In this tutorial, we will create this effect using very basic Photoshop tools and layering effects. This tutorial is simple enough for a beginner to understand, but I should warn you that in this tutorial there ends up being over 60 active text layers, which will require a heavy use of your computer's memory. Let's jump into this tutorial and layer some glowing text.
Final Image Preview
Before we get started, let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. Click the screenshot below to view the full-size image. As always, the layered Photoshop file is available via our PSDTUTS Plus membership.
Step 1
Make a new document that is 2000px by 1200px. Then make a new Gradient Adjustment Layer with a linear gradient that goes from a dark gray (#464646) at the bottom to black (#000000) at the top. This will be our background base.
Step 2
Make another linear Gradient Adjustment Layer above the previous one, and make it a rainbow of colors of your choice. There are some colorful presets that you can choose from in the gradient palette, or create your own. Set the layer's Fill down to 25%. Then set the layer's blending mode to Color.
Tip: When you set the blending mode to color it makes it so the layer only affects the color of everything below it, while leaving the lightness/darkness alone.
Step 3
Finally make another Gradient Adjustment Layer above the previous two. This one will be a radial gradient. Set this one up so that the only 2 colors in the gradient are black and then make the transparency go from 100% at one end and 0% at the other end.
If you see that black is covering the center of the image, check the Reverse box. Then make it so the black goes around the edges of the canvas. Set the layer opacity to 65%. I moved the transparency handles around a little to get the exact effect that I wanted.
Step 4
Now lets begin with the text treatment. Hit (T) for the type tool, and make a (single click) on the canvas. Then type your letter, in my case a P. Then grab the Move tool and (Hit CMD+T) and transform the letter, adjust it until it's the size that you want it. Hit (T) again for the type tool, and if it's not already, make the letter black by clicking the text color box in the property bar. Set the letter layer's blending mode to Screen. The letter will disappear.
Step 5
(Double click) to the right of the letter layer's name in the layer palette to bring up the layer styles palette. Put an Outer Glow and a Stroke on the layer with the exact settings that you see below. You will see a very faint image of the letter now.
Let's use this first letter as a starting point for all the text in the image. Once we layer several different letters on top of each other, our effect will come to life.
Step 6
Duplicate the letter layer by dragging it down to the New Layer button at the bottom of the layer palette. Select the type tool (T) and then change the font on the new layer. If the new font doesn't line up how you want to hit (CMD+T) to free transform the new letter. Make sure that you always line up the baseline of the letters. You can move the anchor point to the base line when you are transforming to keep it lined up correctly.
Now do this step 20 times, each time using a different font. I chose to use all different fonts that have serifs. You can use all fonts that are sans-serif if you like, but I wouldn't mix the two.
Step 7
Select all the text layers that you have. Then hit (CMD+G) to group them. With the group selected in the layer palette, hit (V) for the move tool. Then (while holding ALT), click and drag on the letters on the canvas to duplicate them. Drag them to the right where you want the next letter to be. Now there should be 2 groups of text in the layer palette. Turn off all the letter layers in the new group (except the bottom one) by clicking in the little 'eye' icon next to each one.
Now select the text tool (T), and highlight the single letter. Then change it to the next letter that you want, in my case an S. Finally, turn the S layer off. Then turn on the next one and do the same. Repeat this until all the letters in your new group are changed. Turn all the layers back on.
Repeat this step for each new letter you need.
Step 8
Select the elliptical marquee tool and make a very thin ellipse at the base of your letters. Then Feather the selection about 20px. Enter quickmask mode (Q). Then go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Make the angle 0 and the length 700px and hit OK. This gives us a nice fade out to the left and right sides. Then exit quickmask mode (Q).
Now make a curves adjustment layer above the gradients, but below the letter groups. Then apply a curve that looks like the one below. This just gives our letters something to sit on.
Step 9
Make a new document that is 300px by 300px. Double click on the background layer to make it an active layer. (Double click) to the right of the layer name to open the layer styles palette. Apply a color overlay to make the layer black. Then add an inner stroke that is white to make a border. You can see my settings below.
Go to Layer>Flatten Image to flatten the image. Hit CMD+A to select all and then go Edit>Define Pattern.
Step 10
Go back to your other document. Make a new blank layer just above your curves layer by hitting the New Layer button at the bottom of the layer palette. Not go to Edit>Fill and select Pattern for the Contents. Then select your black box that should be at the end of the list, and hit OK.
Now Hit (CMD+T) to transform the layer so that it fits in the foreground space. Then (right/control+click) anywhere in the transform box and select perspective. Drag the bottom right handle way out so you get a nice perspective on the pattern layer. Set the layer's blending mode to screen and the opacity to 15%.
Step 11
There is one last step to add a finishing touch. Select the type layers and duplicate them by dragging them down to the New Layer button. With the new groups selected hit (CMD+T) then (right/control+click) in the transform box and select Flip Vertical. Move them down so they look like a reflection.
With all the reflection groups selected hit (CMD+G) to put them into another group. Set that group's opacity to 25%. Add a mask to the group by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layer palette. With the mask selected hit (G) for the gradient tool and apply a linear gradient from black to white, so the reflection fades out as it goes down to the edge of the image.
Conclusion
This tutorial covered some simple steps and effects to achieve stylish results. The final image is below. If there are any questions, put them in the comments section. I will answer them as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy this tut!
