Stretching a single line of pixels is an easy way to create special digital effects in graphic design. By taking this technique a step further, we can create wonderful, vibrant 3D effects right in Photoshop!
What We’re Making
In this tutorial, we’re going to stretch a single line of pixels to create beautiful 3D designs. You can get a glimpse of the design we’re going to make in the preview below:
Step 1 - Getting Started
Go ahead and create a new document (you may want to aim for something above 500×500px just so you have some breathing room for your work). Fill your background layer with a nice blue (#152935), or another color of your choice.
Now, go grab 3 photos that are filled with vibrant colors. I’ve included some pictures you’re welcome to use from here. The actual contents in the picture do not matter, we’re just interested in the color!
You can go ahead and open the photos in Photoshop, we’ll be using them soon.
Step 2 - Fade to Black
Create a new layer.
Using a large (500px), soft (0%), black brush with the Brush Tool, create a large black circle towards the center of your canvas. This will be used to help add depth to our design later on.
Step 3 - Selecting the Pixels
We need to copy a single row of pixels from one of our images. To do this, we’ll use the Single Row Marquee Tool (located underneath the Rectangular Marquee Tool).
In one of your photos, use this tool to select a row of pixels, and then copy (Edit > Copy or Ctrl + C) that row. Paste the copied row into your design in a new layer.
Step 4 - Transform a Row into a Rectangle
Using Transform, vertically stretch this row of pixels into a rectangle that is a bit more manageable in the canvas area. You should also horizontally shrink your pixels so that you have a rectangle of stretched pixels.
Stretching your row of pixels horizontally may be difficult without zooming in since you’ll only have a 1px bounding box to work with. An easier way to adjust this is to simply type in the values (something like 75%) for the transform in the options bar.
Step 5 - Duplicate, then Stretch Again
Duplicate this layer of stretched pixels. and then transform your new layer so that it’s quite longer than the original. It should remain the same width.
Step 6 - Creating the 3D Effect
We’re going to apply another transformation to our new layer. This time, it’s a bit more complicated, but I’ll try to make it very simple to follow.
First, align the bottom pixels of your new layer with the top pixels of your first pixel stretch layer.
Go into Free Transform Mode (Ctrl + T).
Grab the top middle handle, and drag it downwards to shrink the layer vertically. The two layers should still meet one another.
Hold Ctrl and click and drag the top middle handle again so that the top of the layer being transformed is offset from the bottom of said layer. The bottom of the layer should still touch the top of the first pixel stretch layer.
Finally, Hold CTRL + Alt + Shift and click and drag one of the top outer handles inwards so they meet in the center. This will give the illusion of a 3D box moving back into space.
Step 7 - Shading
We need to add shading to our new subject. I’d like to have it appear as if it is coming forth out of the dark center of our design. To accomplish this, we’ll be using Photoshop’s Brush Tool some more.
First, we’ll shade the front of our box using a soft, medium size (100-200) brush. Create a selection around the layer contents of your first pixel stretch layer (Ctrl + Click Layer Thumbnail).
Using a Black brush, paint around the edges of the box to give the illusion of lighting in your design.I especially focused my lighting towards the bottom edges of my box to make the light appear as if it came from slightly above.
Try to paint using just the edges of your soft brush so that the shading lightly darkens the box rather painting it completely black.
Now move this layer ABOVE your diagonal pixel stretch layer.
Select the layer contents of your diagonally stretched layer (which is now below your rectangle layer). Expand this selection by one pixel (Select > Modify > Expand).
Using a large, white brush, paint along the bottom of this layer to differentiate between the rectangle layer. Then, using a large, black brush, fade out the back of this layer so it blends into the background.
Step 8 - Repeat
Using different images (or at different parts of the same image even), create several more 3D blocks to create more interesting designs. Here is a combination I put together with the images provided at the beginning of this tutorial:
Vary the angles at which things extrude to give your design greater 3D perspective. You could also try making your blocks extrude from the bottom rather than the top!
Step 9 - Making Colors more Vibrant
After finishing the design shown above, I was not satisfied with the vibrance in the color. To make things brighter, I merged all of my block layers (Select them all in the Layers Pallete, then Layer > Merge Layers), applied a light Gaussian Blur (Filter > Gaussian Blur), and set the layers blending mode to Color Dodge.
