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Tutorials » Animated Affiliates Button
Step 1
Open up a new document 88x40 pixels.Name the first layer background and fill it with the color #1e1e1e. Make a new layer called 'orb'. Draw a circle in the center of this layer using foreground color #ffb400. Apply an OuterGlow , an Inner Glow, a Gradient Overlay, a Stroke, Bevel and Emboss. Here is an example of an orb with these features.
Step 2
Make a new layer called 'left' and place it under the orb layer. Set foreground color to #ffde00. Draw a rectangle so that the right edge just touches the center of the back of the orb. Set the foreground color to #ffffff.Using the pen tool, mark 4 points around the orb (Connect the 1st and last pts). Use the convert point tool and then make a random shape. Right click>Make selection then Change Layer Mode to Soft Light. Place the 'shape' layer above all other layers. Erase unwanted bits off the 'shape' layer.
Step 3
Right click on the 'orb' layer in the Layers Window and click on merge down (at this point the 'left' layer should be directly below the 'orb' layer). Then create a new layer 'right' and draw a rectangle on the right half of the button using foreground color #efa900. Place this layer below the 'left' layer. The button looks like this now.
Step 4
Now, hide all layers except the 'background' layer which has a fill color #1e1e1e. Make a new text layer, pick a suitable text color and add in text. Create another layer and add some more text. This text will be displayed once the button is animated. Place the text layers at the bottom of the Layers Window. A sample of the text I added is given here. After adding text, apply blending options to the 'right' and 'left' layers. I have added a simple Gradient Overlay (opacity <22%). The button now looks like this. We will now animate the button.
Step 5
The final step is to animate the button. Go to File>Edit in ImageReady. Due to the simplicity of the design, you can edit it in Photoshop as well. On the first frame, make all layers visible. Duplicate the frame. On the second frame, move the 'left' layer to the left using the Move tool (V). Move the layer so that it is just outside the visible part of the document. Similarly, move the right layer to the right. Make the 1st text layer visible on the second frame and hide the other one. Now select the first frame, Tween with next frame, 15 frames to add. Add a 1 sec time delay on the last frame. Now duplicate the 1st frame and move that frame to the end. Tween this frame with the previous frame, 15 frames to add. This way you get a neat closing and opening effect. Repeat the same steps, only this time start at the last frame, and make the 2nd text layer visible instead of the 1st. Play around with the settings till you feel comfortable (Note: You may have to manually change the settings on all layers to give a smooth text change effect, sometimes the text frames merge and make the design look untidy.)
The resulting image is displayed. Use your creativity to make your button stand out amongst others.
View my Layers Window
Open up a new document 88x40 pixels.Name the first layer background and fill it with the color #1e1e1e. Make a new layer called 'orb'. Draw a circle in the center of this layer using foreground color #ffb400. Apply an OuterGlow , an Inner Glow, a Gradient Overlay, a Stroke, Bevel and Emboss. Here is an example of an orb with these features.
Step 2
Make a new layer called 'left' and place it under the orb layer. Set foreground color to #ffde00. Draw a rectangle so that the right edge just touches the center of the back of the orb. Set the foreground color to #ffffff.Using the pen tool, mark 4 points around the orb (Connect the 1st and last pts). Use the convert point tool and then make a random shape. Right click>Make selection then Change Layer Mode to Soft Light. Place the 'shape' layer above all other layers. Erase unwanted bits off the 'shape' layer.
Step 3
Right click on the 'orb' layer in the Layers Window and click on merge down (at this point the 'left' layer should be directly below the 'orb' layer). Then create a new layer 'right' and draw a rectangle on the right half of the button using foreground color #efa900. Place this layer below the 'left' layer. The button looks like this now.
Step 4
Now, hide all layers except the 'background' layer which has a fill color #1e1e1e. Make a new text layer, pick a suitable text color and add in text. Create another layer and add some more text. This text will be displayed once the button is animated. Place the text layers at the bottom of the Layers Window. A sample of the text I added is given here. After adding text, apply blending options to the 'right' and 'left' layers. I have added a simple Gradient Overlay (opacity <22%). The button now looks like this. We will now animate the button.
Step 5
The final step is to animate the button. Go to File>Edit in ImageReady. Due to the simplicity of the design, you can edit it in Photoshop as well. On the first frame, make all layers visible. Duplicate the frame. On the second frame, move the 'left' layer to the left using the Move tool (V). Move the layer so that it is just outside the visible part of the document. Similarly, move the right layer to the right. Make the 1st text layer visible on the second frame and hide the other one. Now select the first frame, Tween with next frame, 15 frames to add. Add a 1 sec time delay on the last frame. Now duplicate the 1st frame and move that frame to the end. Tween this frame with the previous frame, 15 frames to add. This way you get a neat closing and opening effect. Repeat the same steps, only this time start at the last frame, and make the 2nd text layer visible instead of the 1st. Play around with the settings till you feel comfortable (Note: You may have to manually change the settings on all layers to give a smooth text change effect, sometimes the text frames merge and make the design look untidy.)
The resulting image is displayed. Use your creativity to make your button stand out amongst others.
View my Layers Window
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