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )JPOG June 5th
Ah beautiful! I am going to try this the soonest I can, very neat effect that seems so simple to pull off.
( )Bob June 5th
Word.
( )Andrew Pryde June 5th
Brilliant, what a neat idea! These tutorials are a bit long but worth persevering with!
Thanks again
Andrew Pryde
( )Carlos June 5th
Amazing tutorial. Great outcome. So simple. Very very good.
( )Saad June 5th
aah @ pretty very pretty and adorable typo, best
( )Constantin Potorac June 5th
Wow… I love it. Great work and very well done.
( )adrienne June 5th
nice one!
( )photoshop brushes June 5th
great out come, at first i was saying ” Not light effects again” but once i read the steps i found it pretty good, thanks
( )Joefrey Mahusay June 5th
Wow Great effect!
( )Markus June 5th
Thats just awesome :O
( )kamel June 5th
very nice
( )styxz June 5th
awesome effect very nice!
( )Esben Meincke June 5th
Looks great but there is a little ups in there.
For the mirror effect to look real it should follow the perspective of the floor.
I’m looking forward to a correction.
… Still great tut on the light effect though!
( )vetle May 15th
if you tilt a mirror it doesn’t distort the image, but i can kinda see the sense in that statement (x the mirror itself has to be concave (if that is how its spelled)
( )D. Carreira June 5th
Fantastic effect!
David Carreira
( )Wouter June 5th
Nice
( )Keith June 5th
Thats pretty impressive. Where do you guys come up with stuff like this?
( )MONSTER June 5th
This is definitely useful.
( )Mac Tyler June 5th
It really is incredible how much I love this website!
( )Diesel June 5th
Simple and effective, great tut guys. Thankyou.
( )Mason June 5th
Fantastic work. Creative thinking, I like it
( )Rakzo June 5th
It’s a goood tutorial, thanks for share.
( )Palmz June 5th
Thanks for the tut. Simple and great result.
( )Deketa June 5th
I love your work honestly, thank you soo much for the time and effort you put into helping people with your tutorials!
Can’t wait to see what the future holds!
( )Monya June 5th
Very nice effect & useful. Thank you.
( )snmsnl June 5th
WOW! this is what im lookin’ for!! great.
( )Colin Stein June 5th
it’s probably annoying to do that 20 times! but the end results look very nice!
( )Snorri3D June 5th
nice one
will try this for sure
( )Seraphim Collective June 5th
Thumbs up! Great Tut!
( )Sugz June 5th
Great tutorial
( )dlv June 5th
great one! i learn some really usefull tips
( )thank to share it !!!
becca June 5th
i did the tutorial. great. thanks!
( )Andrew June 5th
Awesome tutorial. I love the result.
( )Ravi Vora June 5th
Definitely different, but probably the weakest of the most recent typography tuts.
( )bl4kdev1l June 5th
very but very coool!
( )Ben Griffiths June 5th
Great tut, thanks
( )w1sh June 5th
Nice effect. Good idea. Great tut. I like your face.
( )Gen June 5th
great tut! Thanks a lot Kyle!
( )MD June 5th
Awesome!
thnx again!
( )Callum Martin June 5th
Wow , this is simple but looks great
( )AndrewD June 5th
nice, I like this alot!
( )giackop June 5th
looks amazing.. thanx..
( )Arik June 5th
The effect is nice yet the type is off for this type of effect if you ask me, then again it’s a matter of taste.
( )Dullface June 5th
Oeh that looks wicked, another awsome tutorial. Don’t you get tired of hearing that?
( )Danny June 5th
What an awesome effect!!
( )Arnaud Alves June 5th
Really cool effect !
( )Salva June 5th
i think the reflection is wrong, anyway this tut rocks
( )Josh June 5th
I agree that the reflection does not look right. Shouldn’t it comes towards you instead of going straight down?
( )Daniel June 5th
great and beautiful work! thanks a lot!
( )Tyler Bramer June 5th
I’m not sure if I like the glow underneath the text, and the reflection should have the same perspective applied to it that the grid surface has, but other than that it is a pretty creative idea. I know that most people don’t think to move the anchor point when they are transforming an object, so I’m glad that you brought it up.
( )b00m June 5th
very nice effect
( )Nate June 5th
Cool effect, thanks.
( )Zach LeBar June 5th
cool tut man, i like it!
( )K3v June 5th
Cool effect, pretty easy to do too!
( )Fabian June 5th
nice!
( )Kyle Pero June 5th
Reflections don’t follow perspective. Not sure what you guys are talking about.
( )Braden Keith June 5th
2 words: That was (adding a third) amazing.
( )Cole June 5th
Reflections DO follow perspective, it’s just that since the reflections appear at the same horizontal distance in space then they will follow the same perspective as the object they are reflecting off of. If the object is at an angle, the perspective of the reflection will be symmetrically inversed. (If that makes sense?) Thus the reflections in the tutorial are correct.
Great tutorial, by the way!
lay a mirror on a flat surface and place an object on the surface, now change the angle of the object and notice the change in the reflection.
( )Aminur Rahman [aka Tom R] June 5th
nice
( )Has.n June 5th
Very nice effect!!!
