There are many ways of making web buttons. In this tutorial we are going to make a fancy shaped one using the Button Button font. If you do not have this font, you can download it from:

Link to Mardiweb to download Button Button font

Select the text tool, and set up the parameters as shown below

Click in the middle of the rose texture, and in the text box type an upper case 'G' and click OK. The white button shape will appear in the centre as shown below. Use the basic selection tool, and open the options box to make sure that Preserve Base Image is checked.	Click in the centre of the button shape and drag it outside the rose texture box. It will appear as an object in its own box, surrounded by a selection marquee as shown below.

Click on the rose texture to make it the current image, use Edit/Selection/Select All and click on the copy button.

Click on the button to make it the current selection. Use Edit/Paste/Into Selection. The rose texture will appear in the button shape with a small cross in the centre. Move the texture around the shape with the mouse until the arrangement of roses in the window pleases you, and then left click. The cross will disappear and the texture be fixed in the button. Leave the button selected, as shown on the right.

Now use Web/Button Designer/Any Shape, set the parameters as shown below, and click OK, then use Edit/Select/Merge All.

You now have the basic button which we can customize for links, email, page selection etc. (below left). Since it will be modified before it is used for a web page button, it should be saved as a bitmap, rather than a transparent gif. The individual buttons made from it will be saved as gifs with the transparent background. So save it as button.bmp.

Below right is a preview of what it will look like against the textured background on a web page.