In this tutorial we’ll be learning how to create a realistic Game Boy using Photoshop CS4. With a little bit of poking around you can of course use Photoshop CS3 as well to complete this tutorial.The skills and knowledge that you need to complete this tutorial is the basic knowledge of how to use the most basic tools in Photoshop. Everything is going to be described and laid out in detail so there won’t be any problem following this tutorial if you should lack any of the skills necessary. The result will be quite eye catching and of course with a little bit of creativity and imagination you can tweak this tutorial with different colors and with different buttons and what not. It’s entirely up to you and your imagination what you want to do with it.

I hope you will enjoy following this tutorial and please, if you have any questions feel free to ask at any time and I will try to see if I can give you an answer or some guidance.

Enjoy!

Step 1

Let’s start by creating a new work document. Make it Width: 500 and Height: 500. Make the background White (#FFFFFF) for easier detailing. We will change the background to black as well in the end but it’s much easier working with a white background when you are working with details.

We will start out by creating the Game Boy body. We will use the characteristic plastic gray/white that we all know it by. So, create a new layer on top of the “Background” layer and name it “Game Boy Body“.

In our newly created layer use the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and create a rectangle measuring Width: 250 and Height: 420.

Fill the rectangle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use the color bright Gray/White (#E2E2E2).

We need to round of the corners a bit and due to the fact that all four corners of the Game Boy aren’t the same rounded edge we need to do it by hand. Simple though so no worries.

Use the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and create a rectangle measuring Width: 15 and Height: 15. Delete the three corners “left top“, “right top” and “left bottom“. In the “right bottom” corner repeat the process but this time create a rectangle measuring Width: 55 and Height: 55.

After you have deleted the corners you should have something like this:

Now when we have prepared the corners for a bit of a round off we can go ahead and pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool“. Create a circle that measures Width:25 and Heigtht: 25 and place it as far up in the cut out corners as possible without breaking the boundaries of the Game Boy Body when the circle is filled. Only use this circle for the three smaller cut out corners. The bigger one we’ll do when we’re finished with these smaller ones.

Fill the circle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with the same Gray/White (#E2E2E2) we used for the entire body.

Alright, so our three smaller corners are now rounded off. On the the bigger one. Create a bigger circle measuring Width: 100 and Height: 100. Position it as far out on the edge of the bigger cut out and fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with the same Gray/White color (#E2E2E2) just like before.

After creating and applying these circles to the corners you should now have something looking like this:

So the body for the Game Boy is all mapped and laid out and we need to add some effects to it to make it look 3D and thick. We later will also have to to a bit of cutting on some of the sides to make the carvings that are detailed on the Game Boy but we’ll get to that later.

With our “Game Boy Body” layer selected go ahead and right click it and choose “Blending Options…” Choose the “Bevel and Emboss” option in the menu and add the following settings:

So already we get some weight to the body but we still need to add a few more things in order for it to look really realistic and appealing. The plastic on a Game Boy is not entirely smooth so we need to roughen it up a little.

With the “Game Boy Body” layer still selected choose “Filter” -> “Noise” -> “Add Noise” and insert the following settings:

There, our plastic is now a bit more rough and gives the impression that it has some realism to it. In the bottom right corner we need to make a little effect making it look like it’s decreasing in thickness so we’ll go ahead and add a little shadowing right there.

Create a new layer above the “Game Boy Body” layer and call it “Grip Shadow“. With the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” again create a circle measuring Width: 100 and Height: 100 and position it at the bottom right corner just like before. Now pick the “Polygonal Lasso Tool” and while holding down the “Alt” key cut the circle in half and make a lasso around the upper part of it making it deselect that portion of the circle. Now we need to add a little more by the bottom so again using the “Polygonal Lasso Tool” add a bit more straight selection at the bottom making the half circle a bit off. It can be a little tricky to get the right result but have a few goes and I am sure you will make it look all good. You should have a selection looking like this when you are done selecting:

Alright, so we have our selection and we need to add some shadowing to it. Pick the “Paint Bucket Tool” and choose a darker Gray color (#C4C4C4). We need the “Gradient Tool” so go ahead and hold down the mouse button on the “Paint Bucket Tool” and you’ll be served with the option of choosing it. We also need the gradient to be from “Color to Transparent” so go ahead and choose it at the top of the screen.

Now apply the gradient tool to the selection by starting the gradient from the bottom and drag it diagonally to the top. We should now have something that gives the illusion that the grip is a little bit decreasing in thickness right at the bottom right corner. You should now have something looking like this:

Our Game Boy Body is all done and we can go ahead and add some detailing to it before we start adding the functionality details like buttons, screen and labels.

