Creating a realistic 3d glossy button is something that every photoshop user should have in their portfolio of how to’s. You can create such in a few easy steps which i am going to now show you.The first thing you need to do is create a new document in Photoshop. It doesn’t matter what size document you create.

I am now going to fill this document with a dark background colour however you can use any colour you like here depending on what colour you want your button to be. Once you have done this, grab the Rounded Rectangle tool from your toolbox:

The rounded rectangle tool has a number of options in the top section of your workspace. Make sure your settings look like this:

Pick a colour of your choice. I have chosen to go for blue however you can pick whichever shade of colour you like. Once happy with your colour, draw a rectangle similar to that below.

Rasterize the layer you have just created. To do this just right click layer your layer and click on Rasterize Layer. Once you have done this, right click again and click on Duplicate Layer.

Rename both layers. I have chosen Button Top and Button Bottom so i know which layer is which. We are now going to start adding effects to our button. To give your button the 3D effect, you will need to make your bottom layer a darker shade than your top layer. Select your bottom layer in your layer palette and navigate to  Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Increase your Lightness to the settings below. Don’t worry if you can’t see a change as the bottom layer is currently hidden under the top on the button.

We now need to move the top layer to give it a 3D look. Select your top layer in your layer palette and using your arrow keys, click up until your button starts to look like the below:

We now need to add some detail to the top of our button. Hold down CTRL and click on the Layer to select your top shape. Then go to Select > Modify > Contract, and set it to 1 pixel. Once you have done this, grab your burn tool from your toolbox. Make sure your settings look like this:

Drag the burn tool from left to right across the top of your selection to add some definition to the top of our button.

Deselect the layer, and right click your top button in the layers palette and click on Blending Options. Once there, apply these settings:

Now, apply different settings to your bottom layer:

At this point, we have this:

Now we are going to add a shine effect to the button. Select your brush and set them to these settings:

Now make sure you have your Foreground and Background set to Black and White. Press ‘D’ to do so if you haven’t. Then press X to switch them. Now select your Pen Tool and make sure you have it set on “Paths”, Not shape Layers. To set this, just simply click on the icon on the Pen Tool Bar located above:

Now on your button, click on the bottom of your button at the outermost left hand corner. Click again at the outermost right hand corner. Now Create a new layer in your layer palette. With your pen tool still highlighted, right click on the Path you have just drawn and select  “Stroke Path”. Apply these settings:

Then right click on the Path again and select “Delete Path”. Now your button should look something like this:

Let’s add some more detail. First select the Dodge tool, and set the settings to this:

Now select your top layer by pressing CTRL and clicking on your layer. Click in the middle of your top layer until you get a nice highlighted centre. For a final touch, grab the Burn Tool and select your bottom layer. Draw two straight lines at either side of your button. You should now have something that looks like this:

 

Almost there! Now a final touch is to add a glossy reflection. Duplicate your top later and remove all styles from your layer. Right click once more on this layer and click on Color Overlay. Set the colour to white and set the layer opacity to 48%. Your button and layer palette should now look like so.

Grab a large soft brush and select your eraser. With your eraser positioned at the bottom of your button and a small amount of the layer outside of the circle, click once. Once you are happy with the portion that is remaining, click on Filter > Blur > and Gaussian Blur and apply a 2px blur to your layer.

That’s it! You’re done!  Add your text layer for your button and voila. You now have a nice 3d glossy button. Here is my final product: