Note: This tutorial is written for Photoshop CS on a Windows XP platform and assumes you have a basic knowledge of Photoshop. However, this technique will work on most versions of Photoshop or similar graphics package.
You are going to make a tinted glass thumbnail like this:
1. Create a new canvas 100 pixels wide and 100 pixels in height with a background colour of #818181.
2. You need an image for the thumbnail. You can use any image you like – you may use the one this example uses. Whatever image you decide you use you need to get it into Photoshop. Save the file you need to use to your local hard drive and then choose File > Open. Find the image and you want to use and click Open.
3. Now you need to shrink your thumbnail image down to the size of a thumbnail. Choose Image > Image Size and enter a smaller size. If you are using the image from the example enter 100 pixels for the width and 75 pixels for the height.
4. Put both your open canvas side by side like the image below and drag the thumbnail into the blank canvas.
5. Close down the canvas you dragged from. In the remaining canvas position the thumbnail thus:
6. Choose the Rectangular Marquee Tool, hold down Shift and drag a square over the thumbnail layer like this:
7. Choose Select > Modify > Smooth and enter 5 pixels. Then choose Select > Inverse and press Delete. You will be left with your thumbnail:
8. Now we will add some layer styles. First of all add these Stroke settings:
9. Your thumbnail will now have an outline like this:
10. Add these Bevel and Emboss settings:
11. Your thumbnail should now have a darkened bottom edge to it:
12. Now add these Inner Glow settings:
13. The white colour dodge glow bleaches the colour of the image. Once the rest of the changes have been applied this will help give the image the effect of glass.
14. Now add these Outer Glow settings.
15. Your canvas will look like this:
16. Now to give the image more depth add a Drop Shadow layer style like this . . .
17. . . . to give this effect:
18. Now to add the tint: choose Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and set the Brightness to -25:
19. Now to add the reflection: create a new layer above the thumbnail layer. Hold down Ctrl and click the thumbnail layer; this will select the layer’s transparency. Now choose Select > Modify > Contract and enter 2. Set the foreground colour to #FFFFFF; choose Edit > Fill – ensure the Use is set to Foreground Colour and the Blending Mode is set to Normal. Set the opacity to 20% and click Ok. It will now look like this:
20. Now select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and press the up arrow until the selection is around halfway up the thumbnail:
21. Choose Select > Invert. Press Delete and you will be finished!