The best part is, you're not the one who screwed with settings for over an hour to get things to look like you want them . There won't be a lot of images for this one, its much too simple. Anyway, back on track before my A.D.D. kicks in again.
Step One: Create a new document (ctrl+n) with these dimensions: height: 435px width: 75px resolution: 72 pixels/inch.
Step Two: Choose your Paint Bucket Tool (G), and paint the background #262626.
Step Three: Choose the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) and make a rectangle with the color #383737. Make sure there is NO stroke, this is what you should have thus far:
Step Four: Change your foreground color to #474747 and your background color to #3f3f3f then do a Gradient Overlay, an Inner Glow, and an Outer Glow.
Now you should have something like this:
Step Five: Add any text you would like on the plate, in black call this layer 'white'. Now duplicate layer 'black' and call it layer 'black'. Click on layer 'white' and press Ctrl+I, which inverts the colors. Select your Move Tool and press the right arrow once, then the down arrow once. Finally set layer 'white's blending option to Soft Light, then set its Opacity to 55%.
You've got punched in text.
Now, what really yells metal plate at the viewer, are the screws, and I'm not going to leave you without showing you how to do those too!
Step Six: Create a new layer and call this 'screw 1'. Use your Elliptical Marquee Tool to select a small area anywhere on the plate then fill it, with your foreground color(this will be the indent). Do another Gradient Overlay, but make your fore ground and background colors a few shades lighter.
Step Seven: Create a new layer call it head. Select another area within the indent. And another Gradient Overlay. This will be the screw head.
Step Eight: Zoom in on your screw head, and use your pencil tool to draw an even diagonal line. Merge head and screw 1. Do an Outer Glow.
Step Nine: Duplicate the screw layer, and put one screw in each corner.
Step Ten: Pat your self on the back or go to bed or something, you're done!
More Tutorials: 
