Step 4: Create Shapes For Adding Some Gleam

This where we start to separate the men from the boys. These steps takes a lot manual labor, but I feel that the results are worth it. Later on I'll give you a few hints on how to avoid repeating these steps, so once the bulk of your work is done, you won't have to do it again. What these buttons need is a little gleam. Raster gleam.

Create a new white vector layer, and using the shape, path selection, and direct selection tools (you may want to read up on this, they are not that intuitive) create some vector shapes like you see here. Alternately, just copy one of the shapes that I've already created in the included Photoshop file. Using the grid and the direct selection tool, place the vectors over the buttons and resize them to fit, in an approximation of how I've done it. The key is to create a nice S-shaped swoop, or some other shape that'll look gleamy, across the middle of the buttons, leaving some overlap on the top and sides. Setting the gleam layer's opacity to 75% can really help positioning and resizing the shapes. Make sure you name the layer something useful, like 'Vector Gleam'.

I've turned the grid off in the second example to show you what it looks like when complete. Exciting!

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