Creating borders

Open up the photo or image you want to create a border around

Click on the Quick Mask mode button in the Photoshop toolbox. This will
create a Quick Mask channel in the Channels palette.

Choose the Rectangular Marquee tool in the Photoshop toolbox.
Select an area in the center of the image.

Choose Fill... from the Edit menu. Fill the selection area with black
at 100% opacity.

Choose None from the Select menu to deselect the area. Then choose
Gaussian Blur... from the Blur submenu in the Filter menu. Use a Radius setting of between 10 and 20 pixels. You have now applied the Gaussian Blur to the Quick Mask channel.

Select a special effects filter from the Filter menu. In this example, I used
the Sprayed Strokes. Since you are still in Quick Mask mode and there is nothing selected, only the Quick Mask channel will be effected by the filter.

Click on the Standard selection mode button in the Photoshop toolbox.
This will select the area of the image that is not masked by the Quick Mask channel. Fill the area with your background color, and your done.

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Textured buttons

Create a new file, resolution=150ppi, Mode=RGB
With the Selection tool, make a new selection.

Click SELECT>>MODIFY>>SMOOTH and enter a number to round the
corners of your selection

Save the selection as channel #4,
If you plan on adding a drop shadow to your button, copy channel
#4 to create channel #5 then make channel #4 active.
Click FILTER>>BLUR>>GUASSIAN BLUR and blur the selection in
steps ie: 6, 4, 2.

Return to the composite channel, then open the texture you want to use.

working with the texture use SELECT>>ALL then go to
EDIT>>DEFINE PATTERN
return to your new image and load Channel #4.
Fill the selection using Pattern, Opacity 100%, Mode normal. Do
not deselect the selection.

Select FILTER>>RENDER>>LIGHTING EFFECTS and play with the
settings until you get what you want.
I have found that unchecking 'White is high' creates a cleaner effect.
I used Spotlight, 17, 75, -25, 63, 0, 32,Texture Channel #4, uncheck 'white is high', and 89.

Now you can enter your text or dingbat to finish

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Cutouts without Alienskin filter.

Open image you want to create effect on.

Click SELECT>ALL, and press ctrl+j to Create a new Layer
Now create another layer 'layer 2' and place between the 'background layer'
and 'Layer 1'
With the type tool, enter the type you want to use.

Now click SELECT>>INVERSE or (Shft+Ctrl+I) to inverse the selection.

Fill the selection with Black, Opacity = 100%, Mode = Normal.

Inverse the selection again. you should now have a selection of the type only.
Save the selection as channel 4.

return to the the Layers pallet and make the 'Layer 1' active.
Load the selection Channel #4 then press delete.
Keeping channel #4 active, make the 'Background Layer' active.
Lighten the Background Layer by selecting
IMAGE>>ADJUST>>BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST, set the values to your liking.
Return to 'Layer 2' and deselect the type.
Select FILTER>>BLUR>>GUASSIAN BLUR. For the example,
I used a value of 2.5.

Using the move tool, nudge the Layer up, or down. left, or right.
Play with the different settings to get the best effect for your application.

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Cool 3d button Tips Tricks

Make a new file 100x100.
Using the selection tool on radial, make a circle.
Now use the gradient tool and set the type to radial.
Select a foreground and background color.
Click on the top-left of the button and drag to the bottom-right.

Now click on SELECT>MODIFY>CONTRACT, and contract
selection by 8.

Select LAYER>TRANSFORM>ROTATE 180

Now click on SELECT>MODIFY>CONTRACT, contract by 4 this time.
Click on SELECT>FEATHER, and feather the selection by 2.

Select LAYER>TRANSFORM>ROTATE 180

That's it! Use the text tool to enter text or dingbats to finish.

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Create a beveled button

Create a new file, 100x100 pixels.
Use the selection tool, make a square.
Choose a dark foreground color and a light background color.
With the gradient tool set on Linear.
Click on the top-left corner and drag to bottom-right.

Click SELECT>MODIFY>CONTRACT, and enter "6".

Reselect the gradient tool.
Click bottom-right to top-left to draw gradient.

Once again click SELECT>MODIFY>CONTRACT, and enter "3".
Click on SELECT>FEATHER and enter "2".

With the gradient tool click top-left and drag to bottom-right.

There you have it. an easy to create button.

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Creating simple drop shadows

Create a new file.
Create a new Layer.

On the new layer, create the type font you want to use.
Duplicate the layer with the type
You should now have 'Layer 1 copy' over 'Layer 1'.
Select 'Layer 1' the bottom layer
Press Shift+F5 to fill in the type, use black and preserve transparency.

Offset the layer a bit using the move tool

Select FILTER>>BLUR>>GAUSSION BLUR for this example I used 2.5
For a softer shadow select a higher number.

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Another emboss tip

Start with a new texture or start with a plain color.

Create a new channel and type your text (don't deselect).

Press CTRL+J to defloat your selection and then
FILTER>BLUR>GAUSSION BLUR with a setting of 2-4. Your image should look like this.

Go back to the layer with your texture and use the
FILTER>>RENDER>>LIGHTING EFFECTS filter. Use the following settings (from top to bottom): Omni, Check, 13, 25, 0, 14, 20, #4 Channel, Check, 20. Now hit ok and it should look like this.

To add more contrast, hit SELECT...INVERSE and fill with a solid color

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Embossing type

Start by creating a new file. Fill it with a light color

Change the foreground color to a darker version of the background color
Use the type tool to enter the same type.
Select FILTER>>BLUR>>GAUSSION BLUR. For this example I used a
value of 1.

Now change the foreground color to white.
Use the type tool to enter the type again. This will be the highlight.
Select the move tool and possition the white type up and to the left of the
darker type.

Select the eye dropper tool and click on the background of the image.
use the type tool to once again enter your type.
Select the move toll and move the type between the fore and background type.

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