( )TheBolivianessence June 5th
Incredible. I’d love to come up with awesome techniques like this everyday…lol…
( )Rijalul Fikri June 5th
wow, a nice effect, I’ll surely use this. Thx’s for the great tutorial
( )ZaFaR June 5th
Amazing Fantasy look, I really like the work, thank for sharing brother.
( )Anjerit June 5th
Anjriiit !( English = damn) … great tutorial. Thank u for sharing. God bless!!
( )crazyhunk June 5th
very neat effect…. love it…
Thanx a lot.
( )amin hidayat June 5th
look like cool ice
( )Andrei Constantin June 5th
I say nevermind the glow, reflections, etc.. it’s the technique which it counts
And thanks for one of the promising writers on PSDTUTS, I might finally have a header for my new website 
( )RUGRLN June 5th
Alright, great and easy to follow but….
( )I have 1700 fonts but they are all different, very different, can’t find ones that will match. Any particular fonts that I could use?!?!
Shane June 5th
Very nice tutorial. @RUGRLN: that’s a problem I always have - choosing the right font for a job such as this.
( )Carlos June 5th
I love how some of you guys just try and pick bad things (even when there isn’t any) just to mkae yourselves feel more like designers. Cole is absolutely right, and Kyle Pero got this one spot on.
( )David June 5th
fantastic!
( )Dofash June 5th
fantastic!
( )jbcarey June 5th
Hmmm…. interesting idea…. I don’t like the text effect much, but the “floor” looks great…
( )LarryLar June 5th
love it. final result you wonder how it’s done. you make it so easy.
( )VertigoSFX June 6th
Looks great! I love this effect, has a simple look but really looks cool…love the color choices as well.
( )Rax June 6th
looks awsome! gonna try it right away
( )Mr Kuzio June 6th
Un ottimo tutoral, non ho avuto il tempo di leggere tutto, ma ho visto il risultato finale ed è uno spettacolod egno di questo nome.
Complimenti!
Very cooool !!!
( )I like very much the final result, i will come back to read the rest of the tutorial (now i can’t). Anyway the final result is great !
Tim June 6th
Not sure if anyone will agree but I think the current NBA Finals banner on the espn.com homepage might have been inspired by this tutorial and maybe a few others on this site. It was the grid effect that particularly reminded me of this. Thoughts?
( )Daniel June 6th
Awesome tutorial thanks man can’t wait to try this out.
( )Lamin Barrow June 6th
Awesome. Thx.
( )Rjton June 6th
very very good i like it so much….
( )Hamid June 6th
Wow
( )May June 6th
very nice effect!
( )great tutorial!
Thx~
Naki June 6th
nice tutorial. thanks!
( )1000 June 6th
hi…i ‘don’t understand step 8 because the elliptical marquee tool do it in new layer ?
( )and then the red color i do to paint boocket tool….sorry for my ugly englisc..thnks
1000 June 6th
hi step 8 what the layer do it..? the layer step 1, the layer step 2 or the layer step 3……?????thanks..
( )Mark Abucayon June 6th
wow I have nothing to say about this tut really rocks, two thumbs up great job…
( )ayoub June 6th
awesome , great tuto thanks
( )Ariful Alam Khan June 6th
Okay, it’s great.
( )J.Glow June 7th
Wow, very nice! This will be a big help with my new company logo. Thanks for a great tutorial!
( )Klaus June 7th
just beautiful! my version: http://eldesubicado.deviantart.com/art/Amor-Amor-87852250
( )Daniel June 7th
I like this .form simple and cool, anyway… i love this tutorial exelen art incredible. Men I YOUR FAN!
( )J.T. Shaver June 7th
Very cool. I love using pseudo 3D elements in PS. It looks so cool.
- Graphic Design Portfolio of J.T. Shaver
( )JAWAD June 8th
hey im an arabic man
thank you for these lessons … its fantastic
please help me , i cant understand step 6
im wait
thanks to every one here
( )Dan June 8th
beautiful!!
( )Cielo June 9th
Great tutorial, i did this. Is not exactly like that but this sure helped me a lot.
http://x-cielogris.deviantart.com/art/Rihanna-88063648
( )dario June 9th
very interesting!!
( )my best compliment!
http://www.dariobologna.com
JAWAD June 9th
PLEASE HELP ME
( )Virginia web design June 9th
Love this tutorial!
( )broadsighted June 9th
Sweetness, thank you, I needed a text effect just like this (item # 5 in my portfolio). I modified your technique a bit.
( )Titoff_77 June 9th
hi from france
thanxs for that tutorial i realy enjoyed it
( )kszhang June 10th
nice done,
( )Ivelin Ivanov June 10th
That’s just way too cool man!!! I must try it sometimes just for the enjoyment of seeing my name in this effect lol!!!!
It looks fantastic!:)
( )Danielle Patenaude June 10th
When I change the text layer mode to screen it turns white instead of black. Because of that this whole tutorial won’t work!!! GRRRRR!!!!!!!
( )KASHIF RAHUL June 10th
Well done! buddy keep it up.
( )Mathew June 10th
Thanks a lot for this great tut!
( )Mark June 10th
great effect and not as complex as it first seems. keep up the good work guys
( )Peter Fox June 10th
To Danielle and anyone who has the text go white when you set it to screen, what you have to do is set it to pure black, instead of 000000, make sure C,M,Y and K are all set to 100%, hope that helps!