Step 10 - Adding Texture
With texture, this design may look much nicer. Check out our Tutorial for adding Texture in Photoshop in just 3 simple steps. After finding a suitable paper texture, I achieved the following results:
Grab the PSD
As always, you’re welcome to grab the Photoshop Document to check out how we put the whole composition together! 
Download the 3D Pixel Stretch PSD
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Great tutorial. Simple and quick to do with an awesome result.
Walla! How coooooooooooool. Your effects are beauty and easy to do. Perfect!
Dude, that’s dope!
Whaw it’s amazing.
Can’t wait to try it!
Great tutorial David! Nicely done.
Great turorial! I like it very much.
Sorry if I sound unfair, but I don’t find it that good…
@ Nate - It’s all good mate, I’m can’t always expect to please everyone. But in the future, I’d appreciate it if you could help point out what might be able to be improved upon (if possible).
Thanks everyone
Glad a bunch of you found this tutorial enjoyable!
Let’s see where I’m going to use this great technique next time
Thanks a lot!
LBrother
Another great tutorial david, i actually enjoyed this something that can be used for various of ideas. Love how this tutorial slightly carries on with the other (Textures).
Good Job!
Amazing tutorial!! Realli thanks for this post.
Nice one David, very nice looks amazing! Great techniques here too.
Well David, I might not find it that good either, but I think it’s only because I can’t just yet figure out where I could use this effect, which really has nothing to do with the tutorial itself, so don’t worry
I just ran through it, but I think that after this one, at least I’ll understand how to use the Single Row Marquee Tool!
With most tutorials I don’t think it’s a case of what you end up with, but what you learn on the way. Great tutorial with a nice effect, especially the texture. Thanks!
Really nice effect!
I really enjoyed this tutorial. Nice work David!
looks smple to do, but great is the effect
cool
thanks
cool idea, thanks
Nice tutorial.
Just step 9 cofuses me. When I cange the mode to color dodge, the blocks just dissapear!
It would be great if someone could help me…
It’s going to depend on what colors your block is and what colors are in the background. Another way you can brighten them is to duplicate your block layers and set them to overlay or color dodge.
David:
Wow. You impress me way too much. Such an original technique, I expect to see this on my bus advertisements in a few months now!
wonderful tutorial and nice touch with the mini vids, they helped.
Very cool! I might use this on my next business card design.
Nice Work !!!
Great Idea very nice!
Thanks
Simple to follow and great result!
Thanks!
@ J.T. Shaver - Just be cautious about making things too dark. I mean, it’s all up to you of course, but in my experience, the darker designs often come out MUCH darker than expected on paper.
@Michael Wilson - The same is easily returned back to you and some of your awesome work mate
nice tut!
great tutorial, thanks. my only critiques are that for the final step i had to open the final psd to figure out that you duplicated the objects before applying color dodge. otherwise the image just goes darker.
also the videos were helpful but step 7 could’ve used one too cause you sort of lost me there. i just improvised myself with a bit of black brushing.
Really nice original effect and great tutorial - really easy to follow.
@Nate - I totally agree with David - If you don’t like it then say why? what is there not to like about this very cool effect?
http://www.tutorial9.net/photoshop/3d-pixel-stretch-effects/
Because I won’t be checking back for replies:
http//www.appleswitch.com/
This tutorial is great until step 7, where you obviously do something that you don’t show. When you transform the box inwards to create the perspective, it gets all pixely like it also does on your first picture. But then, it’s magically non-pixely? How did you do that? The shading doesn’t solve it fo’ sho.
@Me0w - It actually isn’t a matter of me not showing something - but I definitely should have made an important note there. When you’re transforming objects in Photoshop (that are not vector based), you’re going to get some jaggies. The best way to cure those are to either make one bit of a transformation at a time (ie: change the perspective -> Apply Transformation. Change the size -> Apply Transformation), or otherwise REDUCE the entire size of the transformed layers after the complete transformation. To keep the video short, I did both transformation steps in one swift move without even taking that into consideration.
