HOWTO: Change default buttons to match your board. noob style...

[Fly]

Okay, first off, I have no idea how to really use Photoshop. That means there may be a better way to do this, but this is all I know. I didn't see a walkthrough to change the buttons, so here it is one way to do it...

Requirements:
* Photoshop CS (other versions will work, but walkthrough is for CS)
* Time

Procedure:

1. Download and extract the .psd files here (http://www.vbulletin.com/members/membersupport.php)

2. Open button(s) up in Photoshop and double-click the button in the lower right corner, as seen below:

http://upload.pzind.com/upload_files/040104/2.JPG

3. Highlight and check the box for drop shadow, double-click the color box next to 'blend mode'. Now type in the hex color of the background of your board in the box that pops up and hit OK. Now hit OK to close the final box.(as shown below)

http://upload.pzind.com/upload_files/040104/3.JPG

4. Go to File -> Save as. Change format to 'Compuserve GIF (*.GIF) and save the file. (Hit OK twice in the windows that pop up.)

5. Upload to your server and you're done (well after you do like 50 more, you're done...)

Hopefully this will help some of you noobs. Any pros out there, please feel free to correct any errors.

Please let me know if this worked on your board. Thanks!

[ajk57]

Hi Fly, that's very helpful.

Can you do a tutorial to change the blue buttons to other colors?

Thank you!

[Fly]

I wish I knew how to do that, but I don't. I suck at Photoshop. I just managed to stumble on a way to fix the probelm with the new icons looking like ass on dark boards because of the anti-aliasing...

Sorry.

[tryckjävel]

Hi Fly, that's very helpful.

Can you do a tutorial to change the blue buttons to other colors?

Thank you!

open the image, go to "image | adjust | hue & saturation" you can play with the slider bars to get the color you want... if you want to make it all the same color just different shades put a check in "colorize"

[ajk57]

Thanks, I REALLY appriciate that.

One other quick question.

I have Photoshop 7 for PC.

It asks me what type of RGB output to set it to.
What do you recommend?

Thanks for the quick reply.

[TheMusicMan]

I use Ulead PhotoImpact and this is also very easily done using this app as well.

Just load the psd images you want to ammend the colour of, use the F2 key to bring up the EasyPalette, select the effect gallery, then applly whatever colour change you like from the plethora of selections available to you.

:)

[Mark.B]

open the image, go to "image | adjust | hue & saturation" you can play with the slider bars to get the color you want... if you want to make it all the same color just different shades put a check in "colorize"
All this seems to do is change the shade of blue.

How would you make the blue turn to, for example, red?

[Mark.B]

Well I amanged to get it red, but then it wouldn't resize to the correct size without going all blurred.

This sort of thing is claerly for expert graphic designers, I'll have to stick with my own straight-edge square buttons that I made for vb2. There is just no way an ordinary user can convert the vB3 buttons into colours other than blue, you need a degree in physics.

[TheMusicMan]

Not true Mark.B.... I am no web designer... how's this...?

[Mark.B]

Not true Mark.B.... I am no web designer... how's this...?
Aha...just about sussed it now from that, thanks.

Next thing is, how do I change the text colour in the buttons?

[Mark.B]

Aha...just about sussed it now from that, thanks.

Next thing is, how do I change the text colour in the buttons?

Ok I still haven't sorted out the text colour, but here's the three colours I have managed for my styles.

I still think Photoshop requires a degree in astrophysics. If it hadn't been for the helpful stuff in this thread and on the vB site I would never have sussed this in a thousand years. I still haven;t got the hang of it really, but never mind:D

Think the red ones would be better with yellow text as the style is red and yellow, but it seems to have been well received as it is.

Obviously the below are thumbnails, but they are ALMOST the correct size, so they look crap. Click the thumbnail to see the proper version!

[Blackhood]

Mark,

Want mine?

[tryckjävel]

Another trick to try... after you've adjusted the colors to near what you want... but it still looks faded to you? Go to Image | adjust | contrast & brightness... bump up the contrast a bit. Or you can go back into adjust hue & saturation and give it a bit more saturation.

[SiXXGuNNZ]

text color is easy, you need the large psd's tho, and edit the type, then change the color, resize them to 20% and away ya go.