Step 2

Now, let’s add those carvings and plastic reflection effects to make it even more real. What we need to do first is to fixate our body layer to be able to cut sharp edges in it.

Create a new layer underneath the “Game Boy Body” layer and select the “Game Boy Body” layer and choose “Layer” -> “Merge Down“.

Now go ahead and select the “Grip Shadow” layer and again choose “Layer” -> “Merge Down“. This makes the shadow permanently fix itself to the “Game Boy Body” layer.  There, our Game Boy is now fixated and we can go ahead and work on it.

We can actually now make sure that our Game Boy in the dead center of the work area just for the benefit of work flow. With the new layer we’ve just added the fixated Game Boy Body to (You can again name it “Game Boy Body” by the way) pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and select the entire work area. Now choose “Layer” -> “Align Layers to Selection” -> “Vertical Centers” and also “Horizontal Centers“. It should now be dead center of the work area.

Create a new layer above the “Game Boy Body” layer and call it “Plastic Reflections“.

With the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” create a rectangle measuring Width: 152 and Height: 2 at the bottom of the Game Boy body. Fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with plain White color (#FFFFFF). Also create a rectangle measuring Width:107 and Height: 2. Again fill it with the white color.

We need to bend it a little bit to fit the body grip decrease at the bottom right. Choose “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate” and rotate it to fit the edge. When you are done your white line should look something like this:

The line is still a little rough so we need to make it a bit less loud and also add a little smoothness to it.

With the layer “Plastic Reflections” selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…” Select the “Outer Glow” option in the menu and add the following settings:

Now when we have our slightly smoother reflection line we should also change a bit of it’s intensity. With the “Plastic Reflections” layer selected change its “Opacity” to “80%“.

So our plastic reflections are done for now. We’ll modify it slightly a bit later but we need some carving details before we go in to that.

Step 3

Time to cut out a bit of carvings on our Game Boy body to get that Game Boy:ish look and feel. Before we start adding the real carvings we need to make sure the run continuously on the side of the Game Boy as well so we need to cut out a few small pieces of the Game Boy body.

With the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and the “Game Boy Body” layer selected, cut out the edges using the measures Width: 4 and Height: 2. Cut out the sections just like this (at the top and bottom of the Game Boy):

So, before we start adding the body carvings we also need to add the thicker edge cuts. Pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and cut the edges just like on this following picture using these measures: Width: 5 and Height: 2 at the top and Width: 2 and Height: 5 on the sides. Should look something like this when you are done cutting:

Time to add the “real” carvings to the Game Boy body. Create a new layer above the “Plastic Reflections” and call it “Game Boy Carvings“. Pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” again and create a rectangle straight from the left side cut to the right side cut. Don’t include what we just cut out. Begin where the cut ends. It should measure: Width: 246 and Height: 5. Fill the rectangle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use the same color as we used for the body of our Game Boy (#E2E2E2).

Still in the same layer, now create rectangles going from the 2 top thick cuts all the way down to the horizontal line we just created. again fill the rectangles using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and the same color as the body.

Now with our carving pattern all set up we need to add some effects to it to make it look real. With the “Game Boy Carvings” layer selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…” In the menu choose “Bevel and Emboss” and add the following settings:

We also need to add some realistic shadowing to the carvings to enhance the feeling that the light is actually creating shadows on the body. Go ahead and click the “Inner Shadow” option in the menu and add these settings:

There, now we have a realistic and natural shadowing of the carvings as well. You should now have something looking like this:

Now we need to add the thinner carvings as well along with the outlet carvings where text goes eventually. Let’s start with the boxed in carvings where the text will go.

Create a new layer above all the others and name it “Connector Carvings“. You might have to make the “Game Boy Body” layer invisible for a few seconds to be able to see what you are doing. Just click the little “eye” on the layers layout to the right.

Using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” create a rectangle at the top of the Game Boy right under where the three (3) thinner carvings are located. Use the measures: Width: 46 and Height: 12. Push it to the right so the three carvings end up kind of almost all to the left of the box. Also position the box about 5 pixels underneath the three cuts as we’ll be adding carving lines right there.

Using the “Paint Bucket Tool” fill the rectangle with the same Gray color as we’ve been using for the body all along.

We need to add some rounded edges to the box we just created to so ahead and pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create a circle measuring: Width: 12 and Height: 12 and position it halfway out of the edge if the box to the left and then fill it just like we did with the box. Repeat the same process for the right side of the box.

We also need to create the carvings from the cuts me made so go ahead create them by using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool“. Create each of them from the cut into the round edged box we just created. Again fill it using “Paint Bucket Tool” with the same Gray color.

