A basic gradient text tut for signature files

renegade

Staff member
Super Mod
Select a image you want to add the text to. Open it in photoshop and crop it to required size.
Once you have the image you can simply add the text as per your liking using the text tool but that would look bland and out of place. The colors simply won't complement well with the background.
We would instead try some gradint effects to achieve that.

We have cropped the following image from a wallpaper to serve as our background.
Stage01.jpg


This is how it would look if we were to add text simply using the text tool.
Stage02.jpg


Now we would use the angle gradient tool on the text.

Step1: Using the type-tool type the text on the image. This would create a new layer on top of the base layer in the layers pallette.
newlayer.JPG


Step2: Once you have decided on which font/fontsize to use, right-click on the text layer in the layers pallete and click on rasterize-layer.

Step3: Now either select the colors using the color-picker or use the eye-dropper tool to select the two colors. Select eye dropper tool, click on the set foreground color, click on the image where you want to pick the color from. Same procedure for background color.
colorpicker.JPG


Step4: Press ctrl and click on the text layer in the layers pallette to outline(marching ants) the entire text.

Step5: Select the gradient tool
grad.JPG

and select angle-gradient, click and drag the pointer over and across the entire selected text. Now press ctrl+d to deselect.
Stage03.jpg


>>>>>>>
Repeat the above procedure till step4 but in step5 select the radial-gradient and drag the pointer from the center of the text instead.
Stage04.jpg


Step6: Now select two different colors and go to Filter/artistic/neon-glow. Adjust glow size and brightness accordingly. I have taken glow size= -8 and glow brightness=38. Click OK.
Stage05.jpg

Remember that the glow color will depend on the color that you have chosen in the color picker. Also the glow would render differently if the background/foreground colors are interchanged.

Repeat the procedure till step 2 and this time select a fat looking font to achive this effect. I have used 'Bermuda Solid'.
Now perform step4 then go to Select/modify/contract and set it to value 1 and click OK.
Press D to select default colors, then x to interchange them, then ctrl+del to fill the background color (which is black at the moment)
Again press ctrl+d to deselect.
Stage06.jpg


In the layers pallette click the blending mode drop down menu next to opaque which is at normal setting. Select linear burn.
This is what you shall have at the end of it all.
Stage07.jpg
 
Simple stuff, will give people a good start. Making the text as a new layer and then using some Blending Options on it makes it pretty amazing. :)
 
It will take some time to be acquainted with the photoshop tools for a new time user. All i can say now is that one should experiment more with the vector tool. Add anchor points and vary the shape of the vector outline. Everything else is just easy and requires some imagination.
 
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