You will also find a very useful Hourly Rates Calculator so you can find out what you should be charging for your work.

Paths saved with an image appear when you open it again. In Windows, the Photoshop, JPEG, DCS, EPS, PDF, and TIFF formats support paths. In Mac OS, all available file formats support paths.

The advantage of using a format like JPEG for example is that the file size is very low (about 10 times smaller) as compared to a PSD file wich might come in handy if you need to transfer a lot of files over the internet for example.

When you use a pen or shape tool to create a work path, the new path appears as the Work Path in the Paths palette. The Work Path is temporary; you must save it to avoid losing its contents (renaming it will do). If you deselect the Work Path without saving it and start drawing again, a new path will replace the existing one.

Base image (courtesy of MorgueFile):

Here’s how you do it:

First click on the image below to open it in a new window. You will need it for most of the steps (the numbers on the image are the step numbers).

1. With the images layer selected click on the pen tool
2. Click on the Paths palette
3. Click on “Create new path” and rename the new path layer to save it (see introduction).
4. Select the new path layer
5. Click on “Add to path layer (+)”
6. Create the path arround the lock using the pen tool.

7. Create the path arround the key. After that you will only have to cut out the hole in the key witch takes us to step 8.
8. Select “Substract from path area (-)” (see in the large image) and then create the path arround the key hole.
9a. You can now save the image in JPEG and Photoshop will include the path automaticaly. The image below has the cut-path in it. Open it in Photoshop to see path (you need to use “Save As”, you cannot get the path with “Copy Image”).

9b.Alternitavely you can cut-out the object by clicking on “Load path as selection” and then hitting Ctrl+J.

10. Enjoy!

Here’s how you do it:

1. Create a new document of 200px by 200px

2. Select the Round rectangle tool

3. Draw a rectangle like in the image below and set it’s color to #1d4b98

4. Double-click the layer and apply a gradient overlay with the settings shown below.

5. Duplicate the layer with the square (Select the layer and press Ctrl+J) and make it a bit smaller.

6. Using the pen tool draw a wavy shape above the 2 layers.

7. Select the new shape layer by holding down Ctrl and clicking the Shape in the Layer pallette.

8. Intersect that selection with the shape of the small blue square by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift and clicking on the Shape in the layer pallette.

9. Delete the Layer with the red wavy shape since we won’t be needing it anymore.

10. Create a new empty layer by pressing Crtl+Shift+N and make sure you still have the previous selection like below.

11. Select the gradient tool and set the gradient to linear from #2a60a2 to #5d9fd8

12. Aplly the gradient to the new layer you just created from the bottom of the selection to the top at a slight angle to the left.

13. Deselect the layer.

14. Make a new selection 2px wide on the left side of the square.

15. Fill the new selection with white. Press Shift+F5 and use the settings below.

16, Select the Eraser tool, right-click on the document, put in a diameter of arround 110px and 0% hardness and take a bit off the top and bottom of the white line.

17. Write the “Ps” text on the document.For the font I used Myriad Pro, Bold, 144pt. and then apply a gradient overlay to teh font layer like below.

18. This is how the final icon should look. You can play with it more and customize it how you want or change the colors and make the other Creative Suite icons.

It’s a 3D button in various colours.

Download PSD file.

You are free to use it wherever you want for personal or commercial projects, no attribution necessary.