There are so many text effects that you can use to create amazing typography in Photoshop. In this tutorial, we will combine the 3D tools in Photoshop CS6 with Filter Forge to produce an “out of the box” stone and concrete 3D text effect. This text effect is typically used in party flyers, advertising campaigns, business cards, and pretty much any design where communication is needed. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Downloading Filter Forge
You must first download Filter Forge from the plugin’s website. Simply run the installation file after downloading it to complete the process. Under the Filter menu in Photoshop, it will be added. extremely simple to install
Go to Filter > Filter Forge > Filter Forge 3 to start the plugin and begin adding filters. A few filters are already available for a number of the categories. A “Filter Library: To the top right of the plugin’s window, click the “Download more filters” link. Download filters by clicking the provided link.
The website for the plugin’s Filters page can be reached by clicking the link. The amazing 9000+ available filters can be searched for almost any filter. Simply enter the search terms you want to find filters for and press the Search button.
After receiving your search results, click the name of the filter.
The page for the filter will then open. To install the filter, select the button that says “Open this filter in Filter Forge.” Simply click Yes or OK if you receive a message requesting confirmation. After that, the filter will be added to the ones you already have.
By entering their names or a relevant keyword in the plugin’s search box, you can look up the downloaded filters. Before continuing with the tutorial, be sure to download all of the filters from the Tutorial Assets section.
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Step 1
The background should be filled with the color #c2c2c2 in a new document that has a size of 1152 by 864 pixels.
The text should be written in all caps using the white Chivo font, with each word appearing on a separate line. The size and leading values of the words will then be changed.
Remember that if your text is different or your font is different, you might need to use different values. For the specific text used in the tutorial, the values shown here are accurate.
Use the Type Tool to double-click each line (word) to select it after opening the Character panel (Window > Character). Here, the size and leading are both set to 175 before the word “THINK” is chosen.
“Font size is 126 and leading is 110 for “OUTSIDE.”
“THE”: The leading and font size are 230 and 295, respectively.
“BOX”: The font size and leading are 275 and 220, respectively.
Aligning the text sides and maintaining a consistent line spacing are both important.
Step 2
Make a copy of the text layer, then make the original invisible by selecting the eye icon next to it. Simply keeping a copy of the text layer is done here in case you need it again in the future.
Select “Convert to Shape” from the context menu of the duplicated text layer, then duplicate the shape layer and make the copy invisible.
Select the tool for Rounded Rectangle. Choose the Shape option from the Options bar, select “Exclude Overlapping Shapes,” and then set the Radius to 10. To make a perfect square shape, click and hold the Shift key as you drag a box around the letters.
The letters will not be part of the square shape once you let go of the mouse button. Make this layer invisible.
Step 3
Choose which letter you want to pull outside of the box by making the text shape layer visible, duplicating it, and making the original one the active layer. We’ll use the letter X.
Select the letter you want to pull out of the box using the Direct Selection Tool and click and drag. Although the letters are fairly close together, you should choose as many anchor points as you can.
The remaining anchor points (those that weren’t selected with the click and drag) can then be clicked while holding down the Shift key.
Hit the Delete key to remove the letter that is currently selected after making sure no other items are selected.
The letters you want to keep inside the box should be selected, then select the layer with the duplicated text shape. Once more, hold down the Shift key while you click to add or remove anchor points as necessary.
The chosen letters should be removed.
Make the three shape layers visible.
Step 4
Go to 3D > New 3D Extrusion from Selected Path after selecting the layer with the box shape.
Extrude the inside-the-box letters using the same selection and extrusion method.
The same procedure should be repeated for the layer with the outside-the-box letter shapes as well.
Go to 3D > Merge 3D Layers after selecting all 3D layers (Command/Ctrl + clicking each one). By doing so, all of the meshes will be in a single layer, which also means a single scene.
To keep things organized, take this