Create Simple 3D Text In Photoshop

Create Simple 3D Text In Photoshop

In this Photoshop text effects tutorial, we'll learn how to create simple 3D text:

Photoshop 3D text. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

The terminal 3D text event.

Allow's get started!

Step ane: Create a New Document

To begin, let'south create a brand new Photoshop certificate. Get up to the File carte at the top of the screen and choose New, or for a quicker way, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+North (Win) / Command+North (Mac). Whichever way you choose, Photoshop pops upwards the New Certificate dialog box. Enter the size you need for your document. For this tutorial, I'm going to enter a Width of 6 inches, a Top of 4 inches, and a Resolution of 300 pixels/inch, which is a standard resolution for professional quality printing. I'm likewise going to set my Groundwork Contents to White, which will ready the background color of my new document to white. When you're done, click OK in the top right corner of the dialog box to go out out of it. Your new Photoshop document will appear on the screen.

The New Document dialog box in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Create a new Photoshop document using the New Document dialog box.

Step 2: Select The Type Tool From Photoshop's Tools Palette

To add text to the certificate, we'll need to utilise Photoshop'southward Type Alsol. Select it from the Tools palette, or press the alphabetic character T on your keyboard to select it with the shortcut:

Photoshop Type Tool. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Select the Type Tool.

Step 3: Choose A Font From The Options Bar

Next, we need to choose a font. With the Type Tool selected, you'll notice that the Options Bar at the top of the screen has changed to bear witness the options for the Type Tool. Cull whichever font you'd like to use from the list of fonts that you currently take bachelor on your computer. This 3D consequence works best with fonts that have big, thick messages. I'k going to choose Impact. You can also choose a size for your text if you like, but it's not really necessary at this point since nosotros can hands change the size of the text later, as nosotros'll see. For at present, all nosotros need is the font:

Choosing a font from the Options Bar in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Cull a font from the Options Bar.

Step 4: Choose A Color For Your Text

Next, we need to choose a color for our text. If you wait further to the right in the Options Bar, you'll encounter a color swatch. The color swatch shows the current text color. To alter the color, simply click on the colour swatch:

The text color swatch in the Options Bar in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Change the color of the text by clicking on the color swatch in the Options Bar.

This will bring up Photoshop's Color Picker. Choose whichever colour yous'd similar to use for your text. I'yard going to select a bright shade of red. When you're done, click OK in the superlative right corner of the Colour Picker to leave out of it:

Photoshop's Color Picker. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Choose a new color for the text from the Colour Picker, then click OK to go out out of it.

The color swatch in the Options Bar will change to show the colour you've selected.

Step 5: Add Your Text To The Document

With our font and text colour selected, click inside the document and add your text. I'grand going to blazon "PHOTOSHOP", all in capital letters to enhance the effect. Don't worry if the text appears likewise large or also small for now. We tin fix that in a moment:

Adding text to the document in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Click inside the document and add your text.

When you lot're washed typing, click on the checkmark in the Options Bar to accept the text and exit out of text editing mode:

Clicking the checkmark in the Options Bar to accept the text. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Exit out of text editing mode by clicking on the checkmark in the Options Bar.

If nosotros look at our Layers palette, we can see that Photoshop has conveniently placed our text on its ain layer to a higher place the Background layer. This is what will allow us to work with the text independently from the white groundwork behind it:

The Layers palette in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

The text appears on its ain layer in the Layers palette.

Step 6: Resize The Blazon If Needed

If your notice that your text is too minor (or as well large), nosotros can hands fix that using Photoshop'southward Free Transform command. Start, make certain your text layer is selected in the Layers palette (selected layers are highlighted in blue). And then go up to the Edit menu at the top of the screen and choose Gratuitous Transform. Yous tin can besides select the Free Transform command with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac):

Selecting the Free Transform command in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Select "Gratuitous Transform" from the Edit carte.

You'll see the Gratuitous Transform box and handles appear around your text in the document. To resize the text, hold down your Shift key, and so click any of the corner handles (the little squares) and drag the corner inwards to make the text smaller or outward to make it larger. Holding the Shift central down every bit y'all drag constrains the attribute ratio so you don't accidentally distort the shape of the text as you're resizing it. I'm going to make my text merely a niggling bit bigger by dragging the handle in the bottom right corner outward. Y'all can as well move the text if you demand to by clicking anywhere within of the Gratis Transform box and dragging the text to a new location inside the document:

Resizing the text with Free Transform. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Resize and motility the text as needed with Gratuitous Transform.