( )Web Design June 10th
This is great!!
( )K.Brown June 10th
Very cool!
( )Lawrence June 11th
speechless
+91 9965859603
laranz.joe@gmail.com
I love GOD, thnks him to give such wonderful tutorial to me!!
( )evyan June 11th
Fantastic!!! COOL!!!
( )Soph June 11th
I’m stuck on step 8. when you press quickmask mode the whole screen goes red and white… then you blur and all that jazz but when you exit quickmask mode its still just a marquee selection……….. so therefore you cant put curves on it! Has anyone else had this problem? And more importantly……. can anyone fix it???
( )Ramesh June 11th
It was an fantastic effect………and also no words to express about the effect………
( )Jizman June 12th
This effect is awwwwwwwsome dude!
( )ale June 12th
fantastic!!! i will add it in my website… in the new layout ^^ great!!
( )janett June 12th
WOOOW!!! i could do it!!! =) it was a great tutorial
( )ariadne June 12th
step 10,2nd line…you ve written not insted of now
anyway it s awsome!
here s my try ^^
( )http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/ariadne_2006/Untitled-2copy.jpg
tom June 12th
@soph: yeah i don’t think that all the people who say it’s great have actually tried it. i’m stuck on step 8 as well. pretty useless if no extra information is given. doesn’t seem like the author is monitoring the comments.
( )Murali June 12th
Very Nice Now I Cam To Know That To Photoshop What we Can Do. it is really amazing!!!!!
( )Sasuke61694 June 13th
That’s a nice effect, thanks
( )Ahmed June 13th
thank you my friend
( )it seems difficult
velocity91 June 13th
tanks….this is the best site of tutorial…………..
( )harry June 13th
I could not get past slecting all the “P” layers and duplicating them
( )Beau de Noir June 14th
I have done!!!! I have done!!!!! GREAT tutorial & THANK YOU ALL!!!!
( )sean hamilton alexander June 14th
stuck on STEP 8 as well…
as we reach the end of STEP 7, i’ve got all my type layers in a group (folder) and my letters are looking great!
but if i dive straight into STEP 8, i’m to be making the thin eliptical marque where exactly?
if on a new blank layer, prevent i’m prevented from making the blur & curves adjustments in STEP 8.
are we to (copy, then) merge the type-layers in the group?
please advise!
( )seannarae
Josh June 14th
I hate photoshop so much. I’ve tried about a billion different tutorials and i cannot complete a single one. GAH!
( )Raj June 14th
Thanx 4 another gr8 tutorial m8.
( )JZA June 14th
I have been fortunate enough to meet psdtuts- you bleeping rock. I love your tutorials
( )Itunu June 14th
Nice tutorial, i love the cool effect
( )zAg June 14th
TRIED IT!!!! MUUAHHH that was soooo COOL!!! awesome! neat n clean tutoriall niceee workk!! thx
( )little June 15th
i like it =)
( )FrankCrank June 16th
Nice Trick
( )I never thought of that ‘changing fonts’ technique. Kudos.
Nicki June 18th
This is a great eye catching effect! Way to go!
( )When I tried it out, my outer glow was pretty visible. And as I added more layers it just got brighter. I even reduced the glow’s opacity to 10% but the brightness of the letters went down. Is there something I have switched on that shouldn’t be? I’ve quadruple checked and my settings are exactly the tutorial says. Any ideas?
MAMMOTH June 20th
HEY EVERYONE WHO IS STUCK ON STEP 8!!!!
LOOK, DO EXACTLY AS THE TUTORIAL’S STEP 8 SAYS. ONCE YOU HAVE EXIT QUICK MASK MODE WITH THE PREVIOUS APPLICATION OF MOTION BLUR AND BLA BLA BLA… YOU ONLY WILL HAVE THE SAME MARQUEE YOU DID JUST A FEW MOMENTS, THAT’S OK BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO HAVE NO VARIATION AFTER WE APPLIED THE MOTION BLUR AND THE FEATHER, BUT DON’T WORRY.
THE NEXT STEP TO MAKE A CURVES MODIFICATION IS NOT TO GO TO THE MENU BAR, INSTEAD OF DOING THAT, GO TO THE LAYERS PALETTE, AND AT THE BOTTOM OF IT, YOU’LL SEE AN ICON OF A LITTLE CIRCLE IN WHITE AND BLACK, IT’S RIGHT BETWEEN THE “ADD LAYER MASK” AND “CREATE A NEW GROUP” ICONS.
THE NAME OF THIS ONE IS “CREATE A NEW FILL OR ADJUSTMENT LAYER” THIS IS THE ONE YOU HAVE TO CLICK IN ORDER TO CREATE THE NEW LAYER WITH CURVES MODIFICATION. AND THAT’S IT. THE STEP 8 IS FINISHED.
HOPE YOU GUYS WITH THE PROBLEM READ MY POST SO YOU CAN DO THE REST OF THIS GREAT TUTORIAL. SEE YA.
( )MAMMOTH June 20th
I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THAT THE FIRST MARQUEE THAT YOU HAVE TO DRAW AT THE BEGINNING OF STEP 8, MAY BE DRAWN IN ANY LAYER YOU WANT, BUT MAKE SURE YOU CREATE THE CURVES LAYER AS THE TUTORIAL SAYS: ABOVE THE GRADIENTS LAYERS, BUT BENEATH THE TEXT LAYERS.