Before we go ahead and add the carving effect to this we need to create the bottom text box as well. Using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” again go ahead and create a box that measures: Width: 45 and Height: 12. Fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool“.

Again create the rounded edges by using the “Elliptical Marquee Tool“. Fill the rounded edges again using the Gray color.

The box is done and left is only them connecting lines from the cuts we created in the Game Boy body. Go ahead and connect them using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” just like you did with the top box. Use the “Paint Bucket Tool” and the same Gray color as before.

We also need to add a bit of sparkle to the plastic to make it look reflective. Under the “Bevel and Emboss” click “Contour” and add the following settings:

We also need to add a bit of shadowing to the carvings to make it more realistically lit. Click the “Inner Shadow” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

There! Our carvings are almost done now. We still have six speaker holes to take care of before we move on to the actual screen. You should now have something looking like this:

Alright, let’s go on and create the speaker holes now. Create a new layer above all the other layers and call it “Speaker Holes“.

Using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” create a box that has the measures: Width: 48 and Height: 5. Like before we need to create the rounded edges so go ahead and first fill the rectangle we just created with a little darker Gray color (#B4B4B4).

Now using the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” create a circle measuring: Width: 5 and Height: 5 and position it at the left edge of the newly created box. Again fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with our darker Gray color. Repeat the step for the right edge of the box.

Alright with that done we now need to rotate the newly created box a little to fit the decreasing grip section. Select the newly created box with the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and choose “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate“. Rotate the box “55” degrees.

Position the rotated box along the diagonal shine line going (look at the finished laid out speaker holes down below). Just copy the rotated box and paste in 5 additional speaker holes aligning them upwards along the diagonal shine line.

When copied and aligned you should now have something looking like this:

Now we need to add some effects to those holes to make them look realistic. With the “Speaker Holes” layer selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…” In the menu choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

We also need to add some realistic shadowing to our speaker holes so go ahead and click “Inner Shadow” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

Now we should have some good looking realistic looking speaker holes right where we would like them to be. However, we need to get a little bit of shine inside them as well. We can accomplish that by changing the “Opacity” of the “Speaker Holes” layer to “65%“.

You should now have something looking like this:

There it is! Pretty much all of the carvings are done except the ones where the buttons will be but those we will take care of a little bit later as they are of a different kind.

Step 4

Let’s create the monochrome screen next. We will be using the same techniques as we’ve been using but with a bit different color palette. Create a new layer above all the other layers and call it “Screen Encapsulation“.

Pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and create a rectangle with the measures: Width: 210 and Height: 150 about 12 pixels from the body carving above.

Fill the rectangle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use a Gray/Blue color (#948F9E).

Just like before we need to round off the corners to get that smooth look that the Game Boy has. Using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” cut out the “Upper Left“, “Upper Right” and “Bottom Left” corner using the measures: Width: 12 and Height: 12.

In the “Bottom Right” corner cut out a piece that has the measures: Width: 40 and Height: 40.

Now pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create and fill, using the “Paint Bucket Tool“, a circle measuring: Width: 24 and Height: 24. Do it in all the three smaller corners (“Top Left, Top Right and Bottom Left corner).

In the “Bottom Right” corner create a circle with the measures: Width: 80 and Height: 80 and fill it too with the “Paint Bucket Tool” using the same Gray/Blue color we used for the screen encapsulation.

You should now have something looking like this:

We need to put some effects on it in order for it to look like a glossy plastic encapsulation but we’ll wait with the glossiness of it. First we need to add a black outline to make it look like it’s stuck in to the the Game Boy itself.

With the “Screen Encapsulation” layer selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…” In the menu choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

We also need to put a little black stroke around the screen encapsulation plastic so go ahead an choose “Stroke” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

No we need to cut out a hole in the encapsulation plastic in order to fit our real monochrome “dot matrix” screen. We need to fixate our “Screen Encapsulation” layer so add a layer underneath the layer and choose “Layer” – “Merge Down“. You can go ahead and call the new layer “Screen Encapsulation” as well.

Using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” go ahead and create a rectangle with the measures: Width: 130 and Height: 112 and position in in the center of the screen encapsulation and delete the content of it.

With the selection still intact go ahead and create a new layer underneath the “Screen Encapsulation” layer and call it “Dot Matrix Screen“.

Using the “Paint Bucket Tool” fill the selection with a Green/Brown color (#A49408).

We need to add a little effect to it to make it a little bit more random in it’s appearance. Right click the layer and choose “Blending Options…” In the menu choose “Inner Shadow” and add the following settings to it: (the color is #FF7E00)

We also need to add some characteristics to the dot matrix screen so go ahead and choose “Inner Glow” in the menu to the left and add these settings: (the color is #FF4E00)

There! Our screen should now be completed but we also need to add some shadowing to the screen from the rim of the “Screen Encapsulation” layer.

