How to Create a Gorgeous Glassy Text Effect
Download Source Files
I Worked on this tutorial with a good friend of mine Negreu Andreas. This text will be created using a series of shapes with different transparency and color effects. Let’s get to it!
Final Image Preview
Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $19/month. You can view the final image preview below or view a larger version here.
Step 1
First of all open up a new document and fill it in with black. Then add your text using a font you like and the color #00e5ff.
Step 2
Next duplicate the layer by pressing (Command + J), set the layer Opacity to 65% and move it down and left 1 px each.
Step 3
Next duplicate the text layer in Step 2 four more times. Then move each 1 px down and left as you did before.
Step 4
Next you need to select all the layers except for the background and the first text you created. Now right-click and chose Rasterize Type, then Merge the layers and set the new layer to 47% Opacity.
Step 5
Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) and make a selection, as shown below. Next, use the Smudge Tool (R) set to a Master Diameter of 19 px, Hardness of 100%, Strength of 30%, and smudge the right part of the layer so you can cover up that empty part.
Step 6
Repeat the same process with the other letters.
Step 7
For the lower part of the “S” letter, make a selection as shown, but this time simply erase the unwanted part of the letter by pressing Backspace.
Step 8
Erase the upper part of the letters: “d,” “t,” “u,” and “t,” then erase the lower part of the “s.”
Step 9
Next use the Smudge Tool (R) as you did in Step 5. Use the Smudge Tool for the letters “t,” “t” and “s.”
Step 10
Next move the original text layer above the duplicate. Also, set the Opacity of the duplicated layer to 35%. Select the original text layer and double-click on it to enter the Blending Options and then add a stroke.
Step 11
Next select the text layer below and duplicate it. Use the Pen Tool (P) and create a stroke like below and transform it into a selection. Now simply erase over the selection using the Eraser Tool (E) set to 24% Opacity.
Step 12
Next create a new layer above the duplicated text layers. In this layer add some color to the text. To do this you first need to make a selection of the entire text by holding down the Command key and pressing once on the duplicated text layer thumbnail. Now fill the selection with #ff009c. Don’t mind the blue clouds behind the text.
Step 13
Set the layer to Hue and Opacity to 35%.
Step 14
Make a selection of the first text layer and then go into each of the below layers and press backspace to clear the selected areas. As you can see below, the text effect will still be visible, but we need to erase some areas for future adjustments.
Step 15
Create a new layer below the “pink” layer and make a selection as shown below, then fill the selection with white. Also, set the layer to 38% Opacity and the original “text” layer to 68% Opacity.
Step 16
Make a selection of the original “text” layer. Now use a soft brush for the Eraser Tool (E) to clear the corners of the white layer that don’t look good.
Step 17
Make another selection of the original text layer and create a new layer above it. Then select the Lasso Tool (L) and right-click on the screen and choose stroke. Set the stroke to 2 px and color to #00fcff.
Step 18
Duplicate the stroke from Step 17 and move it like below. Now make a selection as shown, and use the Eraser Tool (E) set to 40% Opacity to erase the stroke that is inside the selection. In the end, set the layer to 10% Opacity.
Step 19
Make another selection on the original text and then subtract like below. Create a new layer above the original “text” layer, and apply the same color as you used for the stroke add a simple gradient. Then add another stroke using #c2feff.
Step 20
Duplicate the “white text” layer and brush over it with the color #f1ff12. Then set the layer Opacity to 23% and move it as shown.
Step 21
Make a selection like below by Command-clicking on the original text thumbnail and inverse the selection. Then using the Eraser Tool (E) you need to erase the edges like in Step 16.
Step 22
Now it is time to get back to the “pink” layer. Activate it and set the Opacity back to 100%. Make a selection like below, invert it and erase the excess using the Eraser Tool (E).
Step 23
Move the “pink” layer you just created above the original text layer and set it to Overlay.
Conclusion
You are finished with the text effect but to make this a bit more interesting I will create another element and that is the plus using the same techniques. Also, add the final element, which is an interesting background that I purchased from Graphic River. You can view the final image below or view a larger version here.
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By Constantin Potorac
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thanks for the tut man.really cool.got to try it. :)
Yes.. It’s very cool.
Thank for this tutorial.
first
HAHA Fail.
Its nice tutorial I might try it out sometime. Though I am not really a typography person.
I Agree
moron
jks when i comented i was the first it’s the stupid school computer that made me second
I think the very fact that you even posted that comment was fail :) Please stop doing that in the future.
Anyways, I like this type effect very much, it has a retro meets glossy vista type feel too it..
and it’s sooo important to be the first person to comment, isn’t it? after all, when you comment first, you are the coolest person on the whole plant, right?
