# Do I finally have the Aqua look down?



## Ricky (Aug 21, 2003)

See the attached image and let me know.







Complete Photoshop 7 goodness.  And it's actually shrunk!  
Anyway, I know there are more skilled out there, so is there anything I can do to refine my Aqua technique?


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## Scott_Bernard (Aug 21, 2003)

Cool!!! why don't you make a simple tutorial and post it here?
I'm curious about that aqua style...


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## mdnky (Aug 21, 2003)

Not too bad, Ricky.  I kinda think the color of the object has alot to do with how well it turns out.  Some colors just don't do the "aqua" look right.

I have a copy of a tutorial that MacDesign Magazine did.  Let me see about a few things, and maybe we can get some tips online here.

Anyone else like the idea of having a monthly "How-to" topic?  Maybe stick it at the top of the forum for a month, then moving it to the HOWTOs and starting a new one.


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## adambyte (Aug 22, 2003)

Wow. That chat bubble looks tasty. 

*CHOMP CHOMP*

Mmm.... Adam likes to have a good byte every once in a while.


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## Arden (Aug 22, 2003)

Mdnky: That's a good idea.  You should suggest it to Scott.

Ricky:  It's pretty close.  It doesn't exactly follow the formula I saw somewhere, but it's really nice overall.


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## xyle_one (Aug 27, 2003)

I think it looks great. Myabe if it were a deeper orange/red it might "shine" a bit more, but overall, it looks fu@k*** cool


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## Ricky (Aug 27, 2003)

Hehe, I actually did one in a kind of a blood red color...    I'll post a few variants when I can get to my Mac.

I made the PSD file so that all you needed to do was change one layer and its effects to change the entire bubble's color.  Shouldn't be very difficult.


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## bobw (Aug 27, 2003)

There's a tutorial on making Aqua Buttons on Railheaddesign.com that can be used for different shapes 
HERE


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## xyle_one (Aug 27, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Ricky _
> *Hehe, I actually did one in a kind of a blood red color...    I'll post a few variants when I can get to my Mac.
> 
> I made the PSD file so that all you needed to do was change one layer and its effects to change the entire bubble's color.  Shouldn't be very difficult. *


Couldn't you just have an adjusment layer on top of the entire stack? Would be quicker to change colors that way i think.


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## Trip (Aug 27, 2003)

It looks good! Really!
Only complain is the reflections should fade instead of all out stopping. 

Nice job!


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## Arden (Aug 27, 2003)

This is the tutorial, or "formula," I mentioned above.  About as good as Bob's, but with less navigation.

Xyle:  There are several ways to recolor an image with an covering layer.  You can use an adjustment layer, or you can use a layer filled with a single color, and apply "Multiply" or "Darken" or "Overlay" or opacity to get the desired effect.  Simple.


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## Ricky (Aug 27, 2003)

> _Originally posted by bobw _
> *There's a tutorial on making Aqua Buttons on Railheaddesign.com that can be used for different shapes
> HERE *


Ack.

It reminds my of Aqua bubbles from OS 10.1...  So ugly and blurry...


> _Originally posted by Trip _
> *It looks good! Really!
> Only complain is the reflections should fade instead of all out stopping.
> 
> Nice job! *


If you noticed, all the UI elements from 10.2 on up have had the gloss cut off a bit before it would fade off.  I mean, just take a look at the iChat icon, and all the UI elements around Jag.  Plus, I used vectors to make it crisp.  You can't say that about any of the tutorials out there.


> _Originally posted by arden _
> *This is the tutorial, or "formula," I mentioned above.  About as good as Bob's, but with less navigation.
> 
> Xyle:  There are several ways to recolor an image with an covering layer.  You can use an adjustment layer, or you can use a layer filled with a single color, and apply "Multiply" or "Darken" or "Overlay" or opacity to get the desired effect.  Simple.  *


Ugh, another fairly flawed tutorial that I see used constantly.  You can always tell when someone used it from the way it looks.  It has a style all its own.