( )Friction June 21st
Damn! I spent all that time tweaking the text to get it the way I wanted and then I hit Step 8. Do we add a new layer before we create the elliptical marquee? Even if I try that, and every time I hit Q to go into Quickmask Mode, the selected area turns black and the outside of it turns red. But in your tutorial it is the other way around and for the life of me I cannot figure out how you did that. I’m sure you have missed a vital instruction there. Could you explain a little further please.
( )Friction June 21st
I figured it out! After doing the Quickmask thing DO NOT deselect. Make the curves adjustment layer under your text layers and you will see that the curves layer is applied to the quickmask section. Then you can deselect and continue on with the tutorial.
( )Sean June 23rd
For some reason I can’t set the letters layers to screen. I have no idea why but it’s just grayed out…
( )Sjack June 24th
the effect is so cool and it’s very easy to make . Great tutorial ! I;ll post this site on my forum .
( )Alec June 24th
Wow, stop raping the caps man.. Great tutorial btw!!
( )Azat June 26th
Thanks a lot! greatest tutorials!
( )Hunpsd June 27th
Great tut, I liked it…. It really made my CPU work
( )psaravanakumar June 28th
Wow its mind blowing effect keep it up
( )simion June 28th
pls make a video tutorial plss because i dont understand it and i want to make it :((:((
( )Abdulmalik June 29th
very very awsem tutorial thank you very much
( )kris July 2nd
brilliant! i have done!!! i already finished mine.. it consume a lot of time for me., huh?! i find difficult to try any kind of tutorials but this one is really cooL., so i really pursue to finish this one in almost 2hrs.,, hahahha., so long.,huh?!.. eniwei., this is the output., i dont follow the some of the instruction., so the out come is not really good.. hehehhe.,. anyways.. thanx for this tutorial.. its a great help…^_^
( )——> http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/90402451
Art July 2nd
A very astonishing tutorial…. my sincere appreciations . . .
Keep up the good work
( )shalaka July 2nd
its so easy n nice also
( )Jamie Eacott July 3rd
oh my god…. that is something special!
i have tried this myself and it looked nothing like this….
can anyone help my by making me it?
where it says PSD make it BTZ
and where it has tuts make it CoD4
please this would help me out sooo much…
thanks…
( )s.i.khatri July 5th
AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!
( )very useful
nice
Ash July 6th
where acn i dl all these fonts plz? Im a member =)
( )Iso July 6th
Great tutorial!
Very cool effect, thanks for sharing it! ^^
( )pankaj July 7th
Lovely!
( )One of the best I have ever seen.
Josh Allen July 10th
If you guys want this to be so damn realistic (I mean come on, will there ever be a time when there are multiple lights shaped like letters on a grid plane?), then be nit-picky about the color of the damn reflection. If you’re going to complain, be sure you’re complaining about something that’s true. Anyways Kyle, very very nice job on this tutorial, I have this bookmarked this, but so far, no use for it.
Cheers.
( )Amanda July 11th
Awesome tut! Thanks! It helped a lot. Here’s what I came up with: http://justhat1girl.deviantart.com/art/Better-Than-Air-91292751
( )callmemich July 13th
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28513353@N05/2662004120/
( )this is what i made of it
failed along the way
GEAN July 15th
bravazo!!!
( )http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2669942439_250609022a_b.jpg
JUAN July 18th
FANTASTICO EXCELENTE MUY BUENO FELICITACIONES DESDE PERU
( )Vero July 19th
very nice, muy bueno
Saludos =)
( )Brandon July 19th
Thanks…this is my first completed project….thanks for being so detailed
( )chuan July 22nd
good!
( )truballaVN July 24th
stuck on step 10 . It doesn’t give the effect of the floor like the picture . Just 1 black plaine image
( )pekK July 31st
Woww !
( )awesome a lot !
let´s see another !
hehe..
carlos July 31st
thank!
( )genieyclo August 1st
Magnifico!
( )Sylvie De Bruyne August 3rd
i enjoyed makign this, well explained too.
but it would be a nicer effect if i just took all the same font, and transform it each time …
so it wouldnt be as messy as how i did it .
but it is a very nice effect though
thanx alot
( )Joost August 7th
It is a nice tutorial. I tried it with sans serif fonts, works great too. But find some fonts that differ not too much in width to keep ik clean.
If you use non caps, the openings in letters like the o, a, e are becoming ‘overexposed’. Sometimes you just have to reduce the amount of layers from 20 to for example 13.
It is a time consuming process, since you cannot do it by word, but just by letter…
( )Shweta August 9th
Amazing
( )Lera August 13th
this is awesome…im a real beginner but you explained it so well i can even do it :D!
( )Fm August 13th
How colud I do the reflection perspectively? In the transform menu, the “perspective” is not highlighted. I tried to merge the reflection layer, but If I do that, the layer will be so ugly. Please help me.
( )random August 14th
It’s great. What i found effective is that if you are using a variety of letters is to just do the whole word, duplicate, and mix up the text instead of one by one. If the special text doesn’t fit right, i just changed the character spacing. But it’s a great tutorial and works easily and professionally, thank you.
( )John August 14th
for step 8 , some people may need to inverse there selection, make sure your not selecting all of the contents, only the elliptical marquee selection
step 10 is missing something …you cannot create a grid pattern like that !!!
