In this tutorial I will show you how to make a custom user bar. These are a little are a little images that can display stuff that you like and use and it can be really fun making them, you can make whatever user bar you want!

In this tutorial I will show you how to make a custom user bar.

I will be making a Photshop CS user bar.

1) Make a new document with sizes widht: 350 height: 19 with a transparent background.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut1.jpg

2) Make a suitable gradient and apply it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut2.jpg

3) Now get a logo, when I usually search for images i use Google Images, find your logo and open it up in Photoshop.

4) Now it's time to remove your logo from the background, get the polygonal lasso tool and carefully cut it out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut3.jpg

5) Now go to Edit > Copy, then open the user bar document (the one where you applied a gradient), then create a new layer and go to Edit > Paste.

6) Now with this layer selected go to Edit > Transform > Scale and resize your logo or reposition it if you wish.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut4.jpg

7) Now right click on the layer and select Blending Options and give it a little outer glow with these settings:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut5.jpg

8) Now make a new layer and get the Elliptical Marquee Tool and drag it from about point 1 to point 2.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut6.jpg

9) Now get the Gradient Tool and use these settings:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut7.jpg

and now drag it vertical from point 1 to point 2:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut8.jpg

10) And now you have a nice light effect, create a new layer and fill it with a 45 degree scanline with opacity from 10% - 15%
if you don't have a 45 degree scanline make a new document with dimensions 3x3 with a transparent background and do a maximum zoom,
now get the pencil tool (make shure your color is set to black) and draw what I've done in this picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut9.jpg

When you are done go to Edit > Define Pattern and name it what you want and click ok.
Now you can close this document because the pattern is permanently saved in Photoshop.

Here is what you should have so far:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut11.jpg

11) Now it's time to put some text, I will use font Visitor which you can get from this link: http://dafont.com/en/search.php?nq=1&q=visitor
type your text then right click on your layer and go to Blending Options and use these settings:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut10.jpg

Here is what I have so far:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut12.jpg

12) Now for the final step is to add a border, create a new layer and hold CTRL and click on the bottom layer. You should have the
"running ants" around yor document, now go to Edit > stroke and use these settings then click OK:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tut13.jpg

And now you are done!

Here is my final result:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/photoshopcs_user.jpg

here are all the user bars I've made:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/computeraddict_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/FF_userbar.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/msn_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/flashmx_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/photoshopcs_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/windowsxp_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/WMP_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/toilet_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/toiletroll_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/tvset_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/fridge_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/google_lover.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/onionskin_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/A-10_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/gmail_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/oxygen_user.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/KizZ/csplayer_user.jpg

Enjoi! :)

Thats awesome ^_^

But uh.. I don't have photoshop >_>

nice tut indeed. and for the people that can't do it in photoshop, and have the Winamp mp3 player on their comp, (i really suggest it, screw windows media, may god help you if you use that) you can take each seperate number and letter and componant from the default winamp skin and edit it to your heart's content in photoshop OR the free ps-ish program GIMPshop. link- www.plasticbugs.com . search for GIMPshop.

is there a way you can make them bars into an animation by putting different bars together

Sweet! Im a squirrel user now =P

I will make one tomorrow. woth flash 0_0. or gimp......
to tired

cool how do u make them with flash i wanna make some

kk but still is there a way to do them in flash?

This is a great tutorial which can be used for lots of other thngs also. What i dont get is why everyone is using PC's for all their programs? I have all of my programs on a mac.....its annoying to constantly see windows Xp bars and stuff....

i think i have a different version of photoshop then you cuz some off ur instructions are looking diffent in my version... O.o lame lol.

Quote from animator (B)

cool how do u make them with flash i wanna make some

You can't make an user bar in flash. You can try but it will look like sh!t, I guarantee you.

hey kizz wat version of ps are you using cos i can't find an elliptical marquee tool. im using cs2, do u know of a substitute?

CS2 is the latest version of PS so you must have it (duh). Hold your mouse click on the Rectangular marquee tool or right click on it and a menu like this should pop out:

You can also use my user bars but you gotta give me credit tho.