Bevel & Emboss
A genuinely lit 3D surface built from the silhouette.
Where Emboss shades detected edges, Bevel & Emboss builds an actual height field from the silhouette, computes surface normals from it, and lights those. That is why it holds up at large sizes where an edge-detection emboss falls apart.
Five styles change where the surface sits relative to the silhouette: inner and outer bevel, emboss, pillow emboss, and inflate.
When to reach for it#
- Chunky dimensional type and logos.
- Glossy plastic, rubber and candy-button looks.
- Anything that needs to read as a physical object rather than a graphic.
How it works#
The silhouette is converted to a signed distance field — every pixel knows how far it is from the edge. That distance becomes height, height becomes a normal, and the normal is lit. Because the whole thing is computed on the GPU from the shape itself, the surface stays smooth however far you push the depth.
Parameters#
Inner bevel keeps the surface inside the silhouette. Outer bevel grows past it. Emboss splits the difference. Pillow inverts the edge so it reads as pressed in. Inflate rounds the whole shape like a balloon.
How tall the surface stands. This is the main character control.
How far in from the edge the bevel runs before flattening out. Large sizes on small artwork bevel the entire shape and leave no flat top.
Rounds the transition between the bevel and the flat area. A little removes the hard crease that gives away the technique.
Where the light sits. Altitude near 90° is overhead and flattens the effect; low altitudes exaggerate it.
How tight the specular highlight is. High gloss reads as plastic or glass, low as rubber or clay.
The two lighting colours. Tinting the highlight warm and the shadow cool is what makes it read as a real material rather than grey shading.
Things that catch people out#
A large Size with a large Depth on a small shape leaves no flat surface at all, and the result reads as a blob. Raise one at a time.
See also#
Something here wrong or missing? Tell us in the community.