reset
your lens flare position, Hold down Alt and you will notice the
'cancel' button changes to 'reset'. Click it then it resets. Then click
Ok.
2. Now distort to polar
coordinates with settings [Polar to Rectangular]. Now rotate the canvas 180°. Then distort to polar coordinates again, with settings [Rectangular to Polar].
3. Here's the tricky part. Select the elliptical marquee tool,
and you want to make a circular selection around your sphere. hold
Shift for a perfect circle. My selection diameter was 155 pixels. Now inverse your selection, Press D, then fill. Then inverse once more so your back to the circle.
4. Now create a new layer and name it 'shadow'. Press D and fill
the layer with black. Then hold Shift and press the up arrow once, and
the right arrow once. Press delete, then hold shift and press the down
arrow once, and the left arrow once. Create a new layer, name it 'highlight', and press X then fill
with white. Hold shift and press the down arrow once, then the left
arrow once. Press delete, then hold shift and press the up arrow once
and the right arrow once.
5. With the selection still active, set the 'highlight' layer blending mode to 'overlay'. Then apply a gaussion blur, with settings [Radius: 4px]. Now select the 'shadow' layer and apply a gaussion blur as well with same settings as before, then change the opacity
of the 'shadow' layer to about 70-80%. There you have it, a neat lookin
sphere. I however moved my shadow down three pixels and left three
pixels, to make the shadow blend in more. I also added color, by making
a new layer, I dragged it to the top of the layers window, made its blending mode 'color' and filled with it with a blue.
