Create Gold Ornamental Text in Photoshop
Tutorial Details
- Program: Adobe Photoshop CS3+
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Estimated Completion Time: 3 Hours
Download Source Files
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
Ornamental text can be created in several ways. Today we will demonstrate how to combine several stock images to create some nice gold ornamental typography. Let’s get started!
Resources Used
The following resources were used during the production of this tutorial:
- Clouds
- Grunge Texture
- Splatter Brushes
- Grunge Brushes
- Blair Caps Font
- 3 Ornamental Stocks
- Splatter Brushes 2
- Brushes for Aztec
Step 1
Create a new document 1400 x 800 px and fill it with black. Draw a vertical guide that cuts your document in half.
Step 2
Place the clouds photo as shown. Now desaturate this image by going to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and apply the settings as shown.
Step 3
Now place the grunge texture as shown and change its layer blending mode to soft light.
Step 4
Now it’s time to start creating text. You can choose to create any word that you like but in this case we are going to create the word “Aztec.” For this step it is very important that you choose nice stock images to create the ornaments. I chose this package of images from CGTextures.com.
Step 5
Extract ornaments using the Pen Tool as shown below. When you’re done you should have about 11 pieces.
Step 6
Now start combining these elements to create your letters. Feel free to warp, re-size, position, or erase areas as needed.
Step 7
Repeat Step 6 until you have created a “z”.
Step 8
Repeat Step 6 until you have created a “t”.
Step 9
Repeat Step 6 until you have created a “e”.
Step 10
Repeat Step 6 until you have created a “c”.
Step 11
Now we need to start blending our letters together. To do this, duplicate all your layers and merge them down to one. Make sure to save a copy of all your layers just in case. Now take your smudge tool and start blending the elements together to make everything look smooth. A nice soft brush about 4 – 9 px should work well.
Step 12
Now let’s add some shadows. Apply the following layer style to your text.
Step 13
Applying an inner shadow will increase the contrast of the piece.
Step 14
Now let’s add some additional elements to our background. Open the Splatter Brushes and apply them on a new layer as shown using black.
Step 15
Now open this brush pack and select a red #8d0000 color. Use the first brush in the pack and paint some red in as shown.
Step 16
With a red # dc0021 color still selected keep painting in some bright red highlights with a 35 px brush as shown below on a new layer.
Temporarily turn off the visibility of the text layer and go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur.
Now use a soft 65 px brush to erase areas as shown and set blending mode to color dodge.
Step 17
Use the second brush from this pack and apply it to the background as shown on a new layer.
Create a clipping mask (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + G) for this brush. Create a new layer above the brush layer and draw something similar to what is shown below.
Here is how this layer looks without a mask.
Step 18
Merge all the background elements and go to Filter > Blur > Surface Blur.
Use a soft eraser to remove areas you don’t like. Use the smudge tool to smooth out rough areas as well.
Step 19
Turn on your text layer’s visibility and draw in some highlights as shown with a 3 px #360a0b color.
Step 20
Select the type tool # cc982f and add the text “TREASURES OF THE” and place it as shown. Use the Blair Caps font and apply the layer styles as shown.
Step 21
To add something extra to your text use a 3D brush from this pack and apply it on a new layer with #ddaf00 selected.
Step 22
Add some sparks using this set of brushes.
Apply the following layer style.
Step 23
Create a new layer above all others and take a large 300 px brush and paint in some black around the edges as shown. Now go to Blur > Gaussian Blur to smooth out the transition.
Step 24
Duplicate and merge your layers into one. Now add a radial blur as shown.
Set the blending mode of this layer to lighten and its transparency to 75%.
Step 25
Our artwork is almost complete! Add some backlights with a soft 100 px brush using #e96800 as shown.
Delete areas as needed with the eraser.
Set the blending mode to screen.
Step 26
We’re almost finished! Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. Then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast. Done!
Enjoyed this Post?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed, Follow us on Twitter or simply recommend us to friends and colleagues!
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
Beautiful!
Very nice use of elements from photos to create typography. However, the arrangement of the type is a little confusing to me. I read it as “AZTECS, treasures of the ….” then was looking for the end of the sentence. May be just me but that’s what I saw.
Other wise, very good use of multiple elements.
