Create a Glowing Power Button

In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a glowing power button in Graphic for iPad.

For starters you will learn how to setup a simple grid, how to create the main shapes and how to easily center them. Using basic vector shape building techniques and some stroke tricks, you will learn how to create that power symbol. Taking full advantage of the Effects pane, you will learn how to add complex shading and highlights for your shapes.

Finally, you will learn how to add a bit of color to your final button using vibrant colors along with the Outer Glow effect.

Step 1

From the Documents Browser, tap the plus button at the top-right corner of the Titlebar and choose the Grid document style.

Select Pixels for the base units, set the Width and the Height to 600 px, and then tap the Create button.

Next, we'll set up the document grid. Focus on the right side of the Titlebar and tap the ruler icon to open the Properties panel and go to the Grid pane.

Make sure that the Snap to Grid feature is enabled and keep in mind that this is where you should come whenever you wish to enable or disable the grid or the Snap to Grid. Finally, open that Grid Settings pane, enter 5 px in both Spacing boxes and 0 lines in the Subdivisions box.

Step 2

Focus on the Toolbar and notice that by default the Fill color is set to white while the Line color is set to black. Tap the Fill color well and set its color to R=6 G=115 B=179 and then tap the Line color well. Drag the Alpha slider to 0% and this will make your line invisible.

Pick the Ellipse Tool, move to your canvas and create a 130 px circle - the grid and the Snap to Grid feature will ease your work.

Make sure that your shape stays selected and open the Arrange pane from the Properties panel. Simply tap the Align Horizontal and  Align Vertical buttons to bring your circle in the center of the canvas.

Step 3

Focus on your Toolbar, set the Fill color to R=226 G=170 B=0 and make sure that the Ellipse Tool is still active. Create a 120 px circle and center it using the same Align Horizontal and Align Vertical  buttons from the Arrange pane.

Return to your Toolbar and set the Fill color to R=44 G=163 B=15. Create a 110 px circle and center it.

Step 4

Set the Fill color to R=20 G=20 B=25, make sure that the Ellipse Tool is still active and create a 40 px circle. Replace the existing Fill color with a random yellow and switch to the Rectangle Tool. Create a 40 x 20 px shape and place it exactly as shown in the second image.

Focus on the bottom side of your yellow rectangle and pick the Path Selection Tool. First, select the right anchor point and remove it using the X button from the left side of your Titlebar. Next, select the other anchor point and drag it 20 px to the right. Switch to the Move Tool and select both shapes made in this step. Open the Combine pane and tap the Subtract button.

Step 5

Make sure that your dark shape stays selected, remove the fill color and open the Appearance panel. Focus on the Stroke pane, drag the Width slider to 8 pt and then tap the color well. Replace the existing color with R=20 G=20 B=25 and drag the Alpha slider to 100%.

Step 6

Make sure that your dark path is still selected and pick the Pen Tool. Focus on the newly opened Tool Options pane and activate the Cut Paths mode. Move to your canvas and tap the anchor point highlighted in the first image to cut your selected path.

Switch to the Path Selection Tool, select the oblique path highligthed in the second image and remove it using the X button from your Titlebar. Using the same tool, select the anchor point highlighted in the third image and get rid of this using that same X button.

Select the remaining path, focus on the Stroke pane and check that Round Cap button. In the end things should look like in the third image.

Step 7

Using the Pen Tool, create a 15 px, vertical path and place it as shown in the following image. Make sure that it stays selected and focus on the Stroke pane.

Set the color to R=20 G=20 B=25, drag the Width slider to 8 pt and don't forget to check that Round Cap button.

Step 8

Reselect the two paths that make up your power symbol, go to the Path pane and tap that Outline Stroke button. Make sure that the resulting shapes are selected, move to the Combine pane and tap the Make Compound Path button. Select this compound path and center it using the same Align Horizontal and Align Vertical buttons from the Arrange pane.

Step 9

Select your blue circle and focus on the Effects pane. First, tap the Fill color well and replace the existing color with R=25 G=25 B=30.

Next, check the box that stands for the existing Drop Shadow effect to activate it and then select it. Enter 1 in the Y box and 0 in the other two boxes and then tap the color well that stands for this effect. Replace the existing color with white (R=255 G=255 B=255) and drag that Alpha slider to 15%. Return to the Effects pane, tap the cogwheel icon that stands for your Drop Shadow and then tap Blend Mode. Select Soft Light from that list and then tap that Done button.

Step 10

Make sure that your 130 px circle stays selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Add a second Drop Shadow using the plus button from the bottom, right corner of the pane and then enter the attributes shown below.

Step 11

Make sure that your 130 px circle is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane panel. Activate the existing Inner Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown in the following image.

Step 12

Select your yellow circle, focus on the Effects pane and tap the color well that stands for the Fill. Tap the Gradient and the Linear buttons, set the Angle to 90 degrees and then move to the gradient sliders. Select the left one and set its color to R=25 G=25 B=30 and then select the right one and set its color to R=35 G=35 B=40.

Step 13

Make sure that your 120 px circle stays selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate the existing Inner Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 14

Make sure that your 120 px circle is still selected, keep focusing on the Effects pane and add a second Inner Shadow. Select this new effect and enter the attributes shown in the following image.

Step 15

Make sure that your 120 px circle is still selected, keep focusing on the Effects pane and add a third Inner Shadow. Select this new effect and enter the attributes shown in the following image.

Step 16

Make sure that your 120 px circle is still selected, keep focusing on the Effects pane and activate the Drop Shadow effect. Select it and enter the attributes shown in the following image.

Step 17

Make sure that your 120 px circle is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Select the Stroke and drag it below all those active effects. Move the Width slide to 1 pt, set the Alignment to Outside and the Blending Mode to Soft Light and then tap the color well that stands for this Stroke. Make sure that the color is set to black and drag the Alpha slider to 10%.

Step 18

Select your green circle and focus on the Effects pane. Select the Fill and replace the existing color with the linear gradient shown below.

Step 19

Make sure that your 110 px circle stays selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate the existing Drop Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 20

Make sure that your 110 px circle is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Add a second Drop Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 21

Make sure that your 110 px circle is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Add a third Drop Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 22

Make sure that your 110 px circle is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate the existing Inner Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 23

Select your power symbol shape and focus on the Effects pane. Select the existing Stroke and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 24

Make sure that your power symbol shape stays selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate that Inner Glow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 25

Make sure that your power symbol shape is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate that Inner Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 26

Make sure that your power symbol shape is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate that Drop Shadow effect and enter the attributes shown below. This will be the off version of your button.

Step 27

For the on version of the button you will have to make some changes to that power symbol shape. Make sure that it's selected and focus on the Effects pane.

First, select the Fill and replace the existing color with R=1 G=174 B=14 and then tap the color well that stands for the Inner Glow effect and drag the Alpha slider to 100%.

Step 28

Make sure that your power symbol shape is still selected and keep focusing on the Effects pane. Activate the Outer Glow effect and enter the attributes shown below.

Step 29

Finally, you can replace the green with one of the colors shown in the following images.

Feel free to try different colors or to adjust the effects applied to the power symbol shape as you prefer.

Finished Design

Congratulations, you've finished the tutorial!

Hope you've enjoyed learning some of the techniques and processes presented in these steps. As always, feel free to adjust the final design and make it your own.