In this tutorial I will shot you how to make a very nice looking glossy grey navigation menu for your web site.

(You can click on the images to view them in bigger size)

1.Start with a new document: 800px 150px. I’ll draw a shape with rectangle tool which I’ll use as a background. Color: 738594

2. Adding a place for the logo and description…

3.Take rounded rectangle tool with color: e3e3e3 and radius of 35px.

4.Now open the blending options of this shape and follow settings from next few images…
Drop shadow:

5. Inner glow:

6. Satin:

7.Gradient Overlay:

8.Now add some text with a nice font and lines between the buttons:

9.I’ll add 2 shapes for the roll over state!

10.Let’s continue with the search box… Draw 2 shapes like the example on the next image…

11.Copy and paste the same layer style like the navigation bar…

12. And add stroke to this layer style with color: 858585

13.Now take the Ellipse tool.

14. And draw a shape with it. This will be our GO button. Color: white.

15.Paste the same layer style like before…

16.Here we’ll change the stroke a little bit: Size:2 and Opacity: 19%

17.Add 2 texts Search and GO like in the next image…

18. Now let’s add a little bit of a glossiness… Draw a white shape over our first shape.

19.Take the rectangle tool and use subtract from shape area and cut the half of our new shape…

20.Lower the opacity: 25% and change the layer mode to Soft Light

21.You can move this new layer down… But at all we’re done

Hope you like it and it has been useful for you…

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There is a place out there I love to visit no matter what my mood is. It’s a place of beauty and I feel relaxed there. It’s a place where I feel free. I took this beautiful photo on the road of freedom. Hope you like it.

For full view, click on the image:

Copyright © Ali Chorov (A.D.K. ). All rights reserved.

My images may not be reproduced in any form without my written permission.

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In this tutorial I will show you a very interesting and nice effect for creating a Mosaic of photos from a photo in Photoshop. The final effect is very interesting and nice looking. I hope you’ll like it.

1. First step open new document in Photoshop and insert some image that you’ll like to use. The dimensions I use for this tutorial are: 1280px x 1024px.The image layer must be above the background image Like it’s shown in the picture:

2. Now duplicate the image layer and with free transform tool (CTRL+T) resize it a little bit and centre it in the middle of the white space.

3. Next, using rectangle tool make a shape, a little rectangle in the one of the corners of the image, duplicate it and then move it a side. Like in the next image.

4. Continue doing this until you have first row of rectangle shapes (little tip: if you rectangles don’t fit the image properly just use free transform tool select them all and resize them!),the easiest way to duplicate is: take the layer with the mouse and move down to the new layer icon:

5. To make the rectangles much more interesting, use free transfrom tool (CTRL+T) and warp feature there.

6. When you’re ready with all of this little rectangles, group all of them (CTRL+G) If you’re still not, because we’ll need that for the next step.

7. Once you have the first group of rectangles, take the group and move with the mouse to duplicate:

8. When you duplicate, a good idea here is to flip the group of rectangles horizontal or vertical, so they will not look all the same. This can be done for all the groups that will be duplicated.

9. To do it much faster take more than one group and continue to duplicate:

10. After you’re done with all that move to the next step where the easiest part comes:

11. Open one of the rectangles layer style window and here use the settings from below images:

12. Blending options custom: Fill opacity:0

13. Stroke: Size 1px colour: white.

14. Drop shadow: Angle: 175, Distance:1px, Spread:0px, Size 4px

15. Now you must copy this layer style to all other rectangles. Click with the right mouse button and choose Copy Layer style.

16. Then paste on all another. You can use Shift keyboard key to select the layers easily.

17. You must have something like in the picture below at the moment:

18. Almost the final ;D, The next step: need a selection of all of this rectangle shapes. TO do that Hold CTRL and click with the mouse on the Vector mask icons of little rectangle shape layers . This is a little boring here!

19. Once you have the selection of them, go and select your picture like shown in image below and hit shortcut CTRL+J.

20.Now you will have a new layer with images from the selection, a small little pictures that make the big one! Just hide the old layer of your picture and you’ll see it!

21. So to use this effect for every picture you want now, you just need to insert a picture. Move it to the centre make a selection of layer 1 in my case where the effect is used (no need to make selection of all rectangles one by one again!) and then hit CTRL +J and hide the old image layer. That’s all. Hope you liked it.

FINAL:

Hope you like it.

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Today I will present you again a new collection of free icons for your designs. This time I’ve searched for the newest icons which have been released in the period of January 01 – April 12 2010. So all of them are fresh and I guarantee that they are really nice. I hope you’ll like this huge collection of awesome icons.  Thanks to everyone from the world of design!

The icons I collected this time, are very different and you can use them in many projects and in a lot of ways. For your web sites, for your desktops with files and folders, interfaces and other.

Note: It’s important to read the fine-print before using any icon sets; although they are free, some of them may have restrictions for commercial use (or require that you give credit to the designer).

