How I can attain such background?

[Guest]

[Airplane]

Hello. Explain me, please, what tools do designers use to create such backgrounds of bars?

Could anyone post a link on tutorial , which'll help me to create such UBs?
Thx.

[Blayde]

Airplane, the most commonly used tools are GIMP and Photoshop. GIMP is a free software, so it is used more cos the PS pack is quite expensive. There are many tutorials available, one only needs to search the words user bar tutorial

http://www.m3xvv.co.uk/ubtut/

[Airplane]

No, i suppose, you've not understood me. I know know how to create UB's (
by the way, in Russia Photoshop is not so expensive  ), but I just cannot create background, which looks like background of bar, which i posted, and bg of bars, which are in your signature. It looks really, hm... convex, it has impressive shape, and i'd want to know, how can i achieve the same effect.

[Blayde]

oh you mean the 3d effect? that's easy, il give you a quick solution, the way i do it is a bit more difficult.


If you're making the background using a gradient, then just click the styles palette, that should be above the layers box in standard positioning of photoshop, from that most of the styles bevel and there is one that just bevels it and applies no other effects, thats the one to use, and if you want a different effect just click on any you like and play around with them.

If you are using a picture that isnt in the confines of the userbar size, then do this: make your userbar, then select the background layer press ctrl+a and then ctrl+v and then you have a pic that is the size of the bar, because the bevel is applied only to the edges of the picture and if the edges are out of the bar then theres no visible astyle applied. Also make sure that if you are using more than two layers for a background, merge them then copy paste and apply style, otherwise the style would come in the middle of the pic and that'd look odd

[Airplane]

2Blayde, oh great thanks... So such great effect is achieved by completely trivial changing of layer's blending options. Hm... It's too easy and boring for me, but effect is nice, undoubtedly.
So thanks!