Step 1. make a simple circle with your circular marquee tool. Red makes for a nice color, but you can go with anything you like.

Step 2. Give the circle a innerglow layer effect, just change the glow color to black and the blendmode to multiply. Why am I using the Inner glow instead of the inner shadow? Because inner glow doesn't have an angular deflection, and thus is easily uniform.

Step 3 - Load the selection from the circular area. Drag the linear gradient (white to transparent) downward from the top making sure it is close but not completely at the bottom in a new layer.

Step 4. Now press Ctrl/Cmd+T to transform the white gradient. Drag the handles to bring it upwards halfway through, and drag it in a bit in from the top and sides. Create a merge composite layer: Hide the background - Create a new blank layer on top and then Press Alt+Ctrl+Shift+E (Option+Cmd+Shift+E on Mac) to create a merged layer on top.

Step 5. take the merged layer and create a circular selection above. the circle should be much larger than the original circle. Again use your eyes to tell you what seems right, then copy the section and paste it in to a new layer. This creates the top portion of the orb. Place it again in the proper exact position.

Step 6) On now to the base of the orb and create an elliptical shape fitting in to the bottom half of the circle in a new layer. Duplicate this layer while reducing the size just a bit.

Step 7) Choose the larger ellipse layer, pressing Ctrl/Cmd and clicking on the layer thumbnail to load its selection. Now drag across in the grey-white-grey-white-grey color combination with the cylindrical gradient tool.

Step 8 - Again, duplicate this layer bringing the duplicate upward. Arrange the small white portion to above the actual gradiated layer. Link both of these layers while reducing their size some, to ensure that the outer gradiated ellipse is just within the red circle.

Step 9) Select the duplicated gradient layer, now giving it a faintly different gradient of greys and whites. Bring the duplicated gradient layer down, arranging it under both of the other layers. Position it to where it is visible from both sides since it is the rim of the orb.

Step 10. Now to remove the portions of the orb that aren't required. As before by keeping Ctrl/Cmd pressed and clicking on the layer thumbnails; first select the large outer rim elipse (with the gray gradient) and then Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+Click on the thumbnail of the the upper top portion layer (created in step 5). You will now have the 2 ellipses selected. We want to also select the bottom portion of the orb. Choose the Rectangular marquee tool hold down shift and drag over the bottom portion. Inverse the selection (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+I) and delete the middle portion of the orb. The figure should look as it is in Fig.10.

Step 11 -Now to create the glass portion. Create a circle of the same size of the orb in any color and position it behind the other layers.

Step 12. As with the initial outer orb, give it the same kind of innerglow effect, and now bring it forward so as to cover all but the red outer portions of the orb.

Step 13) Go to the layer palette and make the fill amount =0 to make the layer invisible, but keeps the layer effects visible.

Step 14 -Create a white gradient reflection like in the red circle, in a new layer above the glass layer, to have a more realistic lighting effect. You will have to adjust the settings as needed to make it as realistic looking as possible.

Step 15 -Select the base layers, which are the grey metal gradient layers and the white ellipse, merging them together. Press Cntrl+U to fine-tune the hue of the layer. Since it is at this point grey, click on colorize, and convert to a reddish color to keep with the color of the orb itself.

Step 16) Lastly, make a very small drop shadow to the upper piece of the red orb, in order to create more realism. The lower portion may seem off, so create a new layer above the red lower orb portion. Select the radial gradient tool in the white to nothing option and drag from a point over the red to just a bit inward. Erase parts that are not enclosed within the red portion.

You orb is ready. You can display any items in there now, just make sure any Items kept in have a good reflection added on. This will give the base a shiny appearance.

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