Go ahead and select the “Screen Encapsulation” layer and right click it. Choose “Blending Options…” and then pick “Drop Shadow” in the menu to the left. Insert these settings:

There we go. Our screen layout should be all done now and left is just detailing and some labels and buttons and lights. We’ll get to that next. You should now have something looking like this:

Step 5

Let’s add some buttons. Let’s go for those Pink/Purple “B” and “A” buttons that we’ve probably used a billion times by now.

Create a new layer above all the others and call it “Trigger Button Dip“. We need to create a little hollow for our buttons so we’ll use this layer for that.

Pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and create a rectangle with the measures: Width: 54 and Height: 44. Fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with the body Gray color (#E2E2E2).

Again we need to make rounded edges so go ahead and use the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” once again making a circle measuring: Width: 44 and Height: 44. Position the circle half way our on each edge (Left and Right) and fill it with the Gray color using the “Paint Bucket Tool“.

We need to rotate our trigger dip a little so go ahead and select the rounded box we just created using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and the choose “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate“. Rotate the trigger dip “-35%“.

Now we need to add some effects to the trigger dip for it to be visible and realistic. With the layer still selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…” Choose “Bevel and Emboss” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

We also need to add an almost invisible white outline to it just for the plastic shine characteristics. Choose “Stroke” in the menu to the left and add the following settings to it:

Ok, so it’s time to create the anticipated trigger buttons. They will sure add some well deserved color to the design and those buttons and their color is truly synonymous with the Game Boy.

First create a new layer above all others and call it “Trigger Buttons“. Pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create a circle measuring: Width: 33 and Height: 33.

Fill the circle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and with a Pink/Purple color (#AF0061).

Time to add some realism to the button. Let’s add some effects to it so right click the layer and choose “Blending Options…“. Choose “Bevel and Emboss” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

Now we have smoothened the button a bit and can go ahead and fixate it for further effects. Create a new layer underneath it and choose “Layer” -> “Merge Down“. Name the new layer “Trigger Buttons” again.

Again right click the layer and choose “Blending Options…” and the choose “Bevel and Emboss” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings to it:

We also need to ad a little “Contour” to it to make the glossiness on the button really come through alright. Choose the “Contour” option in the menu to the left and the add the follow settings to it:

We still need to add one additional effect to the button and that is some shadowing to it to make it appear like it has a cavity underneath it and really is a pressable button. Choose “Drop Shadow” in the menu to the left and then add the following settings:

OK, all effects are set up and all we have to do now is to copy the trigger button and paste it so we have one “B” trigger and an “A” trigger button. Go ahead and do that and we’ll move on to the “Cross” right after it.

After copying it and pasted it in it’s right place in the “Trigger Buttons” layer (which gives it all its effects) you should have something that looks like this:

So we’ve finished up the trigger buttons and it’s now time to move on to the “Cross” on the left side of the Game Boy.

Step 6

To incorporate the “Cross” we first need to create a dip for the the cross to be positioned inside just like the two trigger buttons.

Create a new layer and name it “Cross Dip” above all the other layers. Using the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” create a circle with the measures: Width: 75 and Height: 75.

Fill the circle bu using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use the same Gray color as we used for the body once again. (#E2E2E2).

With the layer selected let’s add some effects to it. Right click the layer and choose “Blending Options…” and then click “Bevel and Emboss” in the menu to the left and also insert these settings:

Alright, as usual we also need to add a “Contour” effect to that bevel so go ahead and pick “Contour” in the menu to the left and the insert the following settings:

And to finish the dip up we also need to add a little white outline to the dip. Choose “Stroke” in the menu to the left and then add these settings:

Align the cross dip approximately all the way to the left of the trigger buttons. Almost horizontally perfectly aligned to the trigger button dip. (If you don’t know where have a look at the rough down below after we’ve added the cross)

OK, all done now with the dip. We’ll be adding a few more details later but for now it’s done. Let’s continue to the actual black cross.

Create a new layer and name it “Black Cross” above all the other layers.

Pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and create a rectangle measuring: Width: 25 and Height: 55. Fill it with Black:ish color (#333333) using the “Paint Bucket Tool”

Position the rectangle in the horizontal and vertical center if the cross dip.

Now before we can go on and add some details to the cross we need a horizontal rectangle as well. In the same layer repeat the steps above but use these measures using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool“. Width: 55 and Height: 25.

