[=== by nerio ===]
First things firsts: here is not the absolute way to make an Aqua pill, it’s the minimum basic about that stuff, overall the improvment of this technique is about you to find it!! grab some good music!...done!!...Well move on
[=== by nerio ===]
We’ll be to do some good work with the famous Aqua Buttons seen everywhere in the net, the picture below will be our result! (we’lltry) OK!
So, Start by making a new document, let say somthing around 400px/400px, just to have a good general view in the final result.white background.
Make a new layer and add init a background that you like, its a little boring to work with a complete blank layer…so add somthing that fits the thing, i simply added a gradient that follows the taste.
After dragging the guides, in the channels tab, drag two circular selections where the guides intersect while holding Shift Button tomake a perfect circles, then add a rectangular one that connects the two circles, in the end you will have a shape that looks like the one below.
So, fill it with a white color, all the shape.
With the selection still there, if you loose it, CTRL + click the channel with pill shape in it to Load selection. go back to layers taband Create a new layer and fill the selection with R: 79; G: 110; B:174; HEX code: 4F6EAE; using the Paint Bucket tool or Alt + Backspace, get ride of the selection : CTRL+D.
Apply an inner shadow to our pill shape : Layers > Layers styles> Inner shadow, and play around with the amounts till you have what works best for you, or make like mine below. the mode is Soft Light and Uncheck the box that says : Use Global Light.
The amounts vary on the how big is your shape, so in few words: play around and try to found your settings
Again with Layer blending : Apply Bevel and Emboss: Layer -> LayerStyle -> Bevel and Emboss style to the pill shape as shown in thepicture below.
Again, these settings are working good for me, so try to find yours, here the things in french are :
Style : inner bevelThe modes to the bottom are : Normal and Multiply The direction is : Up.
A Satin layer style will be very usefull, so add one Layer -> Layer Style -> Satin. The picture to the left is Self-explainning.
TIP: try to play around with the stroke settings, marked in red squere in the picture. you will find some extra effects for different purposes
The effect could be very sad without a gradient effect that give more depth to the shape, so add one : Layer -> Layer Style ->Gradient Overlay.
Again, with the mode changed to other styles, you will get extra effects (marked in red)
Follow carefully:
Load a selection from the channel ofour pill shape, then contract your selection by 8 : (the amount willchange from a shape to another, why? this will depend on the shape size, if you start by a big shape this will double the contraction amount by twice!), then feather it by “let say” 9px
Follow carefully please:
In the layers palette, Alt click the New Layer button at the bottom. to Create a new Color Dodge layer with color-dodge-neutral black color (shown in the picture, make sure the square is cheked where the red arrow is). and then Fill the selection (you still have that selection ….right?)
Set the Fill Opacity value of the layer to 30% (in the layer blending options). or what works best for you. try other settings just to have alook!
A gaussian blur is needed here, so add one with the radius set to whatever works best for you, and get down the light to bottom part of the pill shape, to simulate the bottom light! ( the red arrow shows that).
Load a new selection from the channel of the pill shape, and add a Mask layer to it. click the small icon in the bottom of the layers palette.
Be sure that the pill shape mask layer is active, and repeate step 9 and fill the selection with a color next to around : R 160, G 160, B160 , the HEX is : #A0A0A0
After that use a gaussian blur, set an amout that fits your taste, for me it’s set to: 4.0 leave the selection: CTRL+D.
Now, grab your rectangular marquee tool and make a selection near the upper part of the shape, as shown below.
Now, go channels tab and fill that rectangular marquee selection with white.
After that, perspect it with: edit -> Transformation -> perspective. and perspect it as in the picture below.
Now blur it a little: filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur . play around and find your settings
Just another thing, go to : image -> adjust -> Levels and use some settings as here : 100 , 1.00 , 155 . just to have a rounded smoothed corners and leave the rough edges. click OK!
Now load a selection from that channel shape and go back to layers palette.
Create a new layer over everything and then grab your gradient tool after setting your colors to default by pressing “D” on the keyboard,set your gradient to white to transparent and the mode to Linear then drag from the near upper extern part of that selection to near internal part of that selection….. release! turn down the oppacity of that layer to about : 80%.
TIP : with selection ofthis light still there, press M on the keyboard, then move the selection a few pixels down, until the bottom part of the gradient, then hit delete! this could give you another interesting result!!
The beauty will be a little sad without a smoothed, Shadowed text inside this all project :) .....another drop shadow to the pill shape it self is needed here
So, overall with some chages here and there…the thing could end up to something really good.
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