GUI buttons glow/flash/fade between textures

I'm new to Unity but not new to programming. I want to make the majority of my GUI from buttons that glow on mousover, flash and fade on click, and fade back when on mouseout - Sort of like the Deus Ex series.

It would also be nice if I could apply a hue/tint to the entire button that the end-user can eventually set in their preferences.

Before I waste hours of time, what is the best way to do this? Thanks.