Photoshop Tutorial – Creating 3D Text Effect with Blending Options

This is first Photoshop tutorial on CodeFear.com. We are focusing on creating many Photoshop tutorials in future and start an ongoing series of Photoshop tutorials.

In this tutorial you would learn how to play with various blending options and image manipulation techniques to come up with a three dimensional (3D) text effect like the one displayed below.

Final Image

Step 1 : Background

Use the color #011923 to fill the background layer. Then go to Filter, Noise and choose the Add Noise Effect. Set the percentage value for the Amount to 2% and keep the distribution to Uniform. Make sure the “Monochromatic” check box it ticked.

Step 2 : Soft Light

Make a new layer and pick up the brush tool and choose a radius as big as your canvas. Make sure the hardness is set to 0%. Choose the white color and apply the brush at the center of the canvas. Once that is done go to the blending options of the layer and change the Normal value to Soft Light.

Step 3 : Text Tool

For this particular step you would need to download and install a font. Follow the link below and install the font on your system.

http://www.dafont.com/youre-gone.font

Once downloaded and installed, go back to Photoshop and choose the text tool. Choose the font “You’re Gone” for your text and type in “CODEFEAR” (with all capital letters) at the center of the canvas.

Step 4 : 3D Effect

Duplicate the text layer and move it below the original layer (in the layer palette). Once done, change the color of the text to black. Move the text a few pixels away from the original text and you would see a basic 3D effect.

Step 5 : Layer Style

Go to the Layer Style of the original text layer and apply the following options.
(See next 4 Image for this step)

Step 6 : Elliptical Marquee Tool

Rasterize the top text layer. After that choose the elliptical marquee tool and make a selection as shown in the image below. Copy the selection and paste it on a new layer.

Step 7 : Pattern

Go to the layer style of the new layer created in the previous step. Choose the pattern option and apply the following details.

Step 8 : Color Overlay

Choose the text layer providing the 3D look, colored in black, and go to the Layer Style options. Choose the Color Overlay and apply #868781 for your color overlay. Once that’s done tick the Drop Shadow option and apply the following details.

Step 9 : Grunge Brushes

You would need to download grunge brushes for this particular step. You can find these brushes from brusheezy.com. Once downloaded and installed in your system, open up the Photopshop file. Press CTRL and right click on the original text layer. This would automatically load the selection. Create a new layer and apply the newly downloaded and installed brush over the new layer (within the selection). Choose color #011923 for your brush. Once done with the process, change the blending options of the layer to Overlay.

Step 10 : Motion Blur

Choose the background text layer and duplicate it. Move it to a lower position in the layer palette. Then go to Filter, Blur and choose the Motion Blur option. Use the following details for this effect.

Step 11 : Final Touches

And that’s basically it. Now that you have a basic skeleton, you can play around with various blending options and effects. I have played around with the Outer Glow option in the Layer Style of the background text layer. This has enabled a green outline (so to speak) covering the whole text area. Similarly you can play around with a number of ideas, for example playing with textures for the background etc.

Please share your opinion about this tutorial and suggest for future Photoshop tutorial.