Fill the rectangle with the same color we just used using the “Paint Bucket Tool“.

Make sure the two rectangles create an even cross with equal length on every side and position it in the dead center using the “Layer” -> “Align Layers To Selection” -> “Vertical Centers” and also “Horizontal Centers”

Now we have our cross layout all done and we can begin to add some effects and details to it.

With the “Black Cross” layer selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…” In the left menu click “Bevel and Emboss” and insert these settings:

Now we have a nice effect making the “Cross” look a bit bend but we need to add more effects to it when it is like this so we will need to fixate it. Create a new layer underneath it and then choose “Layer” -> “Merge Down“. Name the new fixated layer the same thing, “Black Cross“.

Right click the new layer and again choose “Blending Options…” In the menu to the left once again choose “Bevel and Emboss” and add the following settings in it:

We also need to add “Contour” to this cross so go ahead and click the “Contour” in the left menu and insert these settings:

To make the illusion that the cross is playable we need to add some shadowing to it. Click the “Drop Shadow” option in the menu on the left and insert these settings:

With that done there is one thing left we need to do before we can move on to the details of the cross. It being plastic we of course need to make it a little bit worn. Nothing in this world stay entirely perfect forever not even a Game Boy. No matter how bad you want it to.

With the “Black Cross” layer still selected choose “Filter” -> “Noise” -> “Add Noise” and insert these settings:

With everything added and the cross centered in the dip you should now have something looking like this:

Alright, we are now ready to add the little squares present on the cross. Create a new layer above the “Black Cross” layer and name it “Cross Grip“.

With the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” create a rectangle with the measures: Width: 10 and Height: 4.

Fill the rectangle with the same dark Gray as we used for the cross itself using the “Paint Bucket Tool“.

We need to fix the rounded edges on this one as well so go ahead and pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create a circle with the measures: Width:4 and Height: 4. Position the circle half way out over the border of the rectangle and fill it with the same Gray color using the “Paint Bucket Tool“. Do this on both sides of the rectangle.

Copy the rounded rectangle so you have three laying in a vertical row. We need these three to be separate from the other three edges of the cross as this top one will be a little brighter to give the illusion that the cross is somewhat bent.

When you have the three rounded rectangles aligned above each other we will add a couple of effects to it. Right click the layer and choose “Blending Options…” Choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

We also need to add a “Contour” effect to the “Grip” so go ahead and click the “Contour” option in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

After copying, aligning and adding these effects you should now have something looking like this:

OK, now let’s add the other grip rectangles to the three other edges of the “Cross”. We need to create a new layer so go ahead and do that and name it “Cross Grip Darkened”.

Copy the top three and add to your new layer but skip the effects for now as we will need to modify them a little. Use the “Rotate” tool under “Edit” -> “Transform” – “Rotate” to fit the “Grip” rectangles to the side edges of the “Cross“.

With all the rounded rectangles aligned and positioned right on there part of the “Cross” right click the “Cross Grip” layer and choose “Copy Layer Style“. Now select and right click the “Cross Grip Darkened” layer and choose “Paste Layer Style“.

We need to do some modifications to the “Bevel and Emboss” part of the effect so go ahead and right click the layer again and choose “Blending Options…” and again choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert these settings:

Before we check the result of our modification go ahead and create a new layer above the “Cross Grip Darkened” and name it “Cross Grip Center Circle“. Pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create a circle in the middle of the “Black Cross” measuring: Width: 10 and Height: 10. Fill the circle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use the same dark Gray we’ve used so far for the “Black Cross“.

With our newly created layer still selected go ahead and right click it. Choose “Blending Options…” and then in the menu to the left click “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

We also need to add a little white outline to the circle so go ahead and click the “Stroke” option in the left menu and insert the following settings:

There! Our “Cross” should now be all done and we can move on to some other details. We need to add a few triangles at each edge of the cross on the dip so we’ll be taking a look at that next. You should now have something looking something like this:

Now let’s add the triangles that you are positioned on each edge of the “Cross“. We will be using “Wingdings 3” to easy and fast add these triangles. Select the “Wingdings 3″ font and add the “Top Triangle” by pressing “p“. Use the font size “7” and the color (#E2E2E2) just like the body of the Game Boy.

We need all the rotated triangles on each end so go ahead and add them. They are all located at (case sensitive) “p” = Top, “q” = Bottom, “t” = Left and “u” = Right.

With all our triangles aligned and positioned we can go ahead and add the effects to them. Right click the “p” layer and choose “Blending Options…” and then in the left menu click “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

We also need to add a little shadow effect to the triangle to give it that extra realism. In the left menu click “Drop Shadow” and insert the following settings:

Now when we have the effects set up on one of the triangles go ahead and right click the “p” layer and choose “Copy Layer Style” and the paste it onto the other triangle layers.