When you lot're washed, printing Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) to accept the change and exit out of the Free Transform control.

Pace 7: Convert The Text To A Shape

To create our 3D consequence, we need to alter the perspective of our text. At that place's only one problem though. Photoshop doesn't permit the states to modify the perspective of text (encounter how that tin can be a problem?). To show you what I mean, make sure you still have the text layer selected, then go upward to the Edit menu at the meridian of the screen and select Transform from the listing. A secondary card volition appear showing all the various ways nosotros tin can transform the contents of the layer we currently accept selected. Notice how the Distort and Perspective options are grayed out? That means they're currently unavailable to us, and that'due south because Photoshop can't perform either of these ii types of transformations on text.

The solution is to catechumen our text layer into what's called a shape layer. By converting the text to a shape, nosotros'll exist able to change the perspective of it and create our effect. The only downside to converting text to a shape is that the type volition no longer be editable. In this case though, since we have no demand to edit our text, nosotros don't need to worry about it.

With the text layer nevertheless selected, become upwardly to the Layer carte at the elevation of the screen, choose Type, and so choose Catechumen to Shape:

Converting type to a shape in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Go to Layer > Type > Convert to Shape.

If nosotros wait in the Layers palette, nosotros can see that the text layer now looks completely different, and that'south considering it's no longer a text layer. Photoshop has converted it to a shape layer, which ways we're now complimentary to utilise a Perspective transformation to it and create our 3D text event:

The Type layer is now a Shape layer in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

The text layer has been converted to a shape layer.

Stride viii: Change The Perspective

Go back up to the Edit menu. You lot'll see that the Transform option we looked at a moment ago has been replaced with a new option named Transform Path. Once again, that'south because we're dealing at present with a shape. Choose Transform Path from the list. When the secondary menu appears, yous'll run across that both the Distort and Perspective options are at present available. Choose Perspective from the list:

Selecting the Transform Path - Perspective option in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Go to Edit > Transform Path > Perspective.

The same box and handles that nosotros saw before when we selected the Costless Transform command will appear around the text (shape). The divergence is, we're now working in Perspective mode. To change the perspective of the text and give it a three dimensional look, but click on the handle in the bottom right corner and drag information technology direct downwardly. As you drag, the top of the right side of the text will increase from its center, while the left side will remain unchanged:

Changing the perspective of the shape in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Click on the bottom right corner handle and drag downward.

When you lot're happy with the perspective shift, press Enter (Win) / Render (Mac) to have the transformation. Your text should now expect something similar this:

The text has now changed perspective in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

The text now appears with a 3D perspective.

Step ix: Create Multiple Copies Of The Shape Layer, Each One Moved Slightly Further To The Right

This next pace is the fun part. Nosotros're going to very chop-chop create multiple copies of our shape layer, each one moved i pixel further to the right from the previous one. This volition requite our letters some depth. First, select the Move Toofifty from the Tools palette, or just printing the letter 5 on your keyboard to select it with the shortcut. This play a joke on only works with the Move Tool selected:

Selecting the Move Tool in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Select the Move Tool.

With the Move Tool selected and the shape layer selected in the Layers palette, hold down your Alt (Win) / Pick (Mac) primal and printing the correct pointer key on your keyboard. Then press it again. So over again. And again. Detect what'due south happening? Each time you press the correct arrow cardinal with the Alt / Option central held down, you're creating a new re-create of the shape layer and you're moving the new copy one pixel over to the right. Holding downwardly Alt / Pick tells Photoshop to create a new re-create of the shape each time rather than simply moving the existing shape. The more than times you press the correct arrow primal, the more than copies of the layer y'all'll create, and the more depth we requite to our messages.

Proceed pressing the right arrow key until you lot're happy with the results. In my example, I pressed the arrow fundamental a total of 68 times, creating 68 copies of my shape, each one moved one pixel farther to the right. The number of times you lot press the arrow cardinal volition depend on the resolution of the document y'all're working with. When you lot're done, your text should look something like this:

Creating multiple copies of the shape. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Hold down Alt (Win) / Selection (Mac), and so press the Right arrow key multiple times to requite the letters depth.

