Eyeball FxZone: Photoshop tutorials and tips

After FX Tutorials : Inset Patterns


This inset effect is a useful way for setting design patterns on interfaces and will work on most surfaces. This effect uses certain designs or patterns and softlight layer modes to create the inset effect on the interface or any other surface.


Figure 01



First you will need the pattern in white. I created white button patterns to create an inset effect for my navigation bar and positioned them on my navbar(fig. 2).


Figure 02



Change the layer mode of the layer containing the white pattern from normal to softlight via the layers palette.


Figure 03



Make a duplicate copy of the layer with the pattern. Select the duplicate layer then move the contents of the layer 1 pixel up and 1 pixel right using the move tool and the arrow keys. Inverse the color and the inset effect should come out.


Figure 04



To make the inset effect darker or lighter,
make a duplicate copy of the either the white pattern or the black pattern then reduce the opacity of the new duplicate to control the brightness or darkness of the inset. For this tutorial, I made my inset a little darker to give emphasis on the button area.

Figure 05


Download the PSD file for this tutorial.
afterfx08.zip 25 kb
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