Clear Objects off Canvas

[Clear Objects off Canvas]

I'm having a hard time removing these buttons from the canvas while maintaining the Fading properties of the canvas. Advice?

[Selection Problem]

I'm having a hard time trying to cutout this button. The button and background are so close in color that the Wand tool can't seem to differentiate. Any tricks I need to know about?

 

[Smooth Edges]

1) How do you put a 1pt border around an object?

2) How do you deselect a portion of a magic wand selected area.

[Smooth Edges]

What's the sampling Image / Layer? What does that do?

[Smooth Edges]

I've cut out a button from an image, and the edge looks a little jagged. Is there a way to smooth out the edge?

Or if someone has a set of Tivo Remote Buttons laying around.

[Icon Gloss Affect]

Where do I put these plugins? Effects folder?

[Icon Gloss Affect]

If I need to make the background transparent, what's the 'proper' way? I've been magic wanding the background, and deleting selection. Is there a better way? I know I can highlight the object and copy-paste onto an opaque background. Any tricks to retain fidelity of the image.

[Icon Gloss Affect]

That's Perfect! Thanks! I apparently need to look into this 'Hue' Sorcery.

[Icon Gloss Affect]

I'm new.. I managed to color this icon Red, but how do I create the lighting/shading affects? And, my icon seems to be awful jaggy, ideas on what I did wrong?