Here you'll see the effect of some free filters which are widely available on the net, on the section of the background strip referred to as 'the bar'.
(see my Links Page for links to plugins pages - free and commercial filters)
I'll just be showing you the bars and the settings - the background strip and the graphic are up to you :-)
(don't forget there is a step by step for this on my site, you're not completely on your own...yet...)
Bar 1.  |
Bar 2. 
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Bar 3.  |
Bar 4. 
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Bar 5.  |
Bar 6. 
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Bar 7.  |
Bar 8. 
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Bar 9.  |
Bar 10. 
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Bars 11. 
Hopefully, this will have given you some ideas for bars. Play with filters to your heart's content, there's always the undo button...
Alternatively, you can take a section of the graphic, copy it to the clipboard, then make your bar selection, click Edit/Paste into selection, then apply the Simple Filter 4 Way Average. The colours have got to be right if they've been taken from the graphic.
I usually make my bar 15px wide and always slightly taller than the graphic so that it reaches above and below the graphic. This is so that when the entire stationery is finished, and you crop it to size, you'll crop the top and bottom of the bar and the drop shadow, thereby leaving a clean, seamless edge to both the bar and the shadow.
There are more help files available on my HOMEPAGE
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