Wise Startup Blog

Glass effects look great and are one of the easiest tutorials for Photoshop. The Photoshop glass button is similar to a frosting method where the image is see-through and creates a sort of translucency which adds depth to the image. This tutorial teaches you how to create a glass effect with Photoshop.

Download the PSD source file.

Create a new document

Let’s get started with a 300×300 workspace.

Choose a background

I’m using a Mac background here, which is essential for any glass effect. If you want your button to be see-through, there needs to be something worth seeing behind it.

Create a rounded rectangle button

Now we need to create our button. Use the rounded rectangle shape tool and change the constraints so it has a 3px radius. Draw the shape to whatever size you like.

This is what your button should look like.

Blending options for our button

Now let’s do the blending options for our new rounded rectangle.

For our gradient overlay.

Now don’t forget your stroke on the button.

Make our button translucent

Making the Photoshop glass effect involves dropping the opacity on the image, so go ahead and adjust the opacity via the screenshot above on our button.

Choose your typeface and color

I’ve chosen Helvetic, which is a font every Photoshop user has and a nice shade of green taken from my background.

Blending options for our text

Now let’s style our text. We add a slight drop shadow and stroke to give our text the embedded look.

Add the glass effect

Now, to finalize our glass effect, we’ll need to add a white gradient on top of our graphic.

First, create a new layer, then select the square marquee tool and draw a shape around the button. Next, use the gradient tool with a white and blank color selected. Mess around with different variations of the shade until you get the gradient just how you like it.

Now that we have our square area selected, we want to delete all of the excess. To do this, press ctrl+click and click on our button in your right sidebar and make sure you have this white gradient layer actively selected. This will select the button itself.

Final Steps

Now that we have the button selected, press ctrl+i which will select the inverse of the selection (ie everything that isn’t the button). and your shape should look like this. Now press delete to delete all of the white gradient.

Now let’s reduce the opacity on the white gradient down to 50% to give us a more even effect.

Now we’re done, for more variations you can adjust the color of the text, and go for making the text on the button have a glass effect, but hopefully this was a helpful tutorial, and be sure to follow @andrewwise on Twitter for more great tutorials!