Gradient bars are perhaps one of the most commonly used graphical effects in the world today. Widely implemented as building blocks for more complex designs, they are easy to create, simple to modify, and endlessly flexible. Testament to this fact, there are also many different ways to design them, all of which achieve the same result, albeit with varying build-times and flexibility. My method is rather long-winded when compared to some of the alternatives, but gives a result that is far more versatile and allows easy reuse of gradients with greater symmetry in complex designs. Best of all, it uses the layer effects functionality present in Photoshop, allowing bevels, shadows, and other simple effects to be applied with relative ease. |