Create a Web Search Bar

Quick reference

• 00:04 For todays tutorial, we're going to be creating this search bar.
• 00:07 When designing elements like this, I always like to map out the design first
• 00:10 and worry about the layer styles after. There are three rounded rectangles that
• 00:14 make up this design.
• 00:15 The radius that you choose to use is up to you but, to match this design closely,
• 00:20 a radius of 5 pixels works just fine. In order to visually separate
• 00:24 each element from one another, it's a good idea to change the color of the new
• 00:28 shape before you draw it out.
• 00:29 Once one shape is created, make sure that the ‘create new shape layer’ button is
• 00:33 selected under the Options bar,
• 00:35 and then choose a new color. Repeat this process for each shape of the design.
• 00:39 At any point, if you create a shape that is either too big or too small,
• 00:42 you can either undo and try again or resize the shape later on.
• 00:46 For rounded rectangles, it is a good idea to use the Direct Selection tool from your
• 00:50 Tools bar,
• 00:51 to avoid any distortion at the corners. Now that the main elements are in place,
• 00:55 let's start with the layer styles, starting with the main rectangle in the
• 00:59 back.
• 00:59 For the color of the shape, I'll go with a very soft gradient.
• 01:03 The color on the left, which will be the bottom color, is going to be a very light
• 01:07 blue.
• 01:07 I'll use the value E9 F3 F5.
• 01:11 The color on the right, which will be the top color,
• 01:14 will be almost a pure white with a slight touch of blue: F8 FC FD.
• 01:18 Now to give a slight
• 01:22 edge to the shape, let's add inner shadow, which actually can act as a highlight.
• 01:26 Set the blend mode to normal and the color to appear white.
• 01:29 Turn off global light and set the angle at ninety degrees, so that the highlight
• 01:34 is directly on the top of the shape.
• 01:35 Now, set the distance at one and the size at zero.
• 01:39 Finally, to pull the design slightly away from the background, let's add a drop
• 01:43 shadow.
• 01:44 Keep the blend mode and colors as they are but decrease the opacity to 30
• 01:48 %,
• 01:48 the distance to 0 and the size to 1.
• 01:51 This shape is now complete. The next shape we're going to work on will be the
• 01:55 search field.
• 01:56 For this shape, we're not going to worry too much about a gradient: a solid color
• 01:59 should work well.
• 02:00 In your layers panel, double-click on the color box beside this layer
• 02:04 and set the color to a light blue: DE EB F1.
• 02:07 Now we can add a few layer styles. Let's start with an inner shadow.
• 02:12 This time it's actually going to be used as a shadow. To keep the shadow nice and soft,
• 02:16 change the blend mode to Overlay with an opacity of 80%.
• 02:20 Again, turn off global light and set the angle at 90 degrees.
• 02:24 Now set the distance and size both to 1.
• 02:27 Finally, let's add a drop shadow. This time the shadow is going to be used as a
• 02:30 highlight to give the impression that the shape is indented.
• 02:33 Set the blend mode to Overlay, the opacity to 100%
• 02:37 and the color to pure white. Turn off global light,
• 02:40 set the angle at 90 degrees, the distance at 1 and the size at 0.
• 02:44 The last rectangle we're going to edit will be the search
• 02:48 button: starting with a gradient overlay.
• 02:50 Again, the left color will be the bottom color, which is
• 02:53 88 CA E4.
• 02:56 The right color will be the top BB E0 F0.
• 03:00 Once the gradient is complete, let's add an
• 03:03 inner shadow to act as a highlight. Change the blend mode to Overlay,
• 03:07 the color to pure white, global light off
• 03:10 angle at 90 degrees, distance at 2 and the size at zero.
• 03:15 Finally, let's add a stroke, to add a slight border around the button.
• 03:19 Turn down the size to 1, change the position to ‘inside’,
• 03:23 the opacity to Overlay and, if your color isn't already black, change to black.
• 03:26 Now that the main elements are complete, let's take a look
• 03:30 at the text.
• 03:31 The font and size is completely up to you, but the main focus on the text is a
• 03:35 slight white drop shadow
• 03:35 below the text. Again, this will give the impression that the
• 03:39 text is indented.
• 03:40 Here are the settings I used for this drop shadow:
• 03:45 The last element we need to add is a search icon.
• 03:46 If you want to make things quite simple, Photoshop actually includes one as a shape.
• 03:50 Select your Custom Shape tool, click the arrow at the top right corner of the shape
• 03:54 picker,
• 03:55 select web, and then press append. This will give you access to the search icon,
• 04:00 allowing you to drag your shape and place it anywhere you want on your search
• 04:03 bar.
• 04:04 And that's that. A simple yet elegant search bar in Photoshop.

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.