Download Source Files
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to combine stock images and 3D text into a cool poster. We’ll use an icy theme for it and color it the way we want. You’ll see it’s not that hard to create a simple appealing poster with effective use of text and imagery.
Final Image Preview
Before we get started, let’s take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psdtuts+ PLUS for just $19/month. You can view the final image preview below.
Video Tutorial
Our video editor Gavin Steele has created this video tutorial to compliment this text + image tutorial.
Step 1
For this tutorial I’ll recreate the poster on a smaller canvas. Create a new photoshop document of 600px by 848px. To start off with the background get an interesting texture from cgtextures, I got mine here (Image 3). Import it and resize it.
In my case, after resizing, it did not cover all of the canvas. To make the texture cover a larger area, duplicate the layer (Right-click the layer and select Duplicate Layer…) and place it on top. To make those two layers blend into each other, use a soft brush and erase the bottom of the top layer.
Step 2
To darken the texture, we first desaturate it. This can be done with a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation…). Set Saturation at -100 so the texture turns gray. Create a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast…). Set Brightness at -111 and Contrast at +36.
Step 3
Create a new text layer with the text “ICE ICE ICE” in a white color (font: Century Gothic bold). Give it a huge font size (165pt) and place it so the letters are cut off by the edges. Set the Opacity of the layer to 13%.
Go into the Blending Options (Right-click the layer and select Blending Options…) and give it an Outer Glow. Choose a blue color and play with Size and Spread to change the size of the glow (my settings are a Spread of 22% and a Size of 19px).
Step 4
Create a new layer and use a soft brush at 180px to create a light blue (#34d1f8) area like in the preview. Give this layer an Opacity of 38%.
Step 5
You can get the next two stock photos here and here. Import them on seperate layers. Transform the "clouds" stock until you find a nice angle. Desaturate it (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) and set the layer to Hard Light at 50%. Use a mask to cut off the parts you do not want to show (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide All, use a soft white brush on the mask to reveal the clouds again).
Place the "skyline" stock beneath the "clouds" and give it a Gaussian Blur of 4.3px (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur…). Use Hue/Saturation to give it a blue color (Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation…). Use a mask on the "clouds" layer to hide all the parts you do not want to show. Set this layer to Screen at 50%.
Step 6
Place the "ice cubes" which you can find here, on the canvas. They need to be recolored so use Hue/Saturation to give them a blue color (Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation…, with Hue of 191, and Saturation of 32). Set this layer to Screen.
Step 7
To create the big “ICE ICE” text you can use photoshop or a 3D program like Xara 3D which can be used to create 3D text easily. Whichever you are using, create the text in Century Gothic bold and lay over a texture like this one.
In Xara 3D you can do this in Options > Texture… Export it as a transparent PNG (you can change this in the export dialog box). If you are using Photoshop to create flat text, just import the texture on a new layer above the text. Hit Command + Alt + G so the texture will overlap the underlying layer.
Step 8
Create a new layer above the text we just made. Hit Command + Alt + G so you can only work over the text. Take a soft white brush and brush over the letters. Set this layer’s Opacity to 85%.
Step 9
Create a new text layer with the text "baby." The font I used is Birdman, which you can get for free on dafont. Go into the Blending Options (Right-click the layer and selected Blending Options…) and give it a blue Outer Glow.
Between the ice text and the "ice cubes" create yet another text layer for the DJ’s name. In the Blending Options you can give it a Gradient Overlay. Choose Radial as Style and use a black to white gradient. Change the Opacity to 30%.
Step 10
Create a new layer on top. We’ll create a box to display some details about the event. Make a rectangular selection in the left bottom corner. Use Apply Image (Image > Apply Image), this will fill the selection with whatever is displayed in it at the moment. Now blur the selection (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur…, at 4.3px).
Step 11
Create a new layer while keeping the selection active. Fill the selection with white and change the Opacity to 5%. In the Blending Options, give the layer a Drop Shadow and change the Opacity of it to 100%.
Again create a new layer while keeping the selection active. Now use a very large soft brush with a blue color (#64b1d1) and click once on the top left corner. This should give you a blue gradient over the selection. Lower the Opacity of this layer to 40%.
Step 12
Now create the text layer for the details. I like to vary font sizes and line-heights to create appealing text. Again I used Century Gothic and centered the text.
Step 13
As a finishing touch we can lighten the up ice text even more. Create a new layer on top and take out a soft white brush. Click once on places where you’d like extra light. Set the layer’s Opacity to 70%.
Step 14
Create a Gradient Map (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map…) from dark blue (#061731) to a lighter orange (#f5d9a8). Set this adjustment layer to Darken at 65%. On this layer’s mask use a black soft brush to brush over the ice ice baby text so it doesn’t turn orange.