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Web Design icons:

Partner Controll site icons

Copenhagen

PixeloPhilia 32PX Icon Set

Basic Set 2

blue style 5 icons

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Art Icons:

This is ART Icons

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Windows icons:

Windows 7 icon

Windows 7 icon 2

Windows 8 icon

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Single icons:

Royal Badge Icon

Apple Fruit Logo

Icon design “bottle ship”

Icon of biplane

Bugs Bunny Icon

Binoculars

CANON 500D ICON

Pencils in a container

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Other icons:

Beginning…Android

Cartoon Icons Preview

Littlear icon

Don’t forget to visit the authors pages and thank them for this beautiful icons. They’re really awesome and useful, also read the requirements for using them in their pages.

Feel free to post any comments with questions, suggestions or critique any time and to share this post with your friends.

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Again I need some inspiration, and I think maybe you need too. I’ve searched for some vector cars in Deviantart and I have found a really great works. Here is collection of 25 amazing vector illustrations that I am sure you will like.

Vector art is one of my favourite art, I love doing it and I really enjoy the final results, especially when a person have passion and is talented he can make wonderful things. Here look at this beautiful works I have found and take your inspiration, I am sure you will enjoy them all, as they are really awesome and beautiful.

1. C-West Skyline – Vector by `dangeruss

2.Civic SS – Vector by `dangeruss

3. Jaguar-XF by ~jay-cozzy

4.NISSAN GT-R by ~mechanix-ugp

5.Vectra GT WTCC Vexel by ~proxe9

6.Toyota Celica Vector by ~steelwagon6

7.S15 Time Attack – Vexel by `dangeruss

8. Z28 Vector by ~stlcrazy

9. 69 Camaro SS by ~ygt-design

10.VECTOR Honda S2000 by ~hoshiboshi

11. Dodge Viper SRT-10::Vector art by ~Redxibi

12.Dodge Viper Vector by ~DesertViper

13.Honda S500-2 by ~GraphicDream

14. Chevelle Vector by ~licougarnut

15. Lotus Elise by ~solgas

16. Ford Mustang Vector Portrait by ~bobbyrock

17. Saleen S7R Vector by ~p3nx

18.Silvia S15 Vexel by ~p3nx

19.The Koenigsegg by ~Beowulf-Kennedy

20. Ferrari 575 GTC Toon by ~p3nx

21.Z-0range by ~CRWPitman

22. Corvette C6 by ~E-Serrano

23.Dodge Challenger Vector by ~Wrofee

24.Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 Edition by ~CRWPitman

25. Carrera GT by ~deeesuke

Awesome WOW, all of them are really inspirational. I hope you liked them, for more visit the pages of this authors and search throw their galleries.

Feel free to share and post your your replies to this post anytime.

Till the next time.

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This is the post with free AI file from the vector car tutorial. It is free for use in any way you like.

Preview image:

Vector car file download (771)

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In today post I will present you a new tutorial from me. It’s a detailed tutorial of how to make a vector car from photo in Adobe Illustrator.

In this tutorial I will show you the basic techniques and some tips for making vector objects using pen tool in Illustrator. For this tutorial we’ll not draw directly, but we’ll draw with pen tool over a photo. Before we start let’s choose a good photo, I will use a stock photo from sxc.hu which you can find here: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/953130

Photo we’ll use:

Step 1:

Open the car photo in Illustrator and take pen tool. Select yellow color and start drawing with pen tool on a new layer. Look my work on the image:

Step 2:

Continue the work with pen tool and look carefully about the details.

Step 3:

Continue the work with pen tool and look carefully about the details.

Step 4:

Continue the work with pen tool and look carefully about the details. Here I use lower opacity, so I can see better what’s going on around.

Step 5:

If you’re following the tutorial step by step, look carefully at the points I make.

Step 6:

If you’re following the tutorial step by step, look carefully at the points I make.

Step 7:

And here we’re almost at the final. After we close the path of this shape we’ll have the basic shape for the car, but we’ll need to make some changes for it.

Step 8:

We will need the Pathfinder panel so if it’s not open go to Window menu and choose Pathfinder

Step 9:

We need to cut out the windows and the lights and also some other parts of our car. Let’s start with this light below. Begin to draw with the pen tool and make the exact same shape.

Step 10:

When you’re ready with the shape, select on both shapes, the both and the one for the light then click on Subtract from Shape Area button in Pathfinder panel

Step 11:

Using the same technique you can cut out the other parts. Below is the result you should have if everything is done right.

Step 12:

The next thing is to draw some of parts which are black and behind the body of the car. Do this on a new layer and move it below the 1st one.

Step 13:

Again on a new layer draw the windows shapes.

Step 14:

Next let’s continue with the wheels. Begin to draw the threads of the tire.

Step 15:

When you’re done with them draw the tire. It should be behind them so make on new layer again and move it below.

Step 16:

Use the oval tool and draw a shape. Then you can adjust it using free transform and direct select tool.

Step 17:

Copy and paste this exact shape and make it smaller. Then select both shapes and click on Subtract from shape area button in Pathfinder panel.

