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Sleek Dark Header Design

Author: PSDVIBE Author's URL: psdvibe.com More by this author

1. First things first. We want to create a new document with the size 1024x205.

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2. The next thing we would like to do is to add a gradient to our background layer. To do so, lets go ahead and right click your background layer, and choose Blending options from the drop down menu and insert the following

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3. Next, we want to use our rectangle marquee tool to make a selection similar to the following and fill it with #FFFFFF

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4. On that layer input the following blending options

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5. Next I added a little 'shine' to that blue bar. To do so I Ctrl+Click (command on a Mac) the blue bars layer to make a selection of it. On a new layer above it I filled it with #FFFFFF and deleted the bottom half and changed the blend mode to soft light. You should now have something that looks similar to the following

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6. After this we want to go ahead and start making our navigational buttons for the menu. To do so, pull out your rectangle marquee tool and make a selection similar to the following and fill it with a solid color:

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7. Then you want to go ahead and insert the following blending options onto its layer

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8. Your button should look something like this

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9. Next we want to add a shine to the button and to do so we want to Ctrl+Click (command+click on mac) your buttons layer to select it. and fill it with #FFFFFF

10. Using your arrow keys 'nudge' your selection tool to the bottom half and choose edit>clear, and you'll have something that looks like this

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11. Now just lower the opacity to 28% and then change blending option to overlay and you should have the following results

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12. Looks good huh? Well go ahead and add some text (I used all caps, but it doesn't matter what you do) and this is what I came up with

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13. Next just repeat steps 6-12 as many times as your little heart desires and you will have something that looks like the folllowing

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14. The next step we want to do is to add a small logo. I used a simple text with all caps, Helvetica Neue, and inserted it in the following position:

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15. I wanted it to be more than just plain white, so i went ahead and inserted the following blending options onto its layer

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16. By this point you should have something that looks like this

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17. All we have left to do now is add a search box, and we will be done.

18. Now go ahead and pull out your rectangle marquee tool yet again and make a selection like this and fill it with #FFFFFF on its own layer

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19. Then we want to go ahead and insert the following blending options onto its layer

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20. You should be left with something that looks like this

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21. Go head and create a new selection similar to the following on its own layer and fill it with #FFFFF. This will serve as our input box.

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22. I added a little stroke to the blending options, but its optional.

23. Next lets go ahead and make our search button (would make it a little hard to search without it).

24. To do so use your rectangle marquee tool to make a selection similar to the following

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25. Go ahead and insert the following blending options onto its layer

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26. Now just add a little text and a shine and you'll have something that looks like this

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27. The last thing we want to do is to add a little 'glow' to give our header some slight perspective. To do so pull out your elliptical marquee tool. set the feather to about 20px and make a selection similar to the following:

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28. Fill it with white and place it on a layer behind everything else. Use your rectangle marquee to select everything that is above the blue bar and choose Edit>Clear. Then just lower the opacity to 69% and change the blending options to Overlay and your final product will look like this

Sleek Dark Header Design