( )using just the above steps ;o((
John August 14th
okay yes you can create a grid pattern ;o))
…but you must be careful , its just relevant to the document
if your original document is 700 x 500 px …for example
( )you create a document about 100 x 100 px for the grid pattern
Ben August 16th
How do you do step 7. “select all layers and group them”
( )i’ve tried shift-clicking the layers but that doesnt work???
help!
Joseph Pennywagon August 17th
Shouldn’t the text reflections be distorted like the grid lines? the perspectives conflict..
( )raj August 18th
excellent
( )u r work is just gr8
Bootta August 21st
Great and helpful tutorial. I relly enjoyed to do it, i only have difficulties on step 8 little messy.
( )Hiperkarma August 22nd
I loved this tutorial and I still do
( )but.. the only problem is that my computer can’t handle that much
vidya August 22nd
GREAT WORK!Thanks for adding this [:)]
( )Nico August 25th
Hey sorry, I’m very new with photoshop and I’m just wondering how I make a Gradient Adjustment Layer, I can’t find it under my layer options?!
( )Michael June 24th
layers panel>at the bottom you will find create new fill or adjustment layer>at the sop of fly out menu is gradient
( )MaJJ August 30th
Absolutely great effect! I tried it and result is … this:
http://janiczek.deviantart.com/art/Glowing-letters-96244853
Well, it’s really step-by-step and first try, and only thing that is different is that on the end I:
- saved it as .psd, so I could change something later
- merged everything into one layer
- Ctrl+J -ed it (duplicated)
- blending options: overlay
- filter -> blur -> gaussian blur -> I don’t know, 30px? depends on canvas size of image
I always try to do that, it’s perfect
( )Jacques September 4th
Hello Everyone ! And thank you for this great web site ! I just love it !
I tried to go through this training … CREATE A LAYERED GLOWING TEST EFFECT … Unfortunately for me the written course is not detailed enough for me … Will it be possible to have a very detailed and precise step by step course for this tut? With lots of screen capture to help! I am a beginner in Photoshop and redoing things is a great way for me to learn and understand … On top of it being a french speaking person (I’m from the area of Geneva Switzerland) English is not so easy … But I try !!! So please
Many thanks for all of you who can help !
Jacques
( )nazmiyyeah September 6th
elegant…
( )jtb September 10th
looks very much like the graphics in geometry war. very nice. i’m going to give it a try. thanks
( )lookupmyself September 10th
Smart!
( )BaKKaNeKKo September 10th
Nice!!!! Really” useful! xD
( )bilbo September 11th
Hello everyone,
I found this tutorial magnificent. Can i translate it on my blog? so users can benefit in Italy without any problems on your tongue?
I await your response before proceeding.
Thank you
( )Haaji (from Johnny Quest) September 13th
i did it. and i used vin. and it was sweet.
( )Dainis Graveris September 15th
Just great outcome - I love this work!
( )john September 16th
coolest.. going to try now
( )daniel bodinof September 17th
yes someone please explain whats supposed to happen between steps 7 and 8 cuz no matter what i try i just cant seem to figure out the missing link.
( )abeer September 20th
ow!!!! thats a nice tutorial ,i am trying myself very soon
( )Chris September 23rd
so im kinda confused on step 8.
( )it doesnt say what layer to be on when you create the eliptical marquee. also when you create a layer between the gradients and letter groups, it says theres nothing to edit when going into Curves. (the layer is empty)
am i just missing something?
Chris September 23rd
nevermind, disregard my comment about step 8.
( )i shouldve read above first.
Danny September 24th
really awesome, learned alot from you even thou my computer had big problems with lag
but really really loved this tut, please let me have your children
( )rajendra September 24th
cool eff for the text but not suitable for the vectors
( )can u do somethig for the vectors like the same way……………….:)
Spyece September 25th
Thanks mate, great stuff!
( )Roberto September 30th
Estupendo Tutorial, definitivamente de los mejores que he visto!!! Felicidades!! y Gracias por compartirlo!! Saludos desde Mexico. Congratulations is really awesome!!! Rewards from mexico
( )matt October 3rd
if anyone has completed this tutorial, can u please explain how to do step 8 in detail??? please? im really stuck on it
( )Shima Soltani October 3rd
extraordinary work .,
( )best regard.
Josh October 3rd
Love the tutorial, good stuff man!!
( )Shima Soltani October 4th
When Make a new document ., this is RGB or CMYK ?
( )stonecoldd October 4th
wow man …thanx for this! one of the best text effects I’ve seen/done.
( )Conrad Gorny October 5th
Check out my result at my webpage. Stunning… thanks
Conrad Gorny
( )Freelance Graphic Designer
http://www.conradgorny.com
marinella October 6th
Great tutorial ever!!!!! Can i have this post? Can i make copy? You are my resources in tutorial post . . . . . . Thanks for sharing this tutorial . . . . Hope u will be more post new tutorial in photoshop. . . . THANKS A LOT!!!
( )Marko October 8th
Hey guys. I’ve been trying to make something like that for weeks, but i just can’t get it right. I have Photoshop CS2, and my computer is not so strong, so it’s very hard for me to make it, so i’d need some help. If somebody could make me something like that and if “Illusion” could be written. Thanks in advance guys.
