01 · STEP
Set up your canvas & layers
Good paintings are built in layers — one part per layer, so you can fix anything later without disturbing the rest.
- New canvas. Click New and enter 1200x1200 — a square works well for a burger portrait.
- Paint the background. On the base layer, choose a warm cream colour, pick the Gradient tool, set it to Radial in Tool options, and drag from the centre outward for a soft spotlight.
Then add a touch of Filter → Noise so the flat background gets a subtle grain.
- Make a layer for each ingredient. In the Layers panel click + Add once per part, bottom to top: bottom bun, patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, top bun. Name them as you go.
Studio note Layers can't be renamed by double-clicking yet, and there's no on-canvas ring showing your brush size — keep an eye on the Size number in Settings. (Both are on the improvement list.)
02 · STEP
Block in the layers
We'll lay down flat colour shapes first, then sculpt them. The trick: use a selection to keep each shape clean, then fill it.
| Layer | Shape | Colour |
|---|
| Bottom bun | Wide ellipse | #DEB06B |
| Patty | Ellipse, widest | #5C3A21 |
| Cheese | Rounded square, tilted | #FFB733 |
| Tomato | Ellipse | #E0392B |
| Lettuce | Wavy band | #7CB342 |
| Top bun | Dome | #DEB06B |
- Bottom bun. Select its layer. Pick the Elliptical select tool and drag a wide, short oval near the bottom. Set the bun colour, then Flood fill (G) inside the selection.
A selection keeps the fill perfectly clean — paint and effects only land inside it.
- Patty. On its layer, make a slightly wider ellipse just above the bun and fill it dark brown.
- Cheese. Use the Shape tool (set Rounded isn't available, so use Rectangle) to draw a square, or an ellipse selection + fill. Nudge it with the Transform tool and rotate slightly so a corner peeks out — the classic melty overhang.
- Tomato, lettuce, top bun. Repeat the select-and-fill idea per layer. For lettuce, make the shape the widest so it ruffles past the edges; for the top bun, drag a tall dome ellipse.
- Deselect with Cmd/Ctrl+D when each shape is done.
Symmetry shortcut Turn Symmetry → Vertical on while painting the bun and seeds — both halves mirror automatically, so the burger stays balanced.
03 · STEP
Give it form — dodge & burn
Flat shapes become 3D with light and shadow. Dodge lightens, Burn darkens — brush gently and build it up.
- Light the buns. Select the top-bun layer, pick Dodge (O), a big soft brush at low Opacity, and stroke the upper-left of the dome to add a highlight. Do the same on the bottom bun.
- Shadow the undersides. Switch to Burn (N) and darken where each layer meets the one below — under the patty, beneath the lettuce — to push them apart.
- Round the patty. Dodge a soft sheen across the top of the patty, burn the lower edge. Suddenly it reads as a thick disc, not a flat oval.
- Blend any hard edges. Grab the Smudge (S) tool and gently drag along seams to soften them where colours meet.
Stay non-destructive Because each part is on its own layer, Dodge/Burn on the patty never touches the bun. If you overdo it, just Cmd/Ctrl+Z.
04 · STEP
Texture & tasty details
Now the details that sell it — and a great excuse to use brushes, custom brushes and clone.
- Build a sesame brush. Click + New custom brush…. Choose tip Round, raise Scatter and Size jitter, set a small Spacing, and save it as "Sesame". Pick the sesame colour and dab seeds across the top bun.
Prefer to copy? Paint one seed, then use the Clone stamp (C): Alt-click the seed to set the source and stamp more.
- Char the patty. Pick the Bristle or Dry brush from the Painting set, a dark brown, low opacity, and scrub a few grill streaks. Add a couple of darker burnt spots with Burn.
- Melt the cheese. With the Smudge tool, pull a couple of drips down from the cheese edge. Then Dodge a glossy highlight on top.
- Ruffle the lettuce. Use a small brush in two greens (light and dark) to flick frilly edges; a little Hue jitter on a custom brush makes it look natural.
- Juicy tomato & seeds. Dodge a wet highlight across the tomato; dab tiny lighter seeds with your sesame brush recoloured.
Studio note The custom-brush builder is powerful (tip, spacing, scatter, jitter, bristles), but there's no live brush cursor on the canvas — test your brush in a corner first, then paint for real.
05 · STEP
Mood — adjustments & filters
Tie everything together with colour grading and a little atmosphere. Adjustment layers are non-destructive — re-editable any time.
- Warm it up. In Adjustment layers add Colour balance and push slightly toward red/yellow for an appetising, warm look. Double-click it later in the layers list to fine-tune.
- Add punch. Add a Curves or Levels adjustment layer and gently lift contrast so the burger pops.
- Depth. Select the background layer and apply Filter → Blur so the focus stays on the burger.
- Vignette. On a new top layer, use a big soft Burn around the corners (or paint dark at low opacity) to draw the eye inward.
- Grain. A whisper of Filter → Noise on a merged copy gives a photographic finish.
Mask it Want an adjustment to affect only the patty? Add a mask to the adjustment layer and paint black where you want to hide its effect.
06 · STEP
Add a label
Finish like a menu graphic with a title.
- New layer first. Add a fresh layer so the text stays separate.
- Type it. Pick the Text tool, set your colour and a large brush Size (it sets the type size), click the canvas and type "CLASSIC BURGER".
- Place it. Use the Transform tool to scale and position the text. Enter to apply.
Studio note Text is currently painted onto the layer (no font menu, and you can't re-edit the words afterwards) — so add it on its own layer and get the wording right before clicking. A proper editable text layer is the #1 item on the improvement list.
07 · STEP
Export & save
- Save the editable file. Click Save to keep a layered .scp you can reopen and keep editing.
- Export a picture. Click Export… → PNG (transparent) or JPEG (flat). Bump Scale to 2× for a crisp, larger image.
- Use it anywhere. Drop the PNG into a menu, a social post, or wrap it onto a product in the 3D Studio.
Tools you used
- Layers & layer order
- Gradient (radial)
- Elliptical & selection
- Flood fill
- Shape & Transform
- Dodge & Burn
- Smudge
- Brushes & custom brush
- Clone stamp
- Symmetry
- Adjustment layers
- Filters (blur, noise)
- Masks
- Text
- Export & Save