: Photoshop 3D logo depression Everyone is making shadowed items, but don't want to do that. I want to make a depression in the actual item that is 3D. Like for a logo and print the 3D item

@Bethany839

Assuming you want to have a logo on your physical 3D block of plastic, metal etc...You must edit your 3d model. Add or subtract from your 3d solid an extruded version of your logo that express the lines and some areas too as another solid that is not flat, but has a nonzero height.

Extrude is the most basic way to give to a flat pattern the wanted height in 3d programs.

This task must be completed in a 3d design program. In theory a skilled programmer could do it in a text editor by defining the modifications as 3d modelling language sentences.

The work in a 3d editor is not the only hard part. The resolution of the 3d printing is often so coarse (=0,2mm typically) that it requires a specially simplified version of the logo if one wants a readable result in a modest size.

Still one more thing to be decided:
Many 3d printing processes do not allow any detailed extrudes or insets on vertical surfaces. Please consult with your 3d printing supplier about the resolution and the placing beforehand.

Assuming you want to Edit your photo of a 3d solid to have a logo on its surface: You must create a 3d model of that logo. You can do it as above, but "a photo only" tolerates at least some amount of cheating. You can extrude your logo in Illustrator as a 3d effect.

Select in the very beginning the right directions for the viewing and the light. The color can be fine tuned afterwards, so you can use grey.

In the following example logo "MY" is inserted to a photo of 3d thing. Logo was at first drawn and extruded in Ai. Then it was


placed in Photoshop onto the photo as a new layer
selected blend mode "Hard Light"
fine tuned logo's placement, position, exposure & contrast (=curves) and sharpness





Placing the logo into a separate layer makes it adjustable separately. It must be seen, but it's technical photographic quality must fit to the rest of the image.

In the example the surface colors have a low contrast and only large fuzzy patterns. That makes possible to get satisfactory results easily. High contrast complex original surface forces you to map a piece of original surface image onto the extruded logo (=part of the extrude and bevel dialog) or to select a different color.

Ai's 3d effects are limited. The following are not possible without a substantial manual effort - they are much easier in a proper 3d program


creating an intrusion (= opposite of extrusion)
placing the logo onto a strongly curved surface


The latter has a workaround: The envelope distortion.

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@Annie732

You can achieve a "hole" effect with Inset shadow. A photo with a drop shadow looks like it's floating above the surface. A photo with Inset shadow looks like it drops down into the surface. Play with Inset Shadow on your logo, you'll see what I mean.

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