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 gaussian blur. When dialogue bow appears, enter 10. Click OK.

Step 13: Select the move tool.

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

Step 15: Hold down the apple key and click on the pill layer in 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 the new layer.

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

Step 21: Full 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 in 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 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 whit 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 highlighted 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 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 dialogue box click the color swatch.

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

Step 44: Lower the opacity to 50% set the angle to 90º, distance to 45, size to 32, turn off Use Global light. Click OK to complete the effect.