The triangles are done and you should now have something looking like this:

OK, so now we’re finished with the “Cross” and all. Let’s move on to the “Start” and “Select” buttons.

Step 7

Before we start creating those new buttons we of course need to add a couple of dips for them as well. Create a new layer above all the others and name it “Start / Select Dip“.

With the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” go ahead and create a rectangle with the measures: Width: 26 and Height: 12. As usual fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and with the Game Boy body color (#E2E2E2).

We need to create those rounded edges again so go ahead and pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create a circle with the measures: Width: 12 and Height: 12 and position it half way out of the edge of the rectangle and fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with the Game Boy color. Do it on both ends of the rectangle.

Now when we have our rounded rectangle we can go ahead and rotate it a little. With the layer selected choose “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate” and rotate the rectangle “-35” degrees.

With it rotated we can go ahead and add some effects to it. Right click the layer and choose “Blending Options…” and then click the “Bevel and Emboss” option in the left menu and add the following settings:

As always we also need to add some “Contour” to the dip so go ahead and pick the “Contour” option in the menu and insert the following settings:

And to end it we need to also add a white outline to the whole dip. Choose “Stroke” in the menu to the left and then insert the following settings:

There, all done! We can now go ahead and copy this dip so we get one for the other button as well. Just use the “Rectangular Marquee Tool“, select it and copy and paste it. Add the effects by right clicking the first “Dip” and then choose “Copy Layer Style” and the paste it to the new “Dip“. Then align it right by it’s side. When you are done you should have something looking like this:

Let’s add some buttons to those dips. Create a new layer above all the other layers and name it “Start Button“.

Using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” create a rectangle with the following measures: Width:24 and Height: 8. Fill the rectangle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” with the same color (#948F9E) we used for the “Screen Encapsulation“.

Again create the rounded edges using the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” with the measures: Width: 8 and Height: 8. And again position it halfway out from each end of the rectangle. Fill it with the same color we’ve been using.

Again rotate the button by choosing “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate” and rotate the button “-35” degrees.

Position the button inside our first “Dip” that we created. Time to add some effects. With the “Start Button” layer selected right click it and choose “Blending Options…“. Again choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

Again we need to add “Contour” so go ahead and click the “Contour” option in the menu to the left and add the following settings:

And we also need to add a dark outline to make the illusion that the button is attached and click-able. Click the “Stroke” option in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

So our button is done, all we have to do now is copy it and it’s effects to a new layer and we have our “Select” button as well. Use the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” to copy the button and then use right click “Copy Layer Style” and “Paste Layer Style” to copy the effects.

When you have copied everything you should now have something looking like this:

So we are finished with the buttons and can move on to some smaller details.

Step 8

Let’s add that little battery lamp on the side of the monochrome screen. Create a new layer above all the other layers and name it “Battery Light“.

Pick the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and create a circle with the measures: Width: 6 and Height: 6. Fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use the color (#606060).

Let’s add some effects to make it a realistic lamp. Right click the “Battery Light” layer and choose “Blending Options…” In the menu to the left choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

OK, let’s add a “Contour” as well as we always do. Click the “Contour” option in the menu on the left and insert the following settings:

Also need to add some shadowing so click the “Drop Shadow” in the left menu and insert the following settings:

There! Our battery light is completed and all we really need now are some labels, lines and a couple of icons and we are all done. You should now have something looking like this:

Step 9

Let’s add the connector labels. Should be fun and easy. Let’s start with the “OFF-ON” label at the top of the Game Boy.

Select the “Horizontal Type Tool” and also choose the “Wingdings 3” you you don’t already have it since last time. We need a couple of triangles on each side of the label so go ahead and add a “t” to the left and a “u” to the right. Use the Game Boy body color Gray (#E2E2E2).

Now we can go ahead and add some effects on the triangles so go ahead and right click on the “t” layer and choose “Blending Options…” In the menu choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

Also need to add some shadows to the triangle so click the “Drop Shadow” option in the menu to the left and add the following settings:

Now copy the effects like we’ve done before with the “Copy Layer Style” and “Paste Layer Style” to the “u” layer (the other triangle).

So our triangles are in place and we now need to add the text “Off – ON” to the connector carving.

Pick the “Horizontal Type Tool” and also select the “Arial” font size “8” and type “OFF-ON” between the triangles using the same color as we used for the triangles (#E2E2E2).

