Web 2.0 Arrow

Step 1: Creating the Workspace:

Start with a 200 x 200 document and fill in the background with a neutral white #FFFFFF

Step 2: Loading the shape we need (May not be required)

Go to your custom shape tool (If it's not visible on your panel it is most likely hiding underneath the other shape tools such as recntangle tools etc)

Find the following shape in your panel:

If it's not visible then you may need to load the shape into your application, to do this look on the panel for a arrow circled below:

A menu with options should now appear, look for the options All and click on it. You may get a overide warning. Click ok and it will load all the shapes into it's shape pallette. Doing this will now give you access to the arrow shape. It's near the top of the shape pallette

Step 3: Create the base arrow layer:

Make a selection once you have the correct shape selection like so:

No need to worry about colour, we will be changing this later! Now we have the stock arrow shape on our workspace, go ahead and apply some filters:

Step 4: Install the pattern file (if needed):

If need to install the pattern this step will tell you how:

Assuming you are currently at the pattern overlay stage..

1. Go to the Pattern Overlay Option on Blending options

2. Where it shows a preview of the pattern click the little arrow to show the
entire menu of patterns:

3. Look for a smaller arrow which will be within a small circle button:

4. Click it and it display a menu of options. Select load pattern.

5. If you haven't already unzip the .zip archive that came with this tutorial and
extract the pattern file to somewhere on your computer.

6. Once extracted On the Load patterns window specify where the pattern is located
and click OK. The pattern should then be loaded in!

I hope you've managed to install the pattern. Now after applying everything the first look of our arrow should look something like this:

Step 5: Second Arrow layer

On your arrows layer thumbnail hold ctrl on your keyboard and click on it doing this should select your entire layer:

With that done. Grab your Gradient tool and use a White to Transparent Gradient. Make a new layer and apply it like so:

Applying this gradient should give you this effect immedietly after:

Lower the opacity to 75% and change the layer mode to Screen. Doing this should make your arrow now brighter:

Step 6: Final touch up:

On the base layer, reselect it's entire permimiter by holding ctrl and click on the thumb of the base layer and then grab your rectangular marquee tool and make sure the mode of it is set to Subtract from selection which is this mode:

Make a selection like so:

Doing this should leave you with something like this:

Make a new layer and fill this in with a neutral white #FFFFFF to give you this:

Lower the layers opacity to 47%: