help~~~~the pretty button!

Hi! New to this site.

This site is so nice,but how to create these buttons::confused:

Pre-thanks for any help.....

hey and welcome I'm not sure exactly what pank did to make those but I'm pretty sure it has alot do with layers, and gradients ;), so just try make the basic layer give a nice stroke of some kind, then make a new layer and gradient it up x), then put the text over top of it agin a 1px black stroke.. or something like that hope that helps.

great, now u've given away pank's secrets.

Its a really easy effect.

All you need to do is to select a rectangle w/rounded corners. Then you fill it with a dark blue. Then you deselect the few top pixels (so that they give a top edge effect to them). Then you do two reverse gradiants in new layers. Use a forground color to transparent gradient. After you play with those two gradients and their layers opacity you just need to add a drop shadow to the bottom solid color layer and you are done for the lower button. You can merge all those layers together if you wish.

Then you make the top button. You do it the exact same way as you did the bottom square. You select the rounded rectangle, and you select your base color. Then you de-select a larger portion of pixels at the top of the rectange, and you make two new layers and do two graidents on them from white to transparent going towards each other. One gradient in each layer. UNLIKE the first button you do not add a drop shadow and you DO NOT merge the layers.

By not merging the layers you can simply go back to the base color of the square that you chose, and you can simply change its color with the paint bucket and then you have a totally new buton!

From there all you have to do is add text. The text color is the same color as your square button. A 1px stroke is on the outside of the text over the button. I do not know what font was used.

As for the letter over the square, this is where I have to disagree with what they did for the buttons, and I only disagree on a design basis. I would have made the letter white, added the 1px black stroke around it, but then I would have set the layer style to multiply so that white is invisible. Then I would have used the magic wand tool to select the shape of the letter. Then I would select the square layer and I would have hit Delete. This would have cut out though the square button, and would reveal the gradient and texture of the lower rectangle button. It is a small distinction, but I think it would have made the buttons look really classy over just a solid color.

Well, I am pretty sure that is all there is to it. Have fun.

Actually I very seldom use gradients ;)
I find I actually have more control doing it the harder way...

I just make my rounded shape (using the rounded rectangle tool). Then I pick my main color and fill/ then I make a selection of that layer/ add a new layer above that one/ fill with my lighter color/ then use a gaussian blur and layer modes until I am satisfied with the result

Gradients server their purpose but I like doing it the above way because I think I get more control of the actual highlights.

good to know.

Thanks all

Hey Pank,

Thanks for the info. I just tried it that way, and it works out great, I'm going to do my buttons this way from now on.

Yeah.