Button

There are many ways to make a button. I will show you an easy way which can be done in any version of Photoshop. All you need is a bit of time. Though not much. Even newbies in Photoshop should be able to follow this tutorial.

Step 1 : Press CTRL+N. This will open the New Layer dialogue box. Whatever the version of PS you are using set the Resolution to 71 pixel/inch and Background Contents to White if it is not already set to it. Click ok.

Step 2 : The New white Layer. You will also find it in the Layers pallette at the left. There is only a single Layer called Background.

Step 3 : The Foreground Color should be set to the default Black and Background to White. If it is not press 'x' and then 'd' on the keyboard.

Step 4 : Press ALT+Backspace. This will fill the layer with the Foreground Color, which in this case is Black.

Step 5 : Click the Add New Layer button and a New layer forms above the Background Layer.
Step 6 : Click the elliptical Marquee Tool from the flyout. You can see where it is found on the left panel just below the Move Tool.

Step 7 : Keeping Shift pressed drag out a circle with the Elliptical marquee Tool. Keeping Shift pressed ensures that you get a perfect circle. Do not worry if the circle is not exactly in the middle of the canvas. That will be fixed.

Step 8 : Press ALT+Backspace. This will fill the circle with Black. You cannot make it out because the Background is also Black. In the Layers pallette you will find that the circle has been filled with Black.

Step 9 : Click on the Move Tool.

Step 10 : Press CTRL+A. You will immediately find that a column of 'marching ants' surround the entire canvas.

Step 11 : : Look at the top panel. You will find these six icons. Click the second and the fifth. This makes the circle of black move exactly to the centre of the canvas.

Though you cannot make it out on the canvas you can see that in Layer 1 the circle is in the middle. Now to make the Black circle visible.

Step 12 : Click the Add Layer Style button. In PS7 it looks a bit different, but is found in the same place.

Step 13 : As soon as you click, you will find this popup menu. Click on Blending options.

Step 14 : The Blending Options dialogue box opens. This enables you to add different options at one go. At the left are the options available.

Step 15 : Click on Outer Glow. Click exactly in the centre as the arrow shows. The interface of Blending Options changes to Outer Glow.

Step 16 : Drag the Spread and Size Sliders suitably until you are satisfied with the result. You can see the effect at left. Do not click ok.

Step 17 : Click on Inner Glow. Again exactly in the middle as shown. This will reveal the controls of Inner Glow.

Step 18 : Drag the Size slider suitably.
You can see the effect as you drag. Do not click ok.

Step 19 : Now click on Bevel and emboss again exactly in the middle. Also tick 'Contour' which is just below it.
Step 20 : Now in the controls in the middle of the dialogue box, change the Technique to Chisel Hard.

Step 21 : Change the Gloss Counter at the bottom to the one shown from the popup. It is called Ring Double. If you hover your cursor over the different Gloss Counters you will be able to see their names. Also check Anti-Alias.

Step 22 : Now first drag the Size then Depth sliders. You will be able to see the effect as you drag.

Step 23 : This is the effect I have got. Click ok in the Blending Options.

Step 24 : Now click on the Type Tool on the left panel and click on the Horizontal Type Tool from the flyout.

Step 25 : On the top panel click to reveal the Fonts available. Just next to it set the Font size. Just eneter a value in the box to set the Font size. Select Font by clicking on it. In Ps7, though you can see the different fonts, you cannot see what they look like. In CS the advantage you can see how the fonts look like at the right.

Set font size by entering a value. From the dropdown you can set it up to 72 points. But that is not necessary.

Step 26 : Draw out the Text Box. The cursor changes. You can see what the cursor looks like. I have drawn out the text box so that it fits inside the button.

Step 27 : Now click the small bent arrow to change the Foreground Color to White and Background Color to Black.

Step 28 : Type out the Text.

Step 29 : Click the tick mark on the left of the top panel to apply the transformaton.

Step 30 : This is how the text looks after you click the tick mark.

Step 31 : Press CTRL+T. An outline forms around the Text.

Step 32 : Press Shift+Alt and drag one of the corner handles. I have dragged the bottom right corner handle. The Text increases in size proportionately.

Step 33 : Drag the text to the middle of the button. Resize it if necessary by pulling one of the corner handles.

Step 34 : Click the tick on the top panel to apply the transformation

This is how the button looks.
This is how the Layer pallete looks. The Text is on its own layer at the top. A text

layer is always in its own layer.

Step 35 : Click the Add Layer Styles button and click on Bevel and Emboss.
Step 36 : Check the Contour. The Bevel and Emboss will already be checked in the Bevel and Emboss dialogue box.

Step 37 : Drag the Size and Depth sliders suitably in that order.

The finished button.

Step 38 : Click on the Background. Then click the Add New Layer button. A new blank layer forms above the Background -- Layer 3.
Step 39 : The Foreground is still set at White and Background at Black from the last setting.

Step 40 : Click the Gradient Tool.

Step 41 :With the Gradient Tool drag from top left to bottom right.

This is how the image looks.

Step 42 : Go to Filter>Noise>add Noise.

Step 43 : The Add Noise dialogue box opens. check Monochromatic. Click Gaussian. Now set the amount suitably. I have set 20%. It will depend on your image. Click ok.

Step 44 : Go to Filter>Render>Lighting Effects.

Step 45 : The Lighting Effects dialogue box opens. I am not changing any of the settings, but just clicking ok.

The finished image.