Step 18:

Using the same techniques let’s make the other wheel.

Step 19:

Also making of the rims can be done using same methods. This is the car until now.

Step 20:

Now make the sign for the car number using pen tool.

Step 21:

Lower the opacity of the car body start to draw the lines of the car, but use only border color here.

Step 22:

Continue that for all the lines of the car.

Step 23:

Make the light shade for the windows. Draw them choose white color and lower the opacity.

Step 24:

You can also use a gradient color for them. Here is how they look now.

Step 25:

Make the lights of the car using the same techniques and methods we have used until now.

Step 26:

Here’s a whole car preview again: Here I have add the handle for the door.

Step 27:

In that way you can add all the details you like for the car, it takes some time but at the end the results are better if you spent more time on it. Here I also played a bit with some colors and so on.

Step 28:

Now let’s make some shades of light for the car. There is very different methods for making this, you can use mesh tool or gradient colors. It depends on you, here I will show you simple way. Just draw the shape where you see most of the lights reflection are and choose white color for them.

Step 29:

When you’re done, lower the opacity a bit, as much as you like.

Step 30:

And here I also add a shadow beyond the car. Black color with lower opacity.

Final:

Here is the final vector car we have. I hope you like it.

Thank you for reading this. I hope you like it and you’ve learned something here. Or at least you find it a bit fun. In a separate post later I will give you the free Ai file of this vector car so don’t miss it.

Feel free to share this tutorial with your friends and you’re welcome to comment and ask any questions or to say you critique.

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One of the most important things in web design and development is using of beautifully created icons.  Designing Icons is hard, you need to have talent, skills, ideas, knowledge and good software to produce your work. From this words that I have said, you can have the software, you can have the ideas and knowledge, maybe you’ll have some skills in design too, but there is 1 thing that’s not always there. It’s the talent! In this post I would like to present you, one really talented with those gift to design icons artist.

His name is  Asher and he call himself Kyo-tux , you can find him and his works on his Deviantart page here: Kyo Tux

He and his beautiful works are really famous, he ussualy give his works for free use with some requirements and permissions which you can read in his profile:

It’s possible that you have used some of his icons and you didn’t know about it. You can find his sets of icons also on
Tutorial9 and IconFinder and other web site for free icons.

We’re also very happy to inform you about his new release set of icons Nixus which you can find here:

NiXUS

and new social set of icons Roundy

Roundy

Download this set from here

This are really a great set of icons and we’re thankful to him.

Here are some of his old set of icons possibly you already saw or used before:

Soft Icons

For all of his Icons and works you can visit his gallery here Kyo-tux gallery

Hope you liked them and don’t forget to share and comment.

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I have just finished my latest artwork called I love the coffee smell. It’s made from scratch in Photoshop and Illustrator. In this post I will show you the final artwork and a brief explanation of how I made it.

It’s a mix of vectors and paintings which give this nice look and feel. Hope you like this.

Step 1

First I started this artwork willing to design a simple cup of coffee in Illustrator. So the first image was this cup I designed:

The cup looked nice but too simple. I was not satisfied of this result. So a friend suggest me to change the colors of this.

Step 2

The more good looking coloured cup:

This one is much better, the red colors give a new look of the cup and they fit good with the hearts.

Step 3

Need a background:

The beautiful cup need a beautiful background. So I have copied the cup from Illustrator and paste in Photoshop as a Smart object. Started to play with the brush tool, adding the background, the table first, the window and the curtains. Feels better but still simple.

Step 4

This curtains does not look so much good. Change them!

Here a friend give me those suggestions: The curtains not look good, add book and maybe a vase and work on the window. Yes this tips are useful and exactly good critique. The book and the pen are vector here. Other objects just a drawing.

Step 5

This curtains need to be more transparent.

That is a good tip again for this artwork and definitely worked well. Just played a bit with the opacity of the curtains layer to make them a bit more transparent.

Step 6

Add a picture at the wall and we’re done.

So added a picture and moved the cup and the book around till I like it. That’s my final artwork.

Hope you like it and feel free to reply to this with your questions, suggestions or critique.

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In the past 4-5 months I was working on this blog from time to time, as some of you may know, I prommised that I will build this blog from nothing and I will make a post and tutorials for everything I am doing here. Since now the design have been changed 3 times. At the beginning it was just a white space with only texts and no CSS or any images.

In the next image you can see the 3 themes I have designed and used here from the begining. They were just for learning me and my readers who need this basic info of designing and using themes for wordpress.

So after all this is the final theme. It will remain like this until I get bored with it. In the future you can expect a lot of posts here. Generally articles about design, some tutorials about my work, posts for inspiration,  sharing artwork and useful information mostly about design.

It take me some time to understand everything about Wordress, but now I can do a theme and use it here for 2-3 days. I am sure that if you looked at my tutorials you surely learned something. See ya in my next posts.

Feel free to ask me anything, I am here to answer you questions always.

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