Which is bad when you're trying to emulate the Aqua style.

Anyway, here's the bubble in a few different colors...  Blood red, silver, Aqua, Graphite, and a deep ocean blue.


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## Trip (Aug 27, 2003)

Still thinks it could use more fade.

btw, here's an old aqua button tutorial: http://robouk.mchost.com/tuts/tutorial.php?tutorial=aquapill


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## Arden (Aug 28, 2003)

Post those at 32x32 thumbnail size so we can see what it would look like as an actual widget.

Trip: Nah, I don't like that one.  But it's old, so...


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## Orbit (Aug 29, 2003)

what do you think of this


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## Arden (Aug 30, 2003)

Ithinkit'salittlesquished.


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## Androo (Aug 31, 2003)

actually i have my own little aqua style... not really aqua, but its a neat little thing, easy, neat use of gradients 
Ricky's bubble is much better, but if you want, i'll make a little tutorial of my little thing here


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## Androo (Aug 31, 2003)

Androo's Simple Aqualike Look:

make a new document, a size that's equal (128x128, or 256x256, or 800x800, you get the point).

Then select the Eliptical Marquee Tool ( the circular selection tool ), click and hold shift, and drag, so that you get this:






Then get get the gradient tool (its the second paint bucket tool), and then look on the top left of your screen. It should show a little gradient. Click it and a little popup thing comes out. Select foreground to background and hit OK.






Make sure white color is ontop, and another color like blue, red, green, or yellow is the other color (White is foreground, redbluegreen or yellow is background.)






Then hold shift and click at the top of the circle selection. Then drag down to the bottom of circle (still holding click and shift). Then you get a gradient .

http://penguinn.com/tut/step4.gif

Then look at the top left of the screen and double click that little gradient again. Select foreground to transparent.

Then hold shift and click at the bottom of the circle and drag 1/4 up the circle. Then you have a nice circle!


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## Ricky (Aug 31, 2003)

Tutorial coming soon...  
EDIT:  The highlight is too much, this will be fixed in the tutorial.


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## Arden (Sep 1, 2003)

Yeah, it's a little too sharp, even for your standards (whatever that means).


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## Ricky (Sep 6, 2003)

Alright, I refined the button's Aqua look (A LOT) and made a tutorial.    Let's see what you guys think.  It was a hit at macintosh.fryke.com!


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## Krisneph (Sep 7, 2003)

How's this


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## Arden (Sep 7, 2003)

Well, it's not *the* Aqua look, but it's *an* Aqua look.  I think Ricky's is right on the money, but yours looks good as an Aqua-inspired button.


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## Darkshadow (Sep 8, 2003)

Heh, yeah...too real.


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## wapstar (Sep 8, 2003)

Here is my first attempt at aqua style. The coastline border is not smoth so the effect is lost a bit.
What do you think? Any tips for improvement?

I used some of the tutorials and then worked it the way I know how to do things.


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## wapstar (Sep 8, 2003)

here is another attempt i am refining my techinque.


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## Krisneph (Sep 8, 2003)

Here's the tutorial

http://www.macdesignonline.com/aquabutton.html

It's for P6 but you can simplify accordingly it's pretty cool


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## wapstar (Sep 8, 2003)

> _Originally posted by wapstar _
> *here is another attempt i am refining my techinque. *


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## Ricky (Sep 8, 2003)

Using vectors?


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## Arden (Sep 8, 2003)

I've seen that tutorial.  I don't like it that much.  I think Ricky needs to do a tutorial.  Maybe in the Howto section.


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## Ricky (Sep 8, 2003)

Arden, wake up buddy  

http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=246169#post246169


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## Trip (Sep 8, 2003)

You guys are funny.


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## Arden (Sep 9, 2003)

LOL, sorry, I tend to not pay attention to everything that's come before (or forget about it if it's not completely relevant to me at the moment).  Anywho...

I think it's time for bed, because even my browser's having memory problems.


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