Make a 3D Colorful Abstract Text Effect

I started working on this piece when I was making templates for flyers for a club website for my school. I discovered that you can actually make 3D text in Word beyond the previously-simple WordArt and don't need really expensive 3d art programs to get a nice look. The design was inspired by the popular quote "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" and Priscilla Ahn's song "Dream." I was happy with how it turned out and decided to recreate the text effect as a photoshop tutorial.

Final Image Preview

 Ok Let’s get started!

Steps

1. Open a new Word document. The best version for this tutorial is 2007 or later, but earlier versions will work for most of the steps but may have to be adapted to work. Type in any word you like, preferably something short. I used the word 'float' because I'm going for a dreamy, abstract look.
Highlight the word and go to Insert- Word Art. Click on the word art that is black text curving upward (the 3rd choice on mine). Match these settings, perhaps using a different, similar font if you don't have this one:

2. Double click on the word on your screen. This is where older versions of Word may differ, but bear with me.
Click on Spacing- Tight. Click on Shape Fill and then choose a light aqua blue color. Click on Shape Fill- Gradient- Linear Up. Click on 3D Effects- Rotate in Perspective- 3D Style 16 (the first row, fourth one). Your text should look like this:

3. Change the height and width in the top bar both to 4.5". Go to 3D Effects- 3D Color and change the color to a darker aqua. Go to 3D Effects- Depth- 72pt. Go to 3D Effects- Lighting- 0 degrees. Find the following buttons at the top of the screen:

Click the Tilt Right button about 6 times and click Tilt Down about once. It's up to you how you want the text to look, but here's how mine turned out:

4. Press the Prt Scr (Print Screen) button on your keyboard to take a screenshot. Paste the screenshot into a new Photoshop file, size 600 by 600 px. Use the Quick Selection Tool to highlight the white background of the text. It should look like this:

Click on Refine Edge and change Feather to .5 and Smooth to 60. Then click Delete and deselect the background. You may have to zoom in and touch up some of the edges with a small eraser, but these areas will be more noticeable with a colored background.
5. Make a new layer under the text. Change your colors to #4ab4d8 and white and make a radial gradient ('reverse' checked) starting from the middle of the canvas and going out to a corner.

6. Double click the text layer to bring up Layer Styles. Add a black-to-white gradient set on Soft Light at an 80 degree angle. Click ok. Now we're going to change the color of the text. Go to Image- Adjustments- Hue/Saturation. Match these settings:


7. Make a new layer just above the background, but below the text layer. Use a 500px soft white brush and click twice in the white spot that already exists from the radial gradient. Change the blending mode to Soft Light.
Download these retro circle brushes from the image pack (select around them and Edit- Define Brush Preset). Using the pink color #f8618b, stamp a few brushes behind the text. Parts of the brush should be revealed and parts should be covered by the text. Change the blending mode to Linear Burn.

8. Make a new layer. Use the same brushes but this time use an orangey-yellow color, #ffbb00. Set the blending mode to Hard Light and match these settings for a gradient on the layer styles:


9. Make a new layer. Use the lime color #c9ea0a and the same brushes to add more abstract shapes behind the text. Set the blending mode to Pin Light.

10. Make yet another new layer. Download these rising sun brushes and use the color orange #ffb400 to decorate behind the middle of your text.

11. Use black and brushes from this brush set and this brush set on a new layer. Set the blending mode to Overlay.

12. Make a new layer and use the splatter brushes again, choosing different ones this time and covering a different area with the brushes. Set the blending mode to Overlay.

13. Make a new layer. Using the rising sun target brushes from step 10, change the color to white and stamp a few brushes behind the text. Change the blending mode to Overlay and the opacity to 60%.

14. Make a new layer, this time above the text layer. Change the color to white and use the brush in the lower righthand corner of this set. Stamp it once toward the bottom middle of the text. In my case I put it below the 'o' and parts of the brush showed on the text.

15. Right now, imperfections are key to making designs avoid looking too fake or pristine. So, make yet another new layer. Using these spiral star brushes in black, stamp them over the text, following the general path of the text but allowing them to overlap onto the background. Change the blending mode to Soft Light at 50%.

15. Make a new layer (see the pattern? ). Use white soft round brushes sizes 13px and 35px and create sparkle highlights on the top edge of the text, mostly at the upper corners of the letters. Change the blending mode to Overlay at 60% opacity.

16. Make a new layer. Use a 300px soft black brush to paint the following shadows, shading in the corners and leaving an empty circle in the middle:

Change the blending mode to Overlay and the opacity to 80%.

17. Make the final new layer. Click on the paint bucket and at the top bar change 'foreground' to 'pattern.' Open the menu of patterns and click the little arrow, then click on 'Greyscale Paper' and append them. Find 'Fibers 2' and fill in the canvas. Change the blending mode to Soft Light at 75% opacity.
Use a 65px soft brush to roughly erase the part of the pattern that covers the text. If you want, go to Layers- Merge Visible and then Filter- Sharpen- Sharpen to make the image look crispier and more finished. Done!

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Posted by Keyla Eff, Published at 11:21 PM and have 0 comment