Same here :) I was looking around the piece to try and find the last word and then realised that Aztec was the last word
Creative work, but I had to do a double take on the letters too. I first thought it was ATTECS
Thanks so much!!! =D
Thanks from Brazil.
Awesome Effect!
Inspiring technique! Thanks for sharing!
Really great result and tutorial !
I also use the paint and blur technique a lot in the back of my compositions :)
Here are lots of grunge textures:
http://filterforge.com/filters/search.html?q=grunge&h=r
If you need bigger resolution download trial version of Filter Forge
Please Like Filter Forge’s page http://www.facebook.com/filterforge if you find it useful
Great Tutorial. Great outcome and process.
Beautiful outcome! I can’t believe is not plus!
Excellent tut, love how you used different elements to create the type, very creative. The final outcome looks good too, I may try this one :)
well done brother … great tutorial !!! :D
When I saw the thumbnail I thought it would have long tens of steps, but it’s actually very simple! Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the simplest things are the most effective, and this is a good example of that!
Really nice and well done work!
Thanks!
Who would think you can make letter like that :) Very nice, thanks for sharing Kovachov.
Thanks. Great tutorial. Love your text tutorials.
Really..amazing..designing..i lked it very much
Great tutorial! I found it easy to follow with. The outcome is simply amazing. Now I just have to find something to use it with…
Finally, some solid content on PSDTuts+, great stuff.
Great tutorial, and very inspiring and original.
I am not from Brazil though.
Excellent technique.. a bit challenging to read though. Love the background treatment.
Excellent Tutorial !! Thanks so much.
thanks alot nik
NOW THAT´S WHAT I WOULD CALL A NICE TUT! VISUAL GRAFFITI!!!
Good tutorial! I can really see the use in other areas for these kind of tutorials. Keep up with the good work! :)
I actually thought that the tutorial will also include the custom creation of floral fonts.. but LOL the alphabets are taken as pieces from a photo. Anyway, the final composition is nice though. Some great techniques.
Thanks,
Rafi
GraphicsFuel.com
It seem that some links are dead …
that’s right …
This is a great tutorial. Thanks a lot. I want more of this stuff!
This looks incredible… reminds me a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean.
And thank you psdtuts editors, not only for this quality material, but also for finally banning that spammer!
beautiful result! great tutorial, thanks a million
I could swear I have seen this somewhere before…
Maybe it just feels that way. I don’t know.
Good effect nonetheless, thanks editors!
This is what i came up with, i made this some time ago before i saw this tutorial, but i had already see this picture somewhere on the web i loved it so much i had to make one for my son.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tango54/4700858533/
Great tutorials,nice use of photoshop tools .Text is little bit unreadable but nice piece of creativity
Thanks for sharing with us.I always hope to get something new from psdtuts
Love the tutorial, shame all the brushes were all upload to a site that limits you 2 10 downloads, so now they arent available.
Great tut. Well explained with good resources.
you need to fix the resources link [Brushes]
and great tutorial btw ;]
The final result looks really pro, very interesting text effect!
Grate tutorial. Very nice finish, For me the finishing is the problem.
Cool! Thanks for this great tutorial!
The idea is awesome!Thank you!
I Can’t say anything other than W O W !! :D
Very creative!!!! Really great idea! Congrats!
This is great =D Thanks alot.
Nice effect, but that text just isn’t very readable, the basic shapes are too distorted.
Hey!
I have a question: What sort of brush is used on step 17? because the packages arent available.. where can i find something like that? thankks
Great Tutorial. I was shockd by the detailed images and the combination of bright colors with a dramatic background.I will sure gonna try it
Nice ideas, very useful tut and great share. LT
Great tutorial … Thanks for writing it!!!
But … I can’t download the brushes used in this tutorial. The links present on your specified page are broken. If you can specify some other link to download these brushes then it would be very good for me….
I’m stuck on the clipping mask part. I’m not sure if I’m the only one, but that part is very vague.
Me too. Stuck.
Nice. Great idea! I’ll make an alphabet out of it. Thanks!
Great tutorial, has given me some good techniques and tips, Thanks
nice tutorial but i am disappointed that you used links to pirated brushes. ron’s splash 2 brushes are a paid item that you can purchase from the daz 3d store http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/rons-splashes-2?item=6498&_m=d support the creators!
Thanks for pointing that out. The link is now pointing to the correct place.