Here's how you can make a simple, yet beautiful Search Vista icon

with 5 layers and just a few crucial Photoshop effects.

UPDATE  27/09/2007: Some steps corrected, some simplified, and psd file added for download:

     SearchVistaIcon.psd (150.40 kb)
 

Before we start, you can download my three free inGradients: 

     inGradients2.grd (17.18 kb)

Here's how you save and activate them. (Note that you don't need them if you downloaded the psd file.)

Now we're set. 

 
1. First open a new Photoshop document, size 256 x 256 px. Create a new layer, name it "Frame". Choose the Elipse tool, and set the elipse options to 182 x 182 px.

  Click to create the elipse. Right-click this layer and Rasterize it. drag it to the center of the image. Use Grid to help you. 

Duplicate this layer and name it „ Lens“. In Layers window, drag it under the Frame and turn it off for now.

  2. Choose the Select tool, take the Fixed size style and set it to 145 x 145 px.

  click on the Frame layer  to create the selection,  positon it to the center, as pictured...

...and hit the Delete key .

                        3. Now we'll dress up this layer. Go to layer style button (f) and add a Gradient Overlay.  It is the third from the end of my inGradients.  Copy these settings:

And Bevel and Emboss settings:

As Shadow Mode color, use #170237.

4. The Frame is finished. Now turn on the Lens layer. Add the Gradient to it (the next inGradient) and these settings:

 
To make it look more like a lens, we'll add Inner Glow as well:

(Use a more whiter color than the default Inner Glow one.)  

TIP: You can decrease the opacitiy of this whole layer if you're combining it with some multi-toned background.

5. Now select both the Frame and Lens layers and drag them to the top left corner of the image, two pixels from the edge.

6. Now to make a handle: create a new layer, name it Handle. Choose the Rounded Rectangle tool, copy the settings and create the handle:

Go to Edit ->Transform path ->Rotate and set to -45%, and hit Enter.

7. To dress it up, apply my last inGradient to it, copy settings:

Add Bevel and Emboss:

And Inner Glow, with a blue color #56c3da :

8. Position this layer to the bottom right corner, with a few pixels more away from  the bottom edge.

9. Now to create the little metal handle, make another Rounded Rectangle, only smaller: 24px x 44 px.

Rotate it the same -45°, and position under all layers, and as pictured:

 
Replace the Gradient with the Frame gradient, reverse it and turn off Inner Glow.

10. Now we'll add a little shadow. Create a new layer under all layers. Set the foreground color to #170237

Click once to create the shadow. Go to Edit-> Transform path -> Scale, and scale it about the same as in the first image.

Decrease the opacity of the layer to around 40%. 

Drag the shadow as you wish, make sure it doesn't go over the edge and - you're done!

You can dress it up with some text like I did, scale it as little as you want to, it won't lose any of it's charm. Good Photoshopping!