Metal Button Tutorial

Step 1: Create a new layer. Draw a circular selection using the elliptical marquee tool.

Step 2: Press "d" then "x". Select the gradient tool. 

Step 3: In the options bar, click on the down facing arrow next to the gradient thumbnail. Choose the foreground to background gradient. 

Step 4: Close the picker, and in the options bar, click on the radial gradient icon. ( It's the second icon from the left). 

Step 5: Drag the white to black gradient from the left center of your selection  to about 1/4 past the edge.

Step 6: Press "d". Create a new layer.

Step 7:  In the gradient picker, choose the foreground to transparent gradient ( It's the second one from the left, top row). 

Step 8: In the options bar, choose the linear gradient ( it's the first one). Drag the gradient from the top of your selection to the middle to fill the top with black.

Step 9: In the layers palette, lower the opacity to 75%.

Step 10: Create a new layer.

Step 11: Go under the select menu, under modify, and choose contract. Enter 6 pixels. Click ok. 

Step 12: Press "x". Drag from the top of your selection through about 1/3 of your selected area. Press apple+d.

Step 13: Go under the filter menu, under blur, choose gausian blur. Enter 3 pixels. Click ok.

Step 14: Duplicate your top layer by dragging it to your new layer icon.

Step 15: Press apple+t. Ctrl+ click inside the bounding box, then choose rotate 180º from the pop up menu. Press enter to let photoshop know that you're done.

Step 16: Select the move tool. Drag this layer straight down almost to the edge.

Step 17: Lower the opacity of this layer to 60%.

Step 18: Go back to layer 3 ( the layer below your current layer). Press apple+t).

Step 19: Hold the shift key, grab the bottom right handle, shrink the white gradient by around 15%. Press enter. 

Step 20. Hide the background layer and choose merge visible from the layer palette's pop up menu.

Step 21: Choose drop shadow from the layer style pop up menu at the bottom of the layers palette. Click ok. 

Step 22: Press apple+U ( hue and saturation). Click the colorize button and move the hue slider to choose a color for your button.