Pill Buttons
English deby Scansped
There are no hard and fast rules for making a "Pill Shape", there are several methods of doing so in tutorials throughout the web. My advice is try them all until you find one that you like and are happy with. However, this method is both simple and accurate.
Open file 300 x 150 at 72 pixels/inch,
mode - RGB fill with BG color of your choice. Make a new layer Layer > New Layer, go to marquee options, set to fixed size, 75 x 75.
Ensure eliptical marquee is selected, click anywhere on canvas and move circle just in from left edge and middle of canvas. Fill with a medium value color, at this point, the color is irrelevant as you're going to change the color set up a little later.
Always remember, when setting fixed size values to your marquee options, don't forget to go back and reset to normal.
OK, go to View > Show Rulers, before you click on it, make sure 'snap to guides' is checked. Move your cursor to the top ruler, and it will change to an arrow (as shown), hold down your left mouse button and drag. Your cursor will change with a line going across your canvas, drag this to the bottom of the circle and release. When done, you can hide rulers View > Hide rulers, as they are no longer needed.
Double the size of your canvas, go to View > Zoom in, this will help accuracy of the next step. Select the Rectangular marquee, set Marquee Options to fixed, 75 x 75. Click on canvas and move square into position, so that the top corners of the square just touch the circle. Now for the tricky bit, hold down your Ctrl and Alt keys TOGETHER, (don't release them until final shape is complete) hold down the right arrow on your keypad, release arrow key after a second or two, and the shape should start unfolding. If it isn't long enough, depress the arrow key until the desired length is achieved. Deselect and resize to original View > Zoom out. Finally go to View > Hide Guides.
This is what you will see if you release the arrow key after a second or two. Notice how the square shape has 'snapped' to the shape of the object being resized. This method will allow re-working on a rectangular or an eliptical shape. Using Edit > Free Transform is another cool way of changing the dimension of an object.
As I said earlier, we're going to change the color set up. Set your foreground to a light color (I used RGB# 67,250,2), now set your background color to a much darker one (I used RGB#7,120,2). Load your button Ctrl click, set your gradient tool to Linear Gradient and run a gradient from top center to bottom center of your button.
There you have it.
So, having made our button, what else we can do with it. Let's try some options.
Ok, let's change the appearance. Load the Button Ctrl Click, go to Select > Modify > Contract, > 6, next Select > Feather > 2, finally Edit > Transform > Rotate 180. Cool depressible button. Don't deselect yet, we can do more with this.
Let's rearrange this baby again with a couple of minor changes. Select > Modify > Contract > 4, now Select > Feather > 1, and finally Edit > Transform > Rotate 180, now you can deselect.
Three buttons for the price of one.
You could still do much more with this. Maybe split it in half, just like those split buttons you see on washing machines and suchlike. Make it an inset, or try the many ways of adding text to it, all way cool stuff. Have Fun......enjoy.
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