Step ten: Move The Original Shape Layer To The Top Of The Layer Stack In The Layers Palette

Each time we created a new copy of our shape, nosotros created a new shape layer in the Layers palette, and Photoshop placed each new layer straight above the previous layer. In my example, my Layers palette at present contains 68 copies of my original shape layer. The original shape layer is sitting above the Background layer, with all the copies piled on summit of it. You can tell it'south the original because it's the only shape layer that doesn't contain the word "copy" in its name.

We need to movement that original layer to the very superlative of the pile, and at that place's an easy way to do it. Start, click on the original layer in the Layers palette to select it. Then, press Ctrl+Shift+] (Win) / Command+Shift+] (Mac). That'south the right subclass primal ("]") in case you're wondering. This convenient shortcut will instantly move the currently selected layer directly to the top of the layer stack:

Moving the original shape layer to the top of the layer stack. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

The original shape layer at present appears above the other layers in the Layers palette.

Pace 11: Merge All The Copies Together

With our original layer now at the very top of the layer stack, we demand to merge all of those copies of the shape layer down to ane layer. Click on the layer directly below the original layer in the Layers palette (in other words, the second layer from the summit). And then employ the scroll bar on the correct of the Layers palette to scroll down to the layer direct in a higher place the Groundwork layer. Don't but click on it though to select it considering that will deselect the layer you just selected at the acme. Instead, concord down the Shift fundamental on the keyboard and then click on the layer to select information technology. This will select both layers at the same time, along with every layer in between them. All of these layers volition appear highlighted in blueish in the Layers palette.

With all of our copied layers at present selected, go upwards to the Layer bill of fare at the top of the screen and cull Merge Layers downward near the lesser of the list. Or for a faster way, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+E (Win) / Control+East (Mac):

The Merge Layers command in Photoshop. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Go to Layer > Merge Layers.

Photoshop will merge all of the selected layers into a unmarried layer. If nosotros await in our Layers palette, nosotros can see that nosotros now take simply three layers. The Groundwork layer is on the lesser, the original shape layer is on the top, and in between them is our newly merged layer:

The layers are now merged into one. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

All of the shape layer copies have been merged into a single layer.

Footstep 12: Add A Blackness-To-White Gradient To The Merged Layer

To give our letters a truly 3D appearance, permit's complete things by adding a simple lighting effect. Or at least, something that looks similar a lighting effect. Click on the merged layer in the Layers palette to select it if it'southward non selected already. And so click on the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. A list of all the bachelor layer styles volition appear. Click on Slope Overlay to select it:

Selecting a Gradient Overlay layer style. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Select a Slope Overlay layer mode from the bottom of the Layers palette.

This will bring upwards Photoshop's Layer Style dialog box set to the Gradient Overlay options in the middle column. We want to use a black to white slope for our faux lighting result. If you already have the black to white gradient selected, you can skip this next step. If y'all have some other gradient selected, click on the slope preview area in the centre of the options:

The gradient preview area in the Layer Style dialog box. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Click on the gradient preview area in the Layer Style dialog box to choose a new gradient.

This brings up the Gradient Picker, showing us all the available gradients we can choose from. The one nosotros want is the Blackness, White gradient, third from the left, top row. If you have Tool Tips enabled in Photoshop's Preferences, you'll come across the name of the slope appear when yous hover over the thumbnail. Click on information technology to select it, then click OK in the top correct corner to accept information technology:

Selecting the Black, White gradient. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Choose the Blackness, White gradient.

Back in the main Slope Overlay options, yous'll see the gradient preview area at present showing the black to white gradient (if information technology wasn't already). Below it are a couple of important options. Make sure the Style option is gear up to Linear and the gradient Angle is set to xc°:

The Gradient Overlay options. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

Make certain the Style selection is set to Linear and that the Angle is ready to 90°.

Click OK when you're washed to go out out of the Layer Style dialog box, and we're done! Photoshop applies the blackness to white gradient to the merged layer, creating a shadow upshot on the letters and completing our uncomplicated 3D text outcome:

Photoshop 3D text. Image © 2009 Photoshop Essentials.com

The final 3D text consequence.

Where to get next...

And there we have it! Check out our Text Effects or Photo Effects sections for more Photoshop effects tutorials!