Right click the “OFF-ON” and choose “Blending Options…” Choose “Bevel and Emboss” and insert the following settings:

On to the shadowing as well. Pick the “Drop Shadow” in the menu to the left and insert the following settings:

There! Our top connector label is all finished and we can move on to the bottom one.

In the bottom one there’s a “Headphone” icon that we need to create before we add te “Phones” text to the carving connector space.

Before we start, create a new layer above all other layers and name it “Headphone Icon“. Using the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” create a circle with the measures: Width: 6 and Height: 6. Fill it using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and again use the same color as we’ve been using for the body of the Game Boy.

When our circle is filled we need to hollow it out as well so go ahead and create a circle with the measures: Width: 4 and Height: 4 and place it at the bottom (inside) the newly created and filled circle we have and delete the content of it.

Our headphone headband is done. Now create a circle measuring: Width 2 and Height: 2 and fill it on both ends of the headphone headband making it look like a pair of headphones.

There! Now copy the effects by right clicking on the upper triangle (either one) we’ve just created for the top connector label and choose “Copy Layer Style” and then right click our “Headphone Icon” layer and choose “Paste Layer Style“. Now align it to the left in the bottom connector carving.

Time to add the “PHONES” label and then add the effects to it. Pick the “Horizontal Type Tool” and again using the “Arial” font and size “8” and type “PHONES” which becomes a layer on top of all the others.

Our label is there. Now copy the effects from the “OFF-ON” layer by right clicking the layer and choose “Copy Layer Style” and the right click our newly created label layer “PHONES” and choose “Paste Layer Style“. Position and align the “PHONES” text in the middle and to the right of our newly created icon.

Finally all the carving labels are in place and we can move on to the more decorative and informative labeling. You should now have something looking like this:

Step 10

So we’ve come the final step of this tutorial where we are going to add the decorative and informative labeling. Quite simple and straight forward but there is a few different fonts we are gong to use so stay focused.

Let us start with the label on top of the screen. Select the “Horizontal Type Tool” and choose the “Arial” font and use the size “6” and type “DOT MATRIX WITH STEREO SOUND” on top of the screen. Align the text to the right end of the actual screen (not the screen encapsulation). Use the same color as we are using for the Game Boy body (#E2E2E2).

After doing that and still having the newly created text layer selected change its “Opacity” to “50%“. The text should now blend in much more graceful.

Alright using the same font, size and color use the “Horizontal Type Tool” again and type “BATTERY” under our “Battery Light“. When done also change the “Opacity” to “50%” on this text layer for the same blending.

Time to add those colored lines on top of the screen. Create a new layer and name it “Purple Line“. Pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and create a rectangle measuring: Width: 54 and Height: 1 and fill the rectangle using the “Paint Bucket Tool” and use the color Pink/Purple (#AF0061). Align the line to the same horizontal position as where the light starts and let it run and stop about 3 pixels from the “DOT MATRIX WITH STEREO SOUND” text.

Repeat the steps but use the color Blue (#290090) instead and create a new layer called “Blue Line” where the blue line will be created. Align the blue line just underneath the purple line about 4 pixels under it still aligning with the bottom of the “DOT MATRIX WITH STEREO SOUND” text.

We need to create lines on the right side of the text as well so go ahead and select the “Purple Line” layer again and using the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” create a rectangle measuring: Width: 28 and Height: 1 and align and position it 4 pixels to the right of the “DOT MATRIX WITH STEREO SOUND” text in the same vertical height as the previous purple line.

Do the exact same thing with the blue line and don’t forget to create it in the “Blue Line” layer.

Before we go on to the “Nintendo GAME BOY” logo you should now have something looking like this:

Alright, time to add the “Nintendo” logo. Select the “Horizontal Type Tool” and use the font “Gill Sans” as font, “Bold” and use the size “12” and set the anti-aliasing to “Crisp“. Type “Nintendo” and align it to the far let of the “Screen Encapsulation” layer.

Now we’re going to type the “GAME BOY” label. Use the same font but make the size “18“, “Italic” and set the anti-aliasing to “Smooth“. Type “GAME BOY” and align it to the right of the “Nintendo” text.

We also need to add the “TM” text to it so again using the “Horizontal Type Tool” and the same font but with the size “6“, “Regular” and set the anti-aliasing to “Crisp“. Type “TM” and align it to the right of the “GAME BOY” text.

With everything typed our correctly and with the right font and all you should now have something looking like this:

All we need to do now is to add the “Start“, “Select“, “B” and “A” texts and we’re done. YAY!

What we need to do first is to download a fitting font for the text. We are going to use Samuel Park’s “Grungerocker” font and you can download it right here.

With the font downloaded and installed we can now start adding some more text.