Hope that helps mate!
Ah, thanks! I found out the best way to do it now (at least it worked the best for me): first skew it and change the perspective, then apply. Then change the size and apply.
Great! I am sorry for not making note of that! Glad you got things to work out on your end mate
Nice, pretty and simple
Here’s my recent creation using this technique!
http://flickr.com/photos/tylerbramer/2739163667/in/pool-741719@N20
@Tyler Bramer: That’s freaking awesome mate. Love the way you applied it to the text
That’s some nice shading you’ve done. The hanging paper clouds are a beautiful touch at well. Makes me feel right at home!
Excellent.
The end product looks good, but instead of using a black brush to fade the boxes you should probably use opacity masks; that way if you decide to change the background of the image you don’t have to worry about the brush strokes showing up. Plus, it is the correct way to achieve that effect.
@Grylls: That’s a much better idea Grylls. I appreciate the insight.
We’ll need to write some Tutorials covering clever uses of masking. It’s a great way to preserve data - and a wonderful time saver.
Thanks again!
Wow, great effect. It’s not that hard, but it’s just you have to come up with stuff like that. Oh and btw, Tut9, the first time I visit and must say: nice Out/infocus header, I love it.
This was a fun tutorial. Here’s what I got messing around.
[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/AgAg10/pixstretchtut.jpg[/IMG]
Great tutorial. I took the “2D” idea. And made it in “Real 3d”.
Brought All this In after Effects. Few hours Later: here is the result:
http://vimeo.com/1526412
@Vj homing: Nicely done Vj homing! I’m very impressed with what you’ve done there. Never would have thought to do something like that when I had this tutorial in mind.
Good work mate
@MeckaLecka:
Pardon me…mine didn’t look like any of the others even though I followed the tutorial and embellished a bit. *Whatever*
@David Leggett:
Well, I sometime think i’m more a technical person than an artist. But hopefully it doesn’t take me a lot to get a “creative flow” . Thanks to great tutorials like yours, I can use the technical knowledge i have to create something more artistic !
Anyways, thanks to stumbleupon that i’ve found your website!
Hey, rockin’ tutorial! Very easy with a very neato result. =D
I’m already getting ideas, and it’s been awhile since I’ve been very creative. (like a year, lol!)
Its a nice tutorial but i think u need to simplify a little bit for the new people, it gets confusing at stage 5 and its very difficult to follow but thanks anyway i would appreciate if u add some work flow pictures so everyone can understand easily
Cheers
Can i do it? It looks great to look at it.
Great effect David. I thought I’d see how it would work as a http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2769424328_93dc1dfe4f_o.jpg“.display effect for the original photo.
Dear David, following this and some other tutorials, i made this http://www.flickr.com/photos/29996792@N06/2805551653/
Thanks for the great tutorial
Some I did…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30010412@N06/2823456649/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30010412@N06/2823400219/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30010412@N06/2820959239/in/photostream/
Thanks!
hi nice tutorial but erm i cant do the last step i dont know why but i just cant i dont understand how u do it help please
please help my email is tom_ere_2008@hotmail.co.uk
I need to check this soon
GREAT Tutorial!
Gr8 Tuition. I’m gonna try this on all my pictures and put them on my website.
Nice tut, thanks.
I’d like to suggest another way of making stripes using Noise Gradient Type. No need to look for a photo, and no need to worry about its size.
Here is what I mean http://demiart.ru/forum/uploads2/post-7020-1222962315.jpg
That was a great tutorial, I like how you inserted different screencast in between explanations
well done David
Good Tutorial, I read it for Gimp 2.0 about 1 month ago on Pixel2Life
nice work….i loved your colorfulll tutorial……simply vibrant!!
Simple but effective. Very nice. And I love the video tutorial. Wish more sites did that.
Thanks again!
I think these tutorials are the best so far I’ve come across. I’m now doing the impossible with the PhotoShop. It’s so amazing trying to do something on your own. I feel gr8 when i do something which i fail 2 do earlier. I’ll be back with more stuffs.
I like your work~ Great~
exellent performance and easy way to learn ! Thx a lot !