Creating Buttons, Bars, and Balls

Many image editors make it easy to create buttons, bars, and balls that you can use to dress up your Web pages. In Paint Shop Pro 8, for instance, you can apply its Buttonize effect (select Effects, 3D Effects, and Buttonize) to any image or selected object within an image to turn it into a three-dimensional button, as well as combine it with other effects. Figure C.10, for instance, shows a rounded rectangular shape to which the Buttonize and Drop Shadow effects have been applied in Paint Shop Pro 8. You can use the same effect to create a three-dimensional graphic rule; just create a 400-Ч-15-pixel image with a single fill color and then apply the Buttonize effect to it (see Figure C.11).

Many image editors also have a selection of preset shapes which can be used to create Web objects, such as icons, buttons, and balls. For instance, in Paint Shop Pro 8, select the Preset Shape tool from the toolbar. On the Tool Options palette, click on the Shapes list to open it and scroll down to select a preset shape. To apply the preset shape to the image, hold the mouse down in the upper-left corner of the image and drag it to the lower-right corner, then lift off of the mouse. You can also apply a drop shadow effect to create even more of a three-dimensional look. Figure C.12 shows a graphic ball created using Paint Shop Pro 8's Ball 067 preset shape, with a drop shadow effect applied behind it. (To apply the drop shadow to the graphic ball in Paint Shop Pro 8, first select the Magic Wand from the Toolbar; on the Tool Options palette, change the Match mode to Hue and increase the Tolerance to 20; click on the graphic ball to select it; and then select Effects, 3D Effects, and Drop Shadow).

These are just some of the kinds of effects and Web objects you can create in an image editor. Feel free to experiment trying out different fills, effects, and other objects. Whatever images you create, be sure to optimize them so your images can be as effective as possible, while conserving bandwidth.