Interface Tutorial

To add even more dimension to your interface, we are now going to add screws using the same colors and techniques we used to create our large doughnut.

To do this you will need to create a new layer and on this layer place a circle with your selection tool.

Using your Flood Fill tool set to sunburst gradient, using the same colors and settings as before, fill your circle. Your image should look like this:

When you have the first circle created, without deselecting your circle, do an Edit-Copy.

On the same layer as your first screw-head circle, do an Edit-Paste-As New Selection.

Move this circle into position to the right of your line (use your grid lines to line them up accurately).

Continue pasting as a new selection until you have screw-heads lined up next to all your vertical and horizontal lines.

We will now create the lines in the screw head using the same technique as we did for the lines on our interface.

Create a new layer for your lines to go.

Once again, with your draw tool, draw a single line, stroked, pixel size 1, antialias off, color black on the head of each of your screws.

Your image will look like this:

Make a duplicate copy of this layer with the line as before.

We are now going to invert the color on the duplicate layer again by doing Colors - Negative Image.

This again gives us a white line.

We now have to move this line on pixel to the left and 1 pixel down from our original black line on the layer below.

When you have moved it, it is now time to select the Layer Palette, right click on our current layer and set the properties to Soft Light, exactly as we did before.

Your image will now look like this:

We now need to create an embedded look to finish off the screws. On the layer with your screws, use your magic wand to select the area around the screwheads.

Do a Selections-Invert to select just the screwheads. Do Not Deselect!

Create a new layer just below the layer with your screws. On this layer, do a Selections-Modify-Expand and expand your selection by 2 pixels, do not deselect. When this is done, turn off the visibility on the old layer, and return to the new layer with all the screws still selected.

Flood fill the selected areas with solid color black, making sure you cover the entire selected area. Deselect and duplicate this layer.

Now, do as we did for the inset lines. Invert the color on your copied layer and adjust the properties on this layer to Soft Light.

Turn back on the visibility of your upper screw layer. Your screws should now look embedded in the interface.