At least he can spell!
Not the computer is stupid…
Love how saying something like “first” can start a whole discussion :>
this looks cool
and some effects I’ve never used :)
Seen better glass effects to be fair.
very nice tut man, thanks!
Nice! I’m going to have to try this one out, beautiful colours btw…
… the more I’m thinking about this… it’s cool, you could really apply it to any shape. it’s not at all limited to text…
Nice tut but whats the font name?
And Command + J ? Well i am a windows user so i think this is for the mac?
The author wants you to find your own Mark, that’s why he says ‘try your own’.
Here’s the translation for Mac –> Win
Command=Control
I know thats why i ask which font this is ;)
http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/
What the Font! Its a cool website.
Looks like Bauhaus
I think it’s REZland : http://www.dafont.com/fr/rezland.font
yep, that’s it !
wow nice effect i’ll try
tnx,,veri good
Wow, that’s cool! It also could be used in a lot of things. Again, I really cool tutorial Constantin! Thanks a lot!
Nice tut…a real pleasure.
AWESOME!
Great tutorial! I can’t wait to try it. Someone needs to fix the title though, should it be, “How to Create a Gorgeous Glossy Text Effect”? It says “Glassy”.
Still says “Glassy”.
Nevermind, I get that it’s supposed to be “glassy” as in “glass-like”. I’m so used to seeing the word “glossy” when it comes to PS tutorials I just thought it was a typo. Sorry!
Cool
sorry but i think the problem is with my opera mini browser… I fail to see anything glassy (or glossy) in it … :(
(i am using my nokia 6630 to read this tut !!!)
looks glassy to me…
wouldn’t it be easier just to use the 3d fx in cs4? :)
Good Job Man! thanks for sharing …
No…. because this is a “glassy” look, not glossy.
learn to make some tutorials b4 starting off with a hectic one like this…
im not noob at ps3 but i couldnt follow what u were doing in some steps…
maybe its just my ps3 but mine looks nothing like urs…
however very very AWESOME looking
Not a big deal….. :(
but learn something from that, learning something is a part of tutorials usually so thats ok….. ;)
And i think the background is also in this tutorial, but Constantin Potorac cheats me ;) he simply drop a link in the final step :cry: :evil:
Really great one. will try this :)
imi pare bine ca vad tot mai multi designeri romani pe psdtuts!
bafta:D
it’s nice to see more and more romanian designers on PSDtuts!
Nice work!
whats so gorgeous about this? seems lately spdtuts is accepting kinda anything but who am i to judge. free stuff is always welcome
nice tho`
si mie imi pare bine , constantin potorac are cateva tutoriale faine :)
i’m glad too , constantin potorac has some cool tutorials
Congrats Mate
merci frumos pentru aprecieri :) C-tin e cam “rau” :))
Good job
Woow Awesome! Finally a good and easy tutorial to follow, because lately the tutotials have been really hard like for expert people and it makes feel like not doing.
I love this tutorial 100%
Reminds me of the old PSDTUTS…
Wow Coooooooool
Nice tutorial, I am looking forward to trying this out not only with typography but with shapes as well. Its nice to see typography used in a creative way, thanks for the tutorial.
Nice. Thx
IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE GLASS LOL
Simple and nice.
Simple and easy. thx
Very nice, going to add to toptuts.com
simple and clean.
Hi,
really nice tutorial. The font used is really nice, may you please give me the name? It would be really nice to you.
Have a good day!
Very nice outcome. Will definetly try to use this.
Personally I like the state its at in step 21 more than the final… I think the pink was a little overkill…nice tho
Good Job maaan! thanks for sharing))
Lovely stuff I hpoe I’ll remember all of the techniques
a very detailed tutorial. love to do this one
nice tutorial but english :) im turk but i know english and I Love psd.tuts+
Really nice
this tut is not so good to pe honest…. too bad
Bro. I Can’t Make This Tut. Plz. Help .. ;( .. i Really Wanna Make A One Like This .. But By Another Word..I Wanna Write SiR.BlaCk .. Plz. Tell Me What To Do On This E-Mail .. : b.na_01@yahoo.com
Steps 15 & 16 were confusing
Nice tutorial. Great outcome.
Some good techniques learned. I think, however, it would allow people a bit more creativity if the specific colours weren’t supplied. Techniques are learned more thoroughly with experimenting. I tried this with other colours and it worked quite well.
Thanks for posting this tutorial, it’s very helpful. :)
Nice effect thanks
Somewhat a cliche but nicely written
I like that text effect. Its clean, yet glossy and modern.
way too many steps for soemthing that isnt even that impressive, i would refer to other tutorials for much better glass effects
Anyone knows how to create that background? I think the background image looks fantastic. :)