Pick the “Horizontal Type Tool” and select our newly installed font “Grungerocker“. Use the size “6” and set the anti-aliasing to “Smooth“. We also need to set the “Tracking” for the font. You can do this by clicking the “A” with a vertical line after it on the side of the color palette. In there set the “Tracking” to “300“. Use the same Blue color as for the “GAME BOY” logo (#290090).

Now when all our settings are correct go ahead and type “START“. We need to rotate the text so with the “START” text layer selected choose “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate” and rotate the text “-35” degrees. Now align and position the text directly under the right Gray button on the Game Boy.

Do the exact same thing but type “SELECT” instead. Align this text immediately underneath the left Gray button on the Game Boy.

Now we need to set both the “START” and the “SELECT” layer’s “Opacity” so go ahead and set it to “75%” to make the text even more crisp and clean.

Alright, let’s add the last two characters to the Game Boy now. Select the “Horizontal Type Tool” and change the size of it to “10” and then type “B“. Use the same Blue color still.

Again we need to rotate the “B” a little bit so go ahead and choose “Edit” -> “Transform” -> “Rotate” and rotate it “-35” degrees. Position the “B” directly under the left “Trigger” button.

Repeat the process but this time type “A” and use the font “Silom” and set the size to “11“. When rotated correctly position it directly underneath the right “Trigger” button.

Again we need to set the “B” and the “A” text layer’s “Opacity” so go ahead and set it to “60%“.

If all is done correctly you should now have something that is looking something like this:

So, we are all finished up…nah…not quite. We still need to add some reflection to the plastic window of the Game Boy.

Step 11

OK, last and final touches to the Game Boy. Select the “Screen Encapsulation” layer and pick the “Magic Wand Tool” and select the Gray are of the “Screen Encapsulation“. When you have done that pick the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” and while holding down “Shift” select the entire inner screen as well so we have the whole encapsulation entirely selected.

Now select the “Elliptical Marquee Tool” and while holding down the “Alt” key go ahead and start creating the circle from approximately 1/3 from the left edge of the selection and about 50 pixels underneath it and start dragging upwards to about 2/3 of the selection. Then drag it to the right until you have a selection looking like this (you might have to give it a couple of shots but it should be pretty straight forward):

Alright, we have our selection and we now need to make it look as a reflection as well. So, create a new layer above all other layers and name it “Game Boy Reflection“.

Select the “Gradient Tool” and set the color to White (#FFFFFF). Also make sure the Gradient is “Color to Transparent“. Start dragging from the corner edge and diagonally down to about 2/3 of the selection.

After you’ve got a satisfying result we need to change the “Opacity” of the “Game Boy Reflection” layer so go ahead and set it to “15%“.

We also should add a nice room reflection and for that we need to download this “Room Reflection” file.

Create a new layer underneath the “Game Boy Reflection” layer and call it “Room Reflection“. Load the “Room Reflection” file we just downloaded and copy it into the layer we just created. Position it so you get a lot of detail visible in the plastic screen.

Select the “Screen Encapsulation” layer and use the “Magic Wand Tool” to select the entire screen encapsulation area. Again use the “Rectangular Marquee Tool” to select the inner window as well.

With our selection intact go back and select the “Room Reflection” layer and copy the content of the selection. Paste it into a new layer and name it “Room Reflection“. Delete the old “Room Reflection” Layer.

We need to adjust the “Room Reflection” layer’s “Opacity” to make it less loud in the window and make it more realistic. Go ahead and change it’s “Opacity” to “2%“.

Wow, so we are finally done with our Game Boy at last. With everything done right you should now have a finished result looking like this (I’ve gone ahead and added shadowing to the whole Game Boy to make it look more realistic when it’s laying on a flat surface. Also created a version with black background.):

There! I added some things in order to showcase how real it can look if you just put a little more time into the setup of a picture. We are finally done!

Round Up

Several steps later and we finally finished up our Game Boy. Looks quite realistic doesn’t it? There is so much power in Photoshop with a few simple steps and if you then add your own imagination you can create just about anything if you put your head in to it.

As you see now you can change the color of pretty much anything to make it fit your own taste. Why not create a Golden Game Boy or why not a Glass one. The limit is in your own imagination.

I hope you will enjoy this tutorial as much as I have during the process of writing it. It’s such a great thing to be able to put down on “Paper” what you have in your head and this proofs that a computer together with a little bit of thinking really can create some amazing looking images without that much power. This would probably be way quicker than to create the Game Boy in a 3D software anyways.

On to the next tutorial for me now.

Thank you!

Enjoy the first hand success with testking 642-812. This all in one 70-647 training kit help you prepare accurately and also practice for 70-649.

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