Marko
( )shogy October 20th
it is nice,but i was’t understand how u do the whit line
( )Ioanna October 22nd
Wow!
( )So simple yet so good!
DigiArtBali October 23rd
Wow. cool.. really fantastic… great tutorial.. i’ll try it
( )Motti October 25th
Man you are the best !!
( )dHEKU October 26th
LOL Thankx!
( )MaRgA_Guela! October 28th
That is just awesome!!!
here is mine, i was working with same font, just warping it every layer, i think it’s nice
http://slike.hr/vidi.php?z=marij0.jpg
( )Billyjean November 4th
im still very new to photoshop and was able to produce this, brilliant tute and even better design!
Thanx kyle
( )NormaJean November 5th
It didnt worked for me at step 6
( )Ignacio Aguirre November 5th
Great! works
( )romane November 7th
Thanks!! That was really helpful!
( )Danny November 10th
What colros did you use for Step 2 reply back or Email me
( )Glen November 23rd
60 layers and a huge canvass size…hahaha that’ll upset my computer, with only 256megs ram…Got to give this awesome tut a go though.Thanks, it s great effect!
( )Pooya A November 26th
Step 8:
1) Eelliptical selection and feather… (don’t inverse your selection as some comments)
2) Enter quickmask mode (Q).
3) Then go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur…
4) Then exit quickmask mode (Q).
5) Click the “black and white circle” icon down the “Layers” pallet and select “Curves…” from popup menu and do the settings.
6) Make sure the new layer created in (5) is in the right place as instruction.
That’s It!
( )michael November 29th
superb , awesome
( )edfad November 29th
wait do i create a new layer for the step 8??where do i put my elliptical shape??
( )Curt November 30th
That’s really good. I love it.
( )Coolangatta Marketing December 1st
thanks for this great tutorial!
( )Joey December 5th
Thanks for the nice tutorial ! I made my own name,, its awesome
( )AcTiivE December 11th
Vert nice, i tried it and worked out pretty good
I only changed 1 thing.. the reflection doesn’t work.. i tried to do the same with the reflection as with the floor, but it didn’t work so i “skewed” them both.. that was possible 
thanks! keep up the good work man!
( )S.B. December 14th
Thanks but I couldn’t apply the gradient on Step 11 -> after adding the layer mask to the group and pressed “G” nothing would happen
( )dious December 19th
thats bloody amazing.
( )i gotta learn it !
flasheadito December 21st
very nice, thanks!
( )Calvin December 22nd
Uh, peeps the reflection should be the way it is shown in the Tuts, NOT as some smart ass wrote here to have extra perspective applied to it.
If you want to have shadow instead of reflection, with the light source behind the text, then yes, perspective should be applied to the shadow.
( )Louis December 23rd
Tried it, and loved it!:) thx
( )Julie December 26th
Thanks for the great tutorial. I applied a good part of this awesome process to create a new years card for myself…
( )Karen Z. December 29th
Wow! Thanks for this! I’m pretty new to this sort of thing, and mine came out GORGEOUS! =) So cool!
( )ravi January 10th
very beautiful so nice
( )zEEROCKz January 12th
great tutorial hmmmmm
( )Mt January 13th
In Step 3, what do you set the blend mode too? because i get a different out come from yours.
( )Mt January 14th
I created the tutorial with my own letters, except i dont have a spot light effect like you have from step 3, or the shine effect, how do i get the spot light effect from the gradient tools?
( )marius January 15th
superb!!!
MFX Design
( )Vijai January 22nd
simply amazing!!!
( )KC January 25th
this is kind of sad.. but i dont even know how to make an ajustment layer
( )Prionkor January 27th
Great tutorial! Thanks! Want more…
( )Sagar January 27th
Amazing! Couldn’t be simpler! You Truly Deserve Kudos..:)
( )Shushanik February 3rd
I cannot do step 8. The “base” is not appearing. It is visible in quickmask mode, but becomes invisible once I go out of the mode…
Help me, please…
( )Kaikarden February 4th
I’m having the same problem that Shushanik is having. i followed the instructions to the letter but once i make the curves adjustment layer, when i adjust the curves like you say to, it adjusts all of the gradient levels instead of marquee, you didn’t really establish what layer to put the marquee on, so i assumed it was in the text groups since that’s what we had selected before that step.
( )Kaikarden February 4th
Sorry for double post but i found out my problem, thanks guys, great tutorial!
( )gandoe February 5th
I can’t seem to get the good effect for the shake since I do not have good fonts(i have like 2000fonts so its hard to find a simple good one like you..)
( )could u help me out by saying hat font(s) you used? or giving me a few good ones ? I am using times new roman since thats the only one I cna think of which is simple
nungdipontianak February 9th
it’s so beautifull.. i enjoy it.. very very clever.. thank’s
( )l Smoq l February 10th
you can save yourself MUCH work, if you just use the “Find and Replace Text” tool in photoshop cs4 instead of typing every single letter again. well, i figured this out when the picture was already finished ._.
( )Konusuyorus February 11th
Wooow very nice..
( )Kyle February 16th
Really great tutorial been looking for something like this for a while now and you’ve hit the nail on the head.
( )shaz February 16th
very good end result great tips and tricks
( )Amjad Miandad February 25th
Supurb tut budy,
( )thanks for helping new comers
ram February 27th
Its nice to see the tut, i must try and give feedback… thx..
