Aqua Button Paint Shop Pro (PSP) 7 Tutorial

Aqua Buttons Paint Shop Pro (PSP) tutorial

Here is my Paint Shop Pro (PSP) tutorial on how to make aqua buttons, but in a pill shape. You can use this for making a site similar to Apple . This tutorial was written for Paint Shop Pro (PSP), but can probably be used for other versions as well.

		Create a new image , 400x100 with a white background. Now create a new raster layer , and name it "button". Now, using the selections tool set to rounded rectangle, make your selection. Save the selection to alpha channel by going to Selections \| Save to Alpha Channel, and press ok twice. Now click on the fill tool , and set the foreground color to a dark color, and the background color to a lighter hue of the same color. I used #2F60D0, and #5DBBEE. Now set it to a linear gradient , so it looks something like this .

		Now create a new raster layer , and name it "highlight". With the selection still active, click on the selection tool , set to rectangle, and hold down Ctrl. Now deselect the bottom half of the pill, and contract the selection by going to Selections \| Modify \| Contract, and enter 3. Your selection should look like mine.

		Click on the flood fill tool. Now change the background color to white, and set the foreground to a gradient. Set the gradient to fading foreground, so it looks like this . Now fill the selecting with the gradient, so the pill looks like this.

		Next, load the selection by going to Selections \| Load From Alpha Channel. Now create a new raster layer , and name it "drop shadow". Now go to Effects \| 3D Effects \| Drop shadow , and enter these settings . This should create a light backlight, so it looks like it is transparent. This step is optional.

		Done! You can make the image transparent by merging all of the layers, and adjusting the opacity. You can change the color, by going to Colors \| Colorize. If you have any questions, please contact me.
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18 comments so far (post your own)

THANK YOU

Posted by me on Tuesday, 04.20.04 @ 07:32pm | #4

I think you should add a 2 feather on the selection because then it looks better on cheap video cards (like my brothers).

Posted by damon on Thursday, 09.23.04 @ 04:23am | #176

Good tutorial, but I couldn't get the gradient quite right for step 1. It didn't seem to mesh as smooth as yours.

Posted by Randi on Wednesday, 10.6.04 @ 06:23pm | #188

Great lighting effect, i have used the same effect on my glass text effect and it finished of the look brilliantly. Thanks

Posted by Jack Hammer on Monday, 12.6.04 @ 08:06am | #234

Fantastic tutorial!!!

On the highlight layer, I added a gaussian blur of 2, and dropped the opacity to around 90... came out wonderful!

I followed your tut using PSP 8.

Posted by Artemis (faerymousegraphics.com)on Thursday, 12.30.04 @ 09:06pm | #256

Hoi,

Good but if i do it like this i get a line :(

Roelof

Posted by Roelof Wobben (http://msk.knoal.nl)on Saturday, 03.5.05 @ 04:04pm | #380

Incredible. I'm a french professional webdesigner, and I think your tutorials are of highest quality. Thanks you very much.

Posted by Joseph on Thursday, 03.10.05 @ 05:35pm | #387

Instead of starting with the selection tool, I actually just drew a line with rounded ends. Then you can use the magic wand to delete all of the color inside and continue with the gradient step above.

Posted by Adam on Wednesday, 04.13.05 @ 03:32am | #448

WOW!! I love this site I just got a copy of PSP and searched for tutorials in Google and I got this. This site rox!

Alex Mills
Wanna-Be Webdesinger

Posted by Alex Mills (NA)on Monday, 11.7.05 @ 09:25pm | #710

Can you put all of the exact details on the gradients? I just can't get 'em..

Posted by PatjeDoN on Wednesday, 02.8.06 @ 10:51am | #824

Cn you pleace make a picture for me with paint shop? If you can so THANK YOU!
If you can: Send it on my email! Write Kaja's wourld under the picture!:O
Thanks!:)
Kaja

Posted by Kaja (http://p4.piczo.com/img/i128737677_26604_4.jpg)on Monday, 08.14.06 @ 08:20am | #2569

Thanks. Very good, basic tutorial. I've seen more advanced tutorials working with vectors and whatnot, but this is an excellent start. Cool.

Posted by AdamB5000 on Thursday, 09.14.06 @ 09:07am | #2593

no comments

Posted by eunika (-)on Saturday, 09.16.06 @ 01:36am | #2594

no comments

Posted by eunika (-)on Saturday, 09.16.06 @ 01:36am | #2595

Neat-oh! /;]

Posted by Silent Eyez on Wednesday, 10.25.06 @ 12:53am | #2636

I've always wondered how that was done. Did one first time out. Great tutorial - now away to tweak it a little from these comments. Thanks!

Posted by Kodiak on Wednesday, 02.21.07 @ 02:38pm | #2771

nice!!!

Posted by Daniel (http://www.dvarcade.com/)on Wednesday, 04.18.07 @ 02:03pm | #2845

where?

Posted by tin on Tuesday, 06.19.07 @ 09:43pm | #2926

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		Create a new image , 400x100 with a white background. Now create a new raster layer , and name it "button". Now, using the selections tool set to rounded rectangle, make your selection. Save the selection to alpha channel by going to Selections \| Save to Alpha Channel, and press ok twice. Now click on the fill tool , and set the foreground color to a dark color, and the background color to a lighter hue of the same color. I used #2F60D0, and #5DBBEE. Now set it to a linear gradient , so it looks something like this .

		Now create a new raster layer , and name it "highlight". With the selection still active, click on the selection tool , set to rectangle, and hold down Ctrl. Now deselect the bottom half of the pill, and contract the selection by going to Selections \| Modify \| Contract, and enter 3. Your selection should look like mine.

		Click on the flood fill tool. Now change the background color to white, and set the foreground to a gradient. Set the gradient to fading foreground, so it looks like this . Now fill the selecting with the gradient, so the pill looks like this.

		Next, load the selection by going to Selections \| Load From Alpha Channel. Now create a new raster layer , and name it "drop shadow". Now go to Effects \| 3D Effects \| Drop shadow , and enter these settings . This should create a light backlight, so it looks like it is transparent. This step is optional.

		Done! You can make the image transparent by merging all of the layers, and adjusting the opacity. You can change the color, by going to Colors \| Colorize. If you have any questions, please contact me.
Click here for more tutorials like this aqua button tutorial at ZimmerTech

Aqua Button Paint Shop Pro (PSP) 7 Tutorial

Click here for more tutorials like this aqua button tutorial at ZimmerTech

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