Gel Button Tutorial

Step 1: Add a new layer
Step 2: Set your foreground color to light blue
Step 3: Select the rounded rectangle tool. In your options bar set the radius to 40 pixels.
Step 4: In the options bar, click on the third icon from the left (fill pixels),
Step 5: Draw your shape on your stage.
Step 6: Apple+ Click on your shape layer.
Step 7: Add a new layer
Step 8: Go under the select menu, under modify, and choose contract. Enter 20 pixels. Click OK
Step 9: Press the letter "d" then the letter "x" to set your foreground color to white.
Step 10: Press Option+Delete
Step 11: Press Apple+D
Step 12: Go under the filter menu, under blur, choose gaussian blur. When dialog box appears, enter 10. Click OK
Step 13: Select the move tool
Step 14: Using the arrows on the keyboard, move your blurry white layer down to the bottom of the pill shape.
Step 15: Hold down the apple key and click on the pill layer in your layers palette.
Step 16: Press shift+Apple+I to inverse your selection
Step 17: Press the delete key
Step 18: Press Shift+Apple+I.
Step 19: Create a new layer.
Step 20: Set your foreground color to a darker blue than your original blue.
Step 21: Fill your selection by pressing Option+ Delete
Step 22: Deselect by pressing Apple+D
Step 23: Hold down the apple key and click once on the blurry layer in your layers palette.(Be sure not to change layers. You should still be on the dark blue pill layer.)
Step 24: Press Delete to knock a soft hole out of the blue pill shape.
Step 25: elect the rectangular marquee tool
Step 26: Place your mouse inside the selected area and drag the selection upward a little bit. Tap the delete key.
Step 27: Repeat step 26 one or two more times until your almost to the top of the pill. (make sure you stop short of the top.
Step 28: Deselect by pressing Apple+D.
Step 29: Apple+Click your pill layer to put a selection around it.
Step 30: Create a new layer
Step 31: Go under the select menu, under modify, choose contract. Enter 20 pixels. Click OK
Step 32: Press the letter "d" then the letter "x" to set your foreground to white.
Step 33: Select the gradient tool. In the options bar, click on the down facing arrow next to the gradient thumbnail. Choose the second gradient (Foreground to transparent.)
Step 34: Drag this gradient from the top of your selection to the bottom
Step 35: Deselect
Step 36: Select the move tool. USing the arrows in the keyboard, move your white gradient layer upward to where it's almost at the top, but leave a gap of dark blue between your white gradient and the top of the pill. (this creates the highlight area of the pill.)
Step 37: Press Apple+ T
Step 38: GO under the edit menu, under transform, choose perspective.
Step 39: Grab the left bottom corner, and click and drag outward just a bit to add a perspective effect.
Step 40: Press enter to let Photoshop know you are done.
Step 41: Hide your background layer. Merge Visible.
Step 42: Choose drop shadow. In the dialog box, click the color swatch.
Step 43: Click on a blue selection of your pill shape to colorize the shadow.
Step 44: Lower the opacity to 50%, set the angle to 90º, distance to 45, size to 32, turn off use global light. click ok to complete the effect