( )Mark March 1st
Will be using this for a sign i’m working on right now
( )CaNnIN March 6th
what photoshop version is this?
( )leog March 6th
hi! that`s great , but the reflect maybe needs a perspective effect :p to follow the ground :p
( )Khaleel March 10th
nice one!!1
( )arun March 11th
AMAZING
( )Greg March 11th
need more! thanks for unlocking your secrets of texture effects with Photoshop to US - the lusty community ^^!
( )saeid March 11th
coooooooooooooooooooooool
( )very beautiful
thanks
aesha March 11th
simply awesome…………………………………….;)
thanks
( )kavita joshi March 13th
this is greatful effect.thanks for it.
( )ISO Fotografie March 14th
Great One. Going to use it for my homepage. Thnx.
( )dIZZY g0RILLA March 15th
I seem to be stuck on Step 10. My black box pattern doesn’t have that nice grid on it when in perspective. How do I get it?
( )katu March 15th
“Step 8
Select the elliptical marquee tool and make a very thin ellipse at the base of your letters. Then Feather the selection about 20px. Enter quickmask mode (Q). Then go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Make the angle 0 and the length 700px and hit OK. This gives us a nice fade out to the left and right sides. Then exit quickmask mode (Q).
Now make a curves adjustment layer above the gradients, but below the letter groups. Then apply a curve that looks like the one below. This just gives our letters something to sit on.”
eso no me sale, no me aparece el brillo
( )Pirate March 16th
just a question, in what layer should you make your selection at step 8?
( )Chris Brown March 20th
Wow!! That was intense… I have NO training in photoshop to all the terms you used like graidiant, motion blur and feather I had to look up just to figure out how to get into those menus… that was AWESOME!!! I learned SOOOO MUCH!!!! Thank you!!!
( )Skyless March 27th
amazing!
( )joker March 27th
Hey Everybody!
Love this tutorial, but have one problem I hope someone can help me with:
I’m stuck at step 10. I dont get these pattern to work. They just want show.
Hope someone can help me
( )Juan Blas March 31st
Love it
( )lol its my first
Hafsa April 5th
thanks alot for this…. i Really apreciate you.
( )I want to ask a question that can i use this techniqe in making a logo?
iPaxy April 8th
I tried using this technique with shapes but unfortunately it didn’t work. I want 3 concentric circles (without any fill) that gleam jus like this text. And each circle made up of, of course, numerous resized circles. Can you tell me if its possible? Or make a sample PSD for an example so I can understand how you do it? Please help me out. I’m working on a logo and I need this. I’ll be sure to credit you in the release. Please contact me on the mentioned e-mail address or my DeviantART Page. Thanks in advance
( )aragona April 9th
actually, I had to change the opacity of the outer glow down to 5%, because while copying letters with a 20% opacity outer glow an enourmous amount of white started to come up, which was a punch in the eye.
( )maya April 27th
wAaAaaww… (*o*)
( )Butch Decossas April 27th
Wow! This was exactly what I was searching for. Thanks a lot.
( )Samepi April 30th
I don’t understend the step 8, can you explain better???
( )Pedro Diaz May 7th
very nice guy! thank you!
( )Gerlyn May 9th
Ok why when I hit the down bar next to the gradient tool on the bar it doesn’t appear the gradient editor? I can do anything because I can’t find this gradient editor can some one plss help?
( )boi May 12th
cool yo…
( )LA May 14th
sick2…
( )SHAMO May 15th
i HOPE U RESPOND TO MY Q.
( )ITS SO NICE BUT I AM TIRED IN SELECT THE 20 FONTS … PLEASE GIVE ME TH NAMES OF THE FONT LIST THAT U USED BECAUSE MY WORK BEING SOME BAD BECAUSE OF FONTS….
HOPE U RESPOND
MANY THANKS
pooja jasani May 19th
really gr8 and helpfull vth new innovativ ideas
( )Shimi May 20th
Love this effect, I’m currently not at home at this moment, so I couldn’t try it out. Kudos on the work.
( )adriano May 22nd
Muito massa o efeito!!!!
( )Patrick Millais May 24th
really really nice. Thank you so much for sharing!
( )brian May 24th
arg.. im still stuck on step 8.. i dont know what im doing wrong, but when i try to set the curve level, everything outside of the circle changes color.
the steps im following …
1.) draw Elliptical tool on the gradient layer
2.) use feather
3.)quick mask
4.) blur
5.) quick mask again
6.) click curves in the black/white circle
7.)set the curve layer above the gradient but below the text
8.) edit the curve
i dont know what im doing wrong… everything outside of teh circle changes color
any help please?
( )Trevon May 26th
WHoa, Its okk, you can see the Original Text Lines a little. But its a simple fix
( )xphunt3r May 29th
Very very hard for me to do…….
( )QQ June 3rd
thank you so much for sharing
( )Imran June 4th
My Friend which font you use in the this tutorial
( )Imran June 4th
My Friend which font you use in the this tutorial?
( )Sam June 5th
Great stuff!
( )shivanagendra June 19th
Its great
( )Joe June 21st
I love the glow on it.
( )Adrian Ma June 27th
took a little while, but finally got it working nicely. great tutorial!! all steps are complete unlike many tutorials aimed towards more advanced users
( )