Tennessee_Gator
Making a way cool Desktop.
The first thing you need to do is determine the size of your computer desktop and resolution. A standard size is 1024 X 768 but what I'm showing here is 1680 X1050 (An Apple 20' monitor).
First, in PS, go File > New and in the Requester that pops up, make sure you change the dimension type to pixels. Enter the width and heigh values of your system, make the resolution 96 and the color mode at RGB. Make sure the "Background Contents" is set to transparent. If you want to set a color profile click on the advanced button. You can also give it a name in the top line.... say "My_Desktop." CLICK OK.,
1. You should now have a new Document with a transparent Layer 1. Click on the shape tool. Make sure "shape layer" is chosen in the top options bar (the would be the second icon from the left, or first that group of three. Next in the same option bar click on the styles menu and then the triangle in the upper right of that requestor and add "glass buttons" to your styles, appending them.
2. Click the new layer button on your Layers Pallet. Pick and choose the rectangle and drag and draw a rectangle picking one of the glass button styles. Choose two other shapes (don't forge the custom shape pallet). So you'll have four layers, three shape layers and one empty at the bottom.
3. Make sure your foreground color is white. Using fairly large type, making sure the top layer is chosen first, add something clever like "My Desktop." After that go Layer > Type > Convert to Shape. what you have should look like the top photo.
4. Next. On Each shape Layer warp or skew each shape. Do this by going commands (ctrl on PC) + t. If you right click (control click for you single button mouse guys) you should be able to choose several ways to "free transform". In CS2 "warp" is included and it's fun. But you should able to at least "skew."
5. Next rasterize each shape layer. then run a motion blur on each. The easy way is run it on one, then choose the next layer and choose Filter and motion blur should be right at the top.
6. Choose the gradient tool (underneath the paint bucket), double click on the gradient bar in the upper left and make a gradient using the colors from the styles you chose. You do this first by clicking under the gradient bar adding more gradient stops (look like little pencils). You double click on each stop and when you move the mouse over your creation you'll have a eye dropper to choose a color. See insert.
7. Drag your gradient across the bottom layer and if you want too take that into into Filter > Liquify and have fun.
8. Click on the top layer, which is your type, which should be white, and put it into "multiply" blending mode. Your type should disappear, although you might still see the outline, if the paths are still chosen in the paths pallet. Don't worry about that.
9. Go Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and click on the checkboxes of Drop Shadow, Inner Glow and Bevel and Emboss and Contour under that. You can play with some settings on each one by choosing the name. You can get some neat effects. I didn't for this tutorial.
10 Lastly do Command (control on PC) + T, right click and choose Warp and Warp it. For those earlier than CS2, who probably don't have warp you can do something else. Since we made this a shape, each letter is a vector, so you can choose the Path Selection tool above the Pen Tool and warp each letter individually.
11. Merry Christmas and have fun.
Making a way cool Desktop.
The first thing you need to do is determine the size of your computer desktop and resolution. A standard size is 1024 X 768 but what I'm showing here is 1680 X1050 (An Apple 20' monitor).
First, in PS, go File > New and in the Requester that pops up, make sure you change the dimension type to pixels. Enter the width and heigh values of your system, make the resolution 96 and the color mode at RGB. Make sure the "Background Contents" is set to transparent. If you want to set a color profile click on the advanced button. You can also give it a name in the top line.... say "My_Desktop." CLICK OK.,
1. You should now have a new Document with a transparent Layer 1. Click on the shape tool. Make sure "shape layer" is chosen in the top options bar (the would be the second icon from the left, or first that group of three. Next in the same option bar click on the styles menu and then the triangle in the upper right of that requestor and add "glass buttons" to your styles, appending them.
2. Click the new layer button on your Layers Pallet. Pick and choose the rectangle and drag and draw a rectangle picking one of the glass button styles. Choose two other shapes (don't forge the custom shape pallet). So you'll have four layers, three shape layers and one empty at the bottom.
3. Make sure your foreground color is white. Using fairly large type, making sure the top layer is chosen first, add something clever like "My Desktop." After that go Layer > Type > Convert to Shape. what you have should look like the top photo.
4. Next. On Each shape Layer warp or skew each shape. Do this by going commands (ctrl on PC) + t. If you right click (control click for you single button mouse guys) you should be able to choose several ways to "free transform". In CS2 "warp" is included and it's fun. But you should able to at least "skew."
5. Next rasterize each shape layer. then run a motion blur on each. The easy way is run it on one, then choose the next layer and choose Filter and motion blur should be right at the top.
6. Choose the gradient tool (underneath the paint bucket), double click on the gradient bar in the upper left and make a gradient using the colors from the styles you chose. You do this first by clicking under the gradient bar adding more gradient stops (look like little pencils). You double click on each stop and when you move the mouse over your creation you'll have a eye dropper to choose a color. See insert.
7. Drag your gradient across the bottom layer and if you want too take that into into Filter > Liquify and have fun.
8. Click on the top layer, which is your type, which should be white, and put it into "multiply" blending mode. Your type should disappear, although you might still see the outline, if the paths are still chosen in the paths pallet. Don't worry about that.
9. Go Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and click on the checkboxes of Drop Shadow, Inner Glow and Bevel and Emboss and Contour under that. You can play with some settings on each one by choosing the name. You can get some neat effects. I didn't for this tutorial.
10 Lastly do Command (control on PC) + T, right click and choose Warp and Warp it. For those earlier than CS2, who probably don't have warp you can do something else. Since we made this a shape, each letter is a vector, so you can choose the Path Selection tool above the Pen Tool and warp each letter individually.
11. Merry Christmas and have fun.