In this tutorial you will create a special shaped tech button with realistic metal frame.

Create a tech metal button

Step 1.

In this tutorial you are going to craete a tech button with metal borders. Make a new document sized 300×300, create a new layer and grab the Pen Tool. Create an abstract form like below:

Step 2.

On the new layer right click the shape you created with the pen tool and select Make Selection. Fill the selection with a gray colour. Now go to Layer-Duplicate layer… and then with the new layer go to Edit-Transform-Flip Horizontaly. Go in the layers box select the top layer right click-Merge Down or press CTRL+E.

Step 3.

Add a gradient overlay over the shape layer with the settings below:

Step 4.

Select the button shape using CTRL+Mouse click on layer and Go to Select-Modify-Contract and select 4 pixels. Now create a new layer and with the new smaller selection fill it gray and add a gradient overlay like the one above only changing the angle and adding some noise.

Repeat this step 2 more times.

Step 5.

Repeat Step 4. again only use a blue colour and contract the selection a bit more.

Step 6.

Grab the dodge tool and add a bit of light.

Step 7.

Add a inner shadow with this settings:

Step 8.

Now create a new layer and a selection like below with the free lasso tool. Go to Edit-Stroke and add a 1 pixel light gray stroke. Now grab a blurry brush with a even lighter gray than the stroke and near the stroke brush a little like below:

Set blending mode to color dodge and repeat step and add different lines and the button is ready: