This tutorial is the creation of those very popular glass balls (figure on the right). As you may notice from the category all these images are created in photoshop but this tutorial can be used with other softwares
Note: These tutorials assume that you have basic knowledge of photoshop.
Step1::
Create a blank new document, size 640x480, transparent background. Select the eliptical marquee and hold Shift down while drawing to create a perfect circle.
Step2::
With the circle create and still selected, create an new layer and fill the circle with a gradient similiar to the one above. Darker blue at the top and lighter at the bottom. Note:: Hold shift and drag the gradient from the top to the bottom to create a straight even gradient.
Step3::
Now it's time to create the glass effect. Create a new layer and use the eliptical marquee once again to create a small circle at the top, this should not be a perfect circle so do not hold shift while drawing it.. With the circle drawn and still selected, use a gradient with white at one end and at the other white but with o% transparency. Drag from the bottom up to create the glass effect.
Step4::
The last effect is the light at the bottom. This is simple done by hold Ctrl and click on the layer with the original circle to select it. Next create a new layer and select the rectanguler marquee tool . Hold Alt and cut about half of the circle off. Next with the other other still selected go to Select > Modify > Contract and add a value of 2. Fill that shape with white then use a gausian blur to get the above effect. You may need to adjust it a few times to get the desired result.
That's all!..If you need further help please feel free to post inside the forum