3D text needs the right depth, lighting and texture. Nik Ainley tells you how to do this without re-rendering nightmares
Typography is huge at the moment in illustration, and 3D text is a big part of that. It literally gives the artist another dimension to play with, and the power of 3D programs provides a sense of realism that 2D typography just can’t match.
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.
Create a new document 400 x 300px and fill it will black.
Type the text in “Edwardian Script ITC”, font-size 160 pt. Set the anti-aliasing method to Smooth, color doesn’t matter as long as it is not the same as the background color.
Taking 3D objects into Photoshop is going to get more popular thanks to the latest release of Photoshop Extended. But you don’t need Adobe’s latest high-end version of Photoshop to create some unique 3D effects – this masterclass works for Photoshop CS and above.
In this tutorial, we’re going to use some super layer effects and a bit of extra magic to make a lettering style that looks transparent and stunning. Because there is so much use of layer styles, you need to download the sample PSD from the link at the bottom of the tutorial in order to follow along
Most of you probably know those awesome letters that were generated with 3D programs. But what about when you don’t have any particular program and you need to make 3D typography? This tutorial will show you how to create the 3D text shape and give it a high quality metal look using pure Photoshop. Check it out!
