Creating Colourful Glowing Text in Photoshop

by Dong Tang

In this exercise we will learn to change foreground and background colour, how to add text using Text Tool, how to use the Gradiant Tool, how to fill a pattern with different colours, how to get a surface reflection for an image, how to use filters to get different effects.

Step 1. Choosing a background

First click the background pattern on the Tools palette and choose the colour on the Colour Picker. We choose a dark purple (code 2E0324) as our background colour. Then open a new file using File>New or Ctrl+N, set the file content to background colour in the new file parameters panel.  

 

 

Step 2. Typing and overlaping the letters

Now we use the Text tool on the Tool palette to add our text. We need to create a new layer for each of our letters. Using Layer>New or Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer. To place the text on same line, we use Move tool and select the first letter by Ctrl + Click on the first letter’s layer thumbnail in the layer palette, and click add link buttons of all the text layers on the layer palette, then click  the ‘Align Bottom Edges’ button on the option bar. This will align all the letters in the same line as the first letter. Now deselect the first letter with Ctrl+D, use Move tool to move our individual letters to slightly overlap one another.

 

 Step3. Adding a  gradiant to your letters

Open a new layer using Shift+Ctrl+N and name this layer as gradiant layer. Click the gradient tool on the Tool palette and choose Linear Gradient and black to white. Drag the cursor from bottom to top and hold the shift key all the way, then we will get our gradient layer with a black to white gradient from the bottom to top.

Ctrl+Click on the first letter’s layer and you get the selection of first letter’s shape. Now click the gardient layer,  use Copy(Ctrl+C) and Paste (Ctrl+V) to cut off  the gradiant letter and paste it to a new layer. Select the Layer Properties of the new layer and rename it to I-g.  Repeat this process untill you get all your gradient letters. Now you can delete or hide all the text layers and the gradient layer.

Step 4. Adding colours to your letters

Create a new layer with Ctrl+Shift+N and select your first gradient letter’s shape (ctrl+click on the first letter’s layer thumbernail). Change the foreground colour of the new layer by click the set foreground colour button on Tool palette and choose a colour on the Colour Picker. Now use Edit>Fill to fill your selection with your new foreground colour. Rename the new colour letter layer with 1-c on the layer properties paneland change the layer blending mode to Screen. You will get your first colour letter. Repeat this process untill you get all your colour letters.

Step 5. Merge

First hide all layers except your gradient letter layers, use Shift+Ctrl+E to merge all the gradient letter layers together and name it ‘gradient letters’. Then hide all layers except colour letter layers, use Shift+Ctrl+E to merge all colour letter layers together and name it ‘colour letter layers’. Now we have three layers left, the gradient letter layer, the colour letter layer and background layer, this makes our layer palette clean.

Step 6.   Getting the glow

Duplicate the gradient letter layer and apply a Gaussian Blur with a value of 3 pixels on this layer by Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur (layer blending mode is screen). Then duplicate the colour letter layer and apply a Gaussian Blur with a value of 2 pixels on this layer, the layer blending mode is also screen.

Step 7. Getting surface reflection

Select all the layers being used for text effect and merge them with Shift+Ctrl+E, and duplicate it. Flip the duplicate layer vertical with Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical, then set the opacity of the duplicate layer to a lower value as 44% in our case and use moving tool to move the  reflection under the original text.

Now we get our colourful glowing text and there is reflection.

Step 8. Adjust as needed.

You can get more wonderful effects of your text using different selections in the Filter function. Below are some examples for your reference.

a. Filter>Stylize>Wind

b. Filter>Stylize>Glowing Edges

c. Filter>Artistic>Plastic Wrap

d. Filter>Texture>Mosaic Tiles

e. Filter>Texture>Grain

f. Filter>Texture>Stained Glass

 

f. Filter>Texture>Texturizer

Adding Flaming Decals to a Modern Car

by Dong Tang

In this exercise you will learn to place an image, how to use the Layer Mask, the Layer Blending Modes, the Eraser Tool, the Curves function, the Magic Wand Tool.

Step 1:

First I find two pictures from the internet, one is  side-view of Acura Advanced Sports Concept car( photo courtesy of www.motortrend.com) and another is our flame pattern( photo courtesy of  www.xtremesled.com).

Then save two pictures as JPEG files in My Pictures folder. Open the first picture as our background picture and then use Place function to add the flame pattern on it.  File>Place

We need to open the flame JPEG picture and save it as a Photoshop PDF file, because Place command only accept PDF, AI, EPS,PDP file formats. 

Step2:

Now we change the new layer’s Blending mode from Normal to Overlay, so we can see through the background. Set the new layer as active layer, move the pattern to a desired position with the Move Tool on the Tools palette.

Step 3:

Now we will erase the undesired part of the pattern and only leave the flame part. Set the flame pattern layer as active and make the background layer invisible, then use Magic Wand Tool to click outside the flame to choose the flame, and use Select>Inverse  (Shift+Ctrl+I) to change the selection to the oustside of the flame. At last,we add a layer mask to the flame pattern layer, and only the flame pattern remains on the background.

Step 4:

After step 3 we have the image as below.

First we need to erase the white part inside the flame pattern. We can use Magic Wand Tool to choose one  and then use Eraser Tool or Background Eraser Tool to erase it. And repeat this until all the white parts are replaced by background.(Pattern layer is active and background layer is invisible)

Now we will erase the flame over the wheel. First set the background layer to active layer by clik at the background layer on th layer palette, and then use Magic Wand Tool to click on the wheel to select it.

Now set the active layer to flame pattern layer again and turn the background layer invisible. Use Eraser Tool or Background Eraser Tool to erase the flame over the wheel. Alternatively simply press delete.

To erase the flame over the wheel ring, choose Select and Inverse or just use Shift+Ctrl+I to change the selection to the wheel ring and then use Eraser Tool or Background Eraser Tool to brush it away.

Step 5:

After all the steps before, we get our final image.

 

But maybe you still want to change the brightness of  the flame colour, you can use ImageAdjustmentsCurves or just Ctrl+M to change it.

 

After the fine adjustment, we will merge the two layers together to get our final result. Choose Layer>Merge Down (Ctrl+E) or Layer>Merge Visible (Shift+Ctrl+E) to merge the two layers.

 

Step 6:

Now we can go for a ride in our favourite car with a fantastic flame pattern on it.