Navigation Tab Tutorial

Step 1:
Change your foreground color to black

Step 2:
Add a new layer.

Step 3:
Select the rounded rectangle tool.

Step 4:
In the Options Bar click on the fill pixels icon.

Step 5:
In the Options Bar increase the radius to 20

Step 6:
Draw your rounded corner bar.

Step 7:
Select the Rectangular Marquee tool,

Step 8:
Draw a rectangular selection around the bottom 1/4 of your rounded rectangle.

Step 9:
Press the delete key.

Step 10:
Deselect.

Step 11:
Switch to the gradient tool.

Step 12:
Click on the arrow to bring up the gradient thumbnail.

Step 13:
Double click on the left color stop under the Editor Bar.

Step 14:
Choose 40% black.
Click Ok.

Step 15:
Double click on the right color stop but this time choose white. Click Ok

Step 16:
In the layers palette, turn on ''Lock Transparent Pixels'' (it's the first icon from the left.)

Step 17:
Using the gradient you created, draw a gradient from the top of your shape to the bottom.

Step 18:
From your layer styles choose Bevel and Emboss.

Step 19:
For style choose Inner Bevel, set the Angle to 126, Depth to 2 and size to 4.
Raise the highlight Opacity to 100% and lower the shadow opacity to 50%.

Step 20:
In the list of styles on the name Outer Glow.

Step 21:
Set the Blend Mode to normal, then click on the color swatch, choose 30% black as your arrow color.
Increase the spread to 23%. Click OK.

Step 22:
Hold the Apple key and in the layers palette, click the layer that contains the tab.

Step 23:
Select-Modify-Contract.
Enter 5.
OK.

Step 24:
Select the Marquee Tool.
Hold the Option key then draw a rectangle starting from the bottom of your current selection to just a little below the to.

Step 25:
Add a new layer.

Step 26:
Press x.
Then Option+Delete.

Step 27:
Deselect.

Step 28:
Filter Menu, Blur, choose Gaussian Blur.
Enter 1.5 pixels.
Click OK.

Step 29:
Lower the opacity to 70%.

Gel Button Tutorial

Step 1:
Add a new layer

Step 2:
Set your foreground color to light blue.

Step 3:
Select the rounded rectangle tool in your options bar set the radius to 40 pixels.

Step 4:
In the options bar.
Click on the third icon from the left
(fill pixels)

Step 5:
Draw your shape on your stage.

Step 6:
Apple+click on your shape layer.

Step 7:
Add a new layer.

Step 8:
Go under the select menu, under modify, and choose contract.
Enter 20 pixels. Click Ok.

Step 9:
Press the letter ''d'' then the letter ''x'' to set your foreground to white.

Step 10:
Press Option+Delete.

Step 11:
Press Apple+D.

Step 12:
Go under the Filter menu, under Blur, choose Gausian Blur.
When dialog box appears enter 10.
Click OK.

Step 13:
Select the Move tool.

Step 14:
Using the Arrows on the keyboard, move your blurry wite layer down to the bottom of the pill shape.

Step 15:
Hold down the apple key and click on the pill
layer on your layers palette.

Step 16:
Press Shift+Apple+I to inverse your selection.

Step 17:
Press the delete key.

Step 18:
Press Shift+Apple+I.

Step 19:
Create a new layer.

Step 20: Set your foreground color to a darker blue than your original blue.

Step 21:
Fill your selection your selection by pressing Option+Delete.

Step 22:
Deselect by pressing Apple+D

Step 23:
Hold down the apple key and click once on the blurry layer in your layers palette.
( Be sure not to change layers. You should still be on the dark blue pill layer.)

Step 24:
Press Delete to knock a soft hole out of the blue pill shape.

Step 25:
Select the rectangular marquee tool.

Step 26:
Place your mouse inside the selected area and drag the selection upward a little bit.
Tap the delete key.

Step 27:
Repeat step 26 one or two more times until you're almost to the top of the pill (make sure to stop just short of the top)

Step 28:
Deselect by pressing Apple+D.

Step 29:
Apple+Click on your pill layer to put a selection around it.

Step 30:
Create a new layer.

Step 31:
Go under the select menu, under Modify choose contract.
Enter 20 pixels. Click OK.

Step 32:
Press the letter ''d'' then ''x'' to set your foreground to white.

Step 33:
Select the gradient tool.
In the options bar, Click on the down facing arrow next to the gradient thumbnail.
Choose the second gradient (foreground to transparent)

Step 34:
Drag this gradient from the top of your selection to the bottom.

Step 35:
Deselect.

Step 36:
Select the Move tool.
Using the arrows on the keyboard, move your white gradient layer upward to where it's almost at the top,
but leave a gap of dark blue between your white gradient and the top of the pill. (This creates the highlight area of the pill)

Step 37:
Press Apple+T

Step 38:
Go under the Edit menu, under Transform choose Perspective.

Step 39:;
Grab the left bottom corner, and click and drag outward just a bit to add a perspective effect.

Step 40:
Press Enter to let Photoshop know you're done.

Step 41:
Hide your background layer.
Merge Visible.

Step 42:
Choose drop shadow.
In the dialog box, click the color swatch.

Step 43:
Click on a blue section of your pill shape to colorize the shadow.

Step 44:
Lower the Opacity to 50%, set the angle to 90 degrees, distance to 45, size to 32, turn off use Global Light.
Click OK to complete the effect.

Metal Button Tutorial

Step 1:
Create a new layer. Draw a circular selection using the elliptical Marque Tool.

Step 2:
Press ''d'' then ''x''. Select the gradient tool.

Step 3:
In the Options Bar, click on the down facing arrow next to the Gradient thumbnail.
Choose the Foreground to Background gradient.

Step 4:
Close the Picker, and in the Options Bar, click on the Radial Gradient icon( It's the second icon from the left.)

Stp 5:
Drag the white to Black gradient from the left center of your selection to about 1/4 past the edge.

Sep 6:
Press ''d''. Create a new layer.

Step 7:
In the Gradient Picker, choose the foreground to Transparent gradient ( It's the second one from the left, top row.)

Sep 8:
In the Options Bar, choose the linear Gradient (it's the first one).
Drag the gradient from the top of your selection to the middle to fill the top with black.

Step 9:
In the layers palette, lower the Opacity to 75%.

Step 10:
Create a new layer.

Step 11:
Go under the select menu, under modify and choose Contact.
Enter 6 pixels. Click OK

Step 12:
Press ''x'' Drag from the top of your selection through about 1/3 of your selected area.
Press Apple+D

Step 13:
Go under the Filter menu, under Blur, choose Gausian Blur.
Enter 3 pixels. Click OK.

Step 14:
Duplicate your top layer by dragging it to your nw layer icon.

Step 15:
Press Apple+T.
Ctrl+Click inside the bounding box, then choose rotate 180 degrees from the pop-up menu.
Press Enter to let Photoshop know you're done.

Step 16:
Select the Move Tool.
Drag the layer straight down almost to the edge.

Step 17:
Lower the Opacity of this layer to 60%.

Step 18:
Go back to layer 3 (the layer below your current layer). Press Apple+T.

Step 19:
Hold the Shift key, grab the bottom right handle, shrink the white gradient by around 15%.
Press enter.

Step20:
Hide the background layer and choose merge visible from the layers palette's pop-p menu.

Step 21:
Choose Drop Shadow from the Layer Style pop-up menu at the bottom of the layer palette. Click OK.

Step 22:
Press Apple+U ( Hue+ Saturation). Click the colorize button and move the Hue Slider to choose a color for your button.