Web Design and Animation

Glassy Navigating Button

set the Foreground and Background Colour Swatches to a lighter and

a darkershade of blue - or select colours you prefer, perhaps green or purple.

from the Toolbar, activate the Rounded Rectangle Tool.

And set the following attributes into its Options Bar.

Then left-click and then drag a navigation button shape onto your canvas. I am

making my button purposely large.

Simplify (Rasterise) Shape Note

Now, (to Rasterise the Shape Layer): from the Options Bar, click the
following Simplify
tab.

Circular Navigation Button

To create a circular Navigation Button, activate the Elliptical Marquee Tool.

Now, press and keep pressed the Ctrl/Cmd Key. Then simultaneously left-click
over theLayer Thumbnail. This isolates the shape with a Selection
Marquee. (Alternatively, you can utilise the Magic Wand Tool to isolate the shape
with a Selection Marquee).

from the Toolbar, activate the Gradient Tool.

And from the Options Bar, double-left-click to set the following Foreground to
Background Gradient.

Now, press the Shift Key - and keeping it pressed: stretch a Gradient Line from the
top of the blue shape to around three quarters of the way down - as illustrated
below.

Then release the mouse button. Congratulations, you have filled your shape with
graduated colour

Remove The Selection Marquee

Press Ctrl then D to remove the Selection Marquee, (Select then select None).

From the top menu, choose Layer then choose New then choose Layer. Name
the New Layer Highlight and then click OK.

Now, from the Toolbar, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

And set the following New selection and Feather 2 attributes into its Options Bar
Tip
You will find this easier if you Zoom into your image

Now, (Still working with the Highlight Layer), press and hold down
your Keyboards Shift Key, then click-and-stretch a Lasso Line over the top of
button, as demonstrated
below. (Pressing the Shift Key keeps the line straight).

Note
For personal highlights, draw a larger, wider, thinner - or a different shaped
highlight for your navigation button.
Tip - Retracing Your Steps
Whilst stretching the Lasso Line - and before the Selection Marquee has been
applied: to go back one step, press either the Delete Key or the Backspace
Key. Press your chosen key for however many steps you want to go back.
Cancel The Selection Marquee Tip
To cancel the Selection Marquee whilst applying it: press your Keyboards ESC
Key.
Now, apply the Lasso Line in a complete circuit, and then pass your cursor over
the exactarea where you began, and then double-left-click. The Lasso Line
will immediately change to a Selection Marquee - as illustrated below.

Reposition The Selection Marquee

If necessary, left-click inside the Selection Marquee and drag it to another
position.
Additional Highlights
To apply additional highlights to your button; change the Polygonal Lasso Tools
Modefrom New selection to Add to selection, and then draw additional highlights
as necessary.

Then press Ctrl/Cmd and then tap the Backspace Key. This fills the Selection
Marquee with the Background Swatch, which has been set
the White. (Repeatedly tappingCtrl/Cmd and the Backspace Key deepens the
white fill).
Whiter/Fainter Highlight Tips
For a whiter highlight, right-click the Highlight Layer, and then choose Duplicate
Layerfrom the subsequent drop-down list. To fade the Highlight, reduce
the Highlight Layers Opacity

Gaussian Blur Note

If you need to fade the highlight: - from the top menu, choose Filter then
choose Blur then choose Gaussian Blur. From the subsequent Gaussian Blur
dialogue box, experiment with the Radius setting, and then click OK.

Now, from the Toolbar, activate the Burn Tool.

And enter the following Highlights and Exposure settings into the Options Bar.
Note
For personal result, experiment with different Exposure settings.

Tip
Take your time and build up the darkening effect very slowly.
Undo Note
If you over darken an area then return your image to a pervious state by clicking
the top menus Undo Arrow, and reapply the Burn Tool.

Dodge Tool Tip

You can take this further by creating lighter areas using the Dodge Tool

Transparent Navigation Buttons

To create a transparent button, first create a Fill Layer and fill it with your choice
of Solid Colour, Pattern or Gradient. Then drag the Fill Layer below the Navigation
Buttons Layer: then lower the Button Layers Opacity - as demonstrated below.