As a final touch, create a new layer and use Apply Image (Image > Apply Image). Go to lighting effects (Filter > Render > Lighting Effects…) and change apply as shown.
Conclusion
Set this last layer to Soft Light and lower the opacity a bit. You’re all done!
Subscribe to the Psdtuts+ RSS Feed for the best Photoshop tuts and articles on the web.
Enjoyed this Post?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed, Follow us on Twitter or simply recommend us to friends and colleagues!
By Ben Merckx
Join our newsletter!
Create a Tutorial, Get Paid!
Have something to teach the world? Want to earn money doing it? Tutorials, screencasts, and articles published here on Psdtuts+ are largely contributed by readers just like you! We'll pay you great money for good content. Find Out More
good tuto
thanks
nice nice! very nice…
Good stuff.
AMAZING!
This is a really good tutorial
Awesome! Got it pined down on my soon to do list!
Cool tut! :D
Seriously! This is an awesome tut!!
good one, man!
i’ll try it later.. ^^
thx!
Love your tut ^^
In reference to the video, why not let Illustrator do all the 3D work for you in one shot by using the whole word instead of eyeballing each letter?
These are the settings I used to achieve the same effect:
x axis 3 degrees
y axis 0 degrees
z axis 0 degrees
perspective 126 degrees
extrude depth 50 pt
Other than that, interesting tutorial.
nice tuto
http://3dand2dmag.wordpress.com/
Wow! Ha I normally don’t get very excited over text effects but this one is saweet!
incredibly cool. lol very nice what can i say more.
This is Gorgeous Again. Thank you for sharing this one
excellent…
Great!
reminds me of one of the first tuts i saw on this site, way back 1.3 years ago? or around there
speakless very nice man
Nice tuto
Neat effect…i will have to try this out soon!
Thanks
Excellent outcome, but the most important part of the tutorial is explained like this: use a 3d program. Come on…..
nice one
http://omerercan82.deviantart.com/
Ice Baby to go!
Nice tutorial. Thanks for Sharing..
wonderful tut
cool i like this one
Wow! This is one helluva chilled out and uber-cool tutorial :)
I’m not a fan of this one.
The text looks more like dirty plastic than ice to me, especially with the real ice cubes there to compare it with.
^ Your right, but it looks more like 3d text with some texture, not dirty plastic.
But then again, if it was so bad, why don’t you try to make something that looks more like ice?
Good for the winter!
Great tutorial, tnx reminds me of iso50 style
Great Tutorial as always from PSDTuts :D
WOW :) nice tuto ;)
its very useful and makes easy.
thanx.we can brush up our knowledge with this.
Added to http://www.psaddict.com
Hey Chris,
Not everyone has the $$$ or the skill (or the time to learn) a 3d program. If you can create 3d in photoshop why not do it then?
Next time, try to put a comment that actually helps people, and not a comment that ‘brags’ about your skills :P
nice tut.
this is what I made out of it.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/4904/kendocopymk7.jpg
this is the best tutorial I have EVER READ!
This is sick! Using this to make some stuff after work.
GUYZ THIS IS REALLY GREAT! BUT CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME WITH THE 3D TEXT???I CAN’T FIND SIMILAR WITH THIS! AND MAYBE I AM DOING SOMETHING WRONG IN THE XARA3D! PLEASEEEE!!!
use illustrator!
Goood JOB
40$ for text 3d software… nice tut but come on man, thats epic fail.
atleast put some effort into finding out how to get a free 3d program
Blender u retard. Dont be so lazy that u cant type “Free 3d program” inoto google.
Hi,
My names is Dean I’m from belgium to.
I really like this one.
I do have some questions, how do you light up lines and so?
i just can’t figure it out. And my English ain’t world’s best English.
please mail me
Grtz
Dean
Someone of you guys who have the Texture please upload it and post the link cause thisone seems deleted -.-
Okay, as if it wasn’t bad enough that we have to shell out for a 3D text program (or hunt one down that’ll produce the effects for this poster), but then the textures used go missing…
Granted thats not the authors fault, but when I downloaded the source files in the hope that the texture would be included as a layer in the finished design, it is, but it’s got chuffing big ‘CGTexture’ watermarks all over it.
Poorly played
oi u know what u should do. Get ur own texture. If your too lazy or too uncreative to not follow this tutorial word for word then why do you own photoshop??
I have used the Texture for this :P
http://wyh0iut.deviantart.com/art/wYh0iUt-111600605
http://www.cgtextures.com/
-> metal -> Bronze and Copper -> 1st set -> image 3
np
this one is great!!!
Really helpful ..thankyou