Sexy Smooth Curves

Step One

Create a new canvas size: 300x100, background: white Resolution: Set the grid on by pressing Ctrl+'

Step Two

Grab the pen tool (press P) and click it on the points shown in the picture, making a closed path.

This might be easier if you set 'snap' on, by choosing view--snap or pressing Ctrl+Shift+;

Step Three

Press down on the pen tool, and choose the convert point tool, as shown.

Step Four

Now press the convert tool down on the point marked A on the screenshot to the left, and drag right until it reaches point B, and the curve will be half-created

Step Five

Now, do the same on the upper part of the path, from C to D. Well done, you have now created a smooth (and resizeable) curve, now lets put a stroke and a fill on it!

Step Six

Go to the 'paths' tab, or windows--paths if its not there, and double click on the 'work path' and save it as Curved Path.

This is so that you dont lose it if you make a new path.

Step Seven

Now we are going to stroke the path, the best method for doing this is to select your brush tool, and make sure opacity is 100%, hardness is 0% and a noticable (i.e. not white) color is selected as the foreground color.

Now right click on your path, and select stroke path. Then select the brush as your selected tool, and make sure simulate pressure is off.

Step Eight

If you have followed the instructions, you should now have something looking like that shown to the left, although yours will be in whatever foreground color you set.

Step Nine

The next step is to fill the path, the easiest way to do this is to make a new layer, place it under the stroke layer, then right-click on your path, and choose 'make selection' then select the foreground color you want to fill it with, and press Ctrl+Backspace to fill, and you should get something like that shown below.

Step Ten

At the stage where you make the path a selection you may want to, instead of filling the path, fill it with a gradient, to do this make the path a selection, select the gradient tool and set up your gradient (in my case foreground to transparent) and drag the gradient tool from the top of the curve to the bottom of the canvas.

Step Eleven

Although you are essentially finished now, you can also change the color of your gradient by making an adjustment layer - you do this by going layer--new adjustment layer--hue/saturation.

You will be presented with a popup box, select 'colorise' and 'preview' then play with the sliders until you like the color you get, as shown to the left

And Finally - The Results! (Here are a few variations on the color).