Photoshop 3D Text Effect–Metallic Text

Creating 3D text effects in Photoshop is an enjoyable tutorial along with great scope to apply them. 3D texts can be used almost anywhere – Designs, Banners, Letterheads, Logo, Signature, Webpage, Front Page, Presentation the potentials are unlimited and it always make a difference in comparison with normal 2D text in viewer’s mind and feelings.

The Photoshop 3D Text Effect described here is a basic Metal Effect that gives a finished reddish metal outlook for any text. The method is easy and can be learned quickly when described here so organized step by step process with pictures to assist the learner.

This tutorial can be done by Adobe Photoshop CS5 and backward compatible to all versions like CS4, CS3, CS2 and others, The pictures and the tutorial are done in the Photoshop CS5 Extended Edition Here but can be understood in any versions of Photoshop, only some of the dialogue boxes can be in changed look but the basic features will always remain the same for creating 3D Text Effect in Photoshop.

After opening the Photoshop, a new file is required to create. Click File -> New or use Ctrl + N keyboard Command. In the new file dialog box, give any name as required, change the present to custom, Change the measurement Unit to Pixels then make the Height to 900, Width to 600, Resolution 300 Pixels per Inch, Change the color Mode to RGB, keep the Color Depth & Background Content intact, which is 8 Bit & White by Default.

Next task is to write text. Change the foreground color to #332222 by clicking on the color square box. The color is changed; now have to apply it to the canvas. Select the pain Bucket Tool by pressing the G or Shift + G on the keyboard, next fill the canvas with selected foreground color by clicking on the canvas by the pain bucket tool.

Next step is writing. Select the Horizontal Type Tool from left hand panel or click T on the keyboard to bring the text writing tool. When clicked on the canvas, a text layer is automatically created to contain that text. Write in any font or any size you want, the font settings used here is Century Gothic Bold with font Size of 24 Pt. Font Color can be changed by changing Foreground Color, easy keyboard shortcuts to change the foreground color to white is D and X that marks Default & Invert accordingly and change foreground color to white and background color to black.

The text may be placed by wrong alignment, to make them in correct alignment, select both the layers by holding the Ctrl button, then go to Menu Bar -> Layer -> Align. Then select both Vertical Alignment & Horizontal Alignment to place the text in exact middle of the canvas.

Further step will be to create a new layer, click Layer -> New Layer from the Menu Bar. Then change the foreground color of that layer by 90% Grey by Swatches Menu, which can be available from the ‘Design’ Mode of Photoshop. Go to Filter -> Render -> Lens Flare in menu bar and use the following data Brightness: 125, Lens Type: 50-300mm Zoom. Then go to Layers Palette and Alt-click on the line between “Awesome” and “Metal” layers for masking the “Metal” layer.

Right Click on the Text layer, select Blending Options. Click on the Drop Shadow and change the following- Angle to 90 Degree, Distance 2 Pix, and Size to 8 Pix. Keep the other parameters intact. Then again select the Bevel & Emboss Button, change the Style to Inner Bevel, Depth to 100%, Angle to 90, Direction to Up, Size to 0 and Altitude to 65.

Further work remains to add glare effect in background too. Select the bottom background layer, Go to Filter -> Render -> Lens Flare in menu bar and use the following data Brightness: 100 and Lens Type: 50-300mm Zoom. Then have to apple a Gaussian Blur from Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur of Menu Bar and apply the blur with 45 pixels radius. The blur will suppress the flare to a better effect but to adjust the color with the font, a Hue Adjustment needs to be done. From the Menu Bar, select Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturations and enter the following data – Lightness to -20%.

The text effect is nearly complete except adding some shadows that can be given according to any specific choice. This process is a simple one, but the right technique is inside the imagination of any artist to make beautiful Photoshop 3D Text Effects.