Good Looking Buttons - How ?

Hi all blitzers.

I'm sure that lots of you have already met the needings of making a nice looking menu.

The beauty of a menu is (not only but also) due to a good looking button graphics.

Since I'm not very cute in graphic department, do you know a free and good button generator out there ?

Alternatively, a good 'simple but amazing buttons - how to do it' tutorial aimed at Paintshop Pro ?

I really like to add lighting and mouse click/hold/hover animations to buttons, and if you know some easy method to achieve it graphically - again, with PSP - would be nice if you post your suggestions.

Thanks for your attention,
Sergio.

I use Corel Draw and then export them as anti-aliased pngs. Then (because corel doesn't export an alpha channel) I select the button in Gimp and apply feathering and then paste onto a transparent background. You only need to do the Gimp stuff if you are using BMax and want nice anti-aliased edges on the buttons to draw with SetBlend AlphaBlend.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/paintshoptutorialsbuttons/index.htm

Take a look at KeePeeUppys buttons...



http://www.boiledsweets.com/KeePeeUppy

These are 'aqua' style and were created using a plugin 'style' in PhotoShop. They go yellow when the mouse is over them and turn red when clicked.

If you want a load of buttons made like this then let me know - I'll do it for a small donation...

Anyone know if photoshop elements has got in cool "plugin styles" suitable for buttons? Thanks.

I know PhotoShop Image Ready does...

Why not go to www.adobe.com and download a 'try out'.

Maybe I should write "Button Maker"

I reckon there is a niche in the market here for a cool looking button maker program...

I think you are right (I was thinking the same)! Go to it. I'd buy it if it exported 32 bit png with 8-bit alpha channel. It must anti-alias the edges of the buttons to transparent (and also anti-alias the main body too). Stuff like rounded edges would be nice. Gradients, any fonts, outlines, option for mouse over and click AND disabled versions... Then they can be used straight away with my framework's TButton and TMenu types like this MyMenu.AddQuick("yehaw").

Look under Inet Software / Button Maker
BM 1.0 is freeware.

Thanks tony snaffled that. Any idea what there freeware resources (esp. Fonts) accessed via the forums are like?

You can't save as png with Button Maker 1.0 which is a shame and you can't gradient the actual button or the font so it's a tad limited...I think.

Yes, Elements has a bunch of presets you can use to make different button effects. Mostly Aqua-type buttons with a few chrome looking ones.

BM 2.0 (which probably won't be freeware) overcomes many of the limitations *BUT* it's been delayed while the developers concentrate on WorldCreator 2.5+.
Forum access stuff looks OK and there's a lot of it.

http://www.buttongenerator.com/index.php?show=Free <-- license requires you to link to their site

http://cooltext.com/Default.aspx <--- only does .gif, but is another option

There are plenty of photoshop tutorials that show you exactly what to to.

Grey Alien - i wrote a special program that can export images without alpha to 32-bit-pngs with alpha... i decided to make a toolbox of some smart image tools and sell them (4 tool for total 10 $)

but i do not did this yet... i do not finish all tools complete