This tutorial will show you how to use a couple of text and shape layers, along with a bunch of layer styles, textures, and filters, to create a realistic lollipop text effect. Let's get started!
This text effect was inspired by the many Layer Styles available on GraphicRiver.
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:
- Museo Sans Rounded 1000 font
- SpiritsighsTexture22 by spiritsighs-stock
- WaterSplashes0119 - Small 936 x 1024
- Water Texture by Stock-by-Kai
- Water Stock II by PlutoHasCows
- 11 by darkrose42-stock
- Texture Pattern 2
- Brushed Alum Dark pattern by Tim Ward
- Free Pack 6000 photoshop gradients by Supertuts007 (Load the CSP True Sky Gradients.grd file.)
1. How to Create a Simple Background
Step 1
Create a new 1000 x 750 px document. Then, click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Gradient.
Step 2
Create the gradient fill using the colors #deeff0 to the left and #167e75 to the right. Change the Style to Radial, the Scale to 200, and check the Dither box. You can also click-drag the gradient in the document to move it around if you like.
Step 3
Place the SpiritsighsTexture22 image on top of the Background layer, rename its layer to BG Texture, and then go to Edit > Transform > Rotate 90° Counter Clockwise.
Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate, and then change the BG Texture layer's Blend Mode to Color Burn, and its Opacity to 5%.
After that, resize the texture as needed. You can change the Opacity value depending on how much texture you want the background to have.
2. How to Create Text Layers
Step 1
Create the text in All Caps using the font Museo Sans Rounded 1000.
Set the Color to #ff0000 (or any other color you like), the Size to 250 pt, and the Tracking to 100.
Step 2
Duplicate the text layer, and change the copy's Fill value to 0.
3. How to Create a Simple Extrusion
Step 1
Duplicate the original text layer, and drag the copy below the original.
Pick the Move Tool, and then press the Left Arrow key once and the Down Arrow key once, to nudge the copy layer 1 px in those directions.
Step 2
Duplicate the nudged layer, place the copy below it, and then nudge the copy 1 px in the same directions. Place both nudged layers in a group and call it Extrusion.
4. How to Create a Simple Semi-Transparent Style
Double-click the original text layer to apply the following layer style:
Step 1
Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:
- Size: 3
- Uncheck the Use Global Light box
- Angle: -175
- Altitude: 26
- Gloss Contour: Guassian - Inverse
- Check the Anti-aliased box
-
Highlight Mode: Vivid Light
-
Shadow Mode: Color Burn
Step 2
Add a Contour with these settings:
- Contour: Rolling Slope - Descending
- Check the Anti-aliased box.
- Range: 100%
Step 3
Change the original text layer's Fill value to 50%. You can hide the Extrusion group by clicking the eye icon next to it to see the results.
5. How to Create a Textured Semi-Transparent Layer Style
Double-click the copy text layer to apply the following layer style:
Step 1
Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:
- Size: 8
- Uncheck the Use Global Light box
- Angle: 126
- Altitude: 42
- Gloss Contour: Cove - Deep
- Check the Anti-aliased box
-
Highlight Mode: Vivid Light
-
Color:
#b6b6b6 - Opacity: 100%
-
Color:
-
Shadow Mode: Color Burn
-
Color:
#010101
-
Color:
Step 2
Add a Contour with these settings:
- Contour: Cove - Shallow
- Check the Anti-aliased box.
- Range: 44%
Step 3
Add a Texture with these settings:
- Pattern: Texture Pattern 2
- Depth: 4%
Step 4
Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:
- Opacity: 15%
- Uncheck the Use Global Light box
- Angle: 140
- Distance: 6
- Choke: 6
- Size: 32
- Contour: Cove - Deep
Step 5
Add an Inner Glow with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Vivid Light
- Opacity: 5%
-
Color:
#d1d1d1 - Size: 55
Step 6
Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Soft Light
- Opacity: 35%
- Use a Black to White gradient fill
Step 7
You can also go back to the Texture effect and click-drag to move the pattern if you like.
6. How to Style a Semi-Transparent Extrusion
Double-click the Extrusion group to apply the following layer style:
Step 1
Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:
- Size: 10
- Uncheck the Use Global Light box
- Angle: 6
- Altitude: 37
- Gloss Contour: Rounded Steps
- Check the Anti-aliased box
-
Shadow Mode: Color Burn
-
Color:
#8b8b8b - Opacity: 10%
-
Color:
Step 2
Add a Contour with these settings:
- Contour: Gaussian
- Check the Anti-aliased box.
- Range: 100%
Step 3
Add a Texture with these settings:
- Pattern: Texture Pattern 2
- Depth: 7%
Step 4
Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:
- Opacity: 35%
- Uncheck the Use Global Light box
- Angle: 141
- Distance: 9
- Choke: 6
- Size: 18
- Contour: Rolling Slope - Descending
Step 5
Change the Extrusion group's Fill value to 38%.
7. How to Create Stick Shapes
Step 1
Pick the Rectangle Tool, and then create a stick shape for the first letter you have on top of the Extrusion layer.
Step 2
Pick the Ellipse Tool and create an ellipse for the stick's tip on one side, and then duplicate the ellipse for the other side of the stick.
Step 3
Select all the stick shape layers, and then go to Layer > Merge Shapes and rename the shape layer to Stick, and add the letter's name to it to keep things organized.
