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Adobe Photoshop

Free Tutorials » Adobe Photoshop » Futuristic Content Box

Create a very cool high tech content box in photoshop and then learn how to slice and export it into dreamweaver and add an iframe.

Step 1

Start a new document, 400 by 333 pixels and fill the background in with the colour #1E1E1E. Now make a new layer and select the polygonal lasso tool and make a selection as shown below.

Step 1 diagram

Step 2

Now using the paint bucket fill the selection in with white, press [ Ctrl + D ] to deselect and then open up the blending options and click on gradient overlay. [ Layer > Layer style > Blending Options > Gradient Overlay ] and use the options below:

Step 2 diagram

Step 3

And then go to [ Stroke ] and use the below options! And then press OK.

Step 3 diagram

Step 4

Now with the Zoom tool, zoom in around 400% and select the polygonal lasso tool again. Make a selection like below and zoom out and make a new layer.

Step 4 diagram

Step 5

Fill the selection in with white and press [ Ctrl + D ] to deselect your selection. Bring up the blending options again and select [ Bevel & Emboss ] and use the below settings:

Step 5 diagram

Step 6

And then go to [ Color Overlay ] and use the below options! And then press OK.

Step 6 diagram

Step 7

My result is shown below, yours should look similar!

Step 7 diagram

Step 8

We have nearly finished the top bar, all we need to do is give it some finishing touches. Select [ layer 1 ] and select the [ Eraser ] tool, select a brush size of around 5 pixels. Click each corner on the silver gradient object on layer 1 to produce something like below:

Step 8 diagram

Step 9

Now using the same eraser size erase 2 diagonal lines on the right hand size of the silver object, you may have to move your mouse fast and it may become very tricky. If you fail to do 2 lines like below select the polygonal lasso tool and use that to help you.

Step 9 diagram

Step 10

Now we need to add some text, select the [ type ] tool, choose a font you think will suit it, a pixel font looks good and arrange it similar to my example below:

Step 10 diagram

Step 11

Now we need to do the bottom bar. It would take ages having to repeat page 1 so we are going to do a quick short cut by duplictating layers 1 & 2 and rotating them. Select layer 1 and go to [ Layer > Duplicate Layer ] and rename it "bottom1".

Using the [Move Tool ] Drage the layer near the bottom of the canvas (keeping it inline by holding your down key on your keyboard). Position it to where you want it, the longer down the wider the content area. below is my position.

Step 11 diagram

Step 12

Now we need to rotate the layer, click [ Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal ] and then [ Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical]. It should be flipped like below:

Step 12 diagram

Step 13

Now do the same step but with the orange duplicated layer:

Step 13 diagram

Step 14

We now need to do the borders of the main box. Make a new layer and select the pencil tool with the colour black. Zoom in and draw 1 line from both sides of the layers. As shown below:

Step 14 diagram

Step 15

Save, Save & Save! We don't want to lose all the work! We now need to crop the canvas area and get rid of the excess background. Zoom in and with the reqtangular marquee tool make a selection around the whole of the content box like below:

Step 15 diagram

Step 16

Now go to: [ Image > Crop ] and all but your content box should be left. As shown below:

Step 16 diagram

Step 17

Now we need to do the interesting part, slicing it ready for the web! Select the [ Slice ] tool, zoom in and drag inbetween the black borders and around the whole content box, as shown below. It is important not to go over any borders and try to stay inside them.

Step 17 diagram

Step 18

We now need to go to: [ File > Save For Web ], once it opens up choose the below options in "Optimised" and then click save. When the save box comes up save the file as image.html

Step 18 diagram

Step 19

Open up DreamWeaver MX by macromedia, if you don't have it, pick up a trial from www.macromedia.com

Open up image.html and hopefully everthing should be coded in tables. First off change the background colour and then center the content box.

Step 19 diagram

Step 20

We now need to give the content area a bg, click on the big dark grey image on the middle of the content box area and find the code:

Step 20 diagram

Tutorial navigation

Tutorial comments

08.07.2008 -

29t88 says …

i dont have dreamweaver but i have frontpage... would that work?

03.11.2007 -

jgalaxy says …

Wow, really cool, gret tut, thx for sharing

View all user comments for this tutorial.

Tutorial statistics

Date added:
27.10.2004
Author:
Zymic
User rating:
5/5
Rate tutorial:
Total views:
7126
Total comments:
2

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