8. How to Style a Stick Shape
Double-click the Stick shape layer to apply the following layer style:
Step 1
Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:
- Opacity: 77%
- Style: Reflected
- Angle: 0
- Scale: 150%
- Create the Gradient using the colors
#ffffffto the left and#d8d8d7to the right.
Step 2
Add a Pattern Overlay with these settings:
- Pattern: Brushed Alum Dark
Step 3
Duplicate the styled Stick layer to add one for each letter, rename the copy layers, and group them in a Sticks group.
9. How to Add Shadows
Step 1
Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create a small ellipse where the stick meets the first letter.
Create a new layer, call it Shadow and add the letter's name to it, and then fill the selection with Black.
Step 2
Press Command-D to deselect, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and set the Radius to 3, or any other value depending on how much you want to soften the shadow.
Step 3
You can then change the layer's Opacity, and transform the shadow until you get a result you like.
Step 4
Duplicate the Shadow layer to add it to the other letters you have, and rename the copy layers.
Step 5
Repeat the same steps to create a drop shadow below each letter.
Use the color #454545, and change the layers' Blend Mode to Color Burn and their Opacity to 7%.
10. How to Add a Bubbles Texturing
Step 1
Place the WaterSplashes0119 texture on top of the Sticks group, rename its layer to Bubbles with the first letter's name, and change its Blend Mode to Linear Burn and its Opacity to 70%.
Scale the texture down to a bubble size you like.
Step 2
Add a Levels adjustment layer, and clip it to the Bubbles layer you have.
Click the Sample in image to set white point icon, and then click on the slightly darker areas to brighten the texture.
You can click over different areas until you get a result you like.
Step 3
Command-click the text layer's thumbnail to create a selection.
Step 4
Pick the Rectangular Marquee Tool, then press-hold the Shift-Option keys to intersect, and create a rectangle around the first letter you have.
Step 5
With the Bubbles layer selected, click the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
11. How to Edit a Texture Inside a Mask
Step 1
Click the link icon between the layer and mask thumbnails to unlink them.
Step 2
Make sure that the layer's thumbnail is selected, and use the Move Tool to move the texture around inside the layer mask, until you like the placement of the bubbles inside the first letter.
Step 3
Pick the Brush Tool, set the Foreground Color to Black, select the Bubbles layer mask's thumbnail, and use a soft round tip to paint and mask any unwanted areas of the texture.
Step 4
Repeat that for the other letters you have, and place the Bubbles and Levels layers in a Bubbles group.
12. How to Add Texture Overlays
Step 1
Place the Water Texture image on top of all layers, rename its layer to Texture Overlay 1, and resize it as needed.
Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.
Step 2
Command-click the original text layer's thumbnail to create a selection.
Then, press-hold the Shift-Command keys, and click each of the Extrusion text layers' thumbnails to add to the selection.
Step 3
Add a layer mask to the Texture Overlay 1 layer.
Step 4
Change the Texture Overlay 1 layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light and its Opacity to 80%.
Step 5
Add the Water Stock II texture on top of all layers, resize it as needed, rename its layer to Texture Overlay 2, and press Command-I to invert its colors.
Step 6
Press-hold the Option key, then click-drag the Texture Overlay 1 layer mask to the Texture Overlay 2 layer.
Change the Texture Overlay 2 layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light and its Opacity to 25%.
13. How to Modify a Scratches Texture
Step 1
Open the 11 texture image in Photoshop, Then go to Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates, and use the Rectangular to Polar option.
Step 2
Press Command-A, then Command-C to copy the image.
Step 3
Go back to the original document, and press Command-V to paste the image. Rename the layer to Scratches with the first letter's name.
Step 4
Use the same Texture Overlay mask for the Scratches layer, and unlink it.
14. How to Apply a Scratches Texture
Step 1
Duplicate the Scratches layer to create a copy for each letter you have, and rename the copies to add the letters' names
After that, for each letter, select its Scratches layer, and then use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the other letters, and fill the mask with Black to hide them.
Step 2
Move each texture so that its center is in its letter's center, and resize it if you like.
Then, change the Scratches layer's Blend Mode to Linear Burn and their Opacity values to 25%.
When you're done, add all the Scratches layers to a Scratches group.
15. How to Apply Filters and Adjust the Final Coloring
Step 1
Create a new layer on top of all layers, and then press the Shift-Option-Command-E keys to create a stamp.
Rename the stamp layer to High Pass, and then right-click it and choose Convert to Smart Object.
Step 2
Go to Filter > Other > High Pass, and change the Radius to 1.
Step 3
Change the High Pass layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light.
Step 4
Set the Foreground and Background Colors to Black and White, and then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise.
Change the Amount to 1.35 and the Distribution to Gaussian, and then check the Monochromatic box.
Step 5
Finally, add a Gradient Map adjustment layer on top of all layers.
Use the gradient fill below, and then check the Dither box, and change the layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light.
Congratulations! You're Done
In this tutorial we created a simple background using a gradient fill and a texture.
Then, we created the text and extrusion layers, and styled them to achieve the main lollipop effect. After that, we used shapes and selections to create the sticks and shadows, and used layer styles and filters to add them to the styled text.
Finally, we used a bunch of textures and filters to add more details to the effect, and make it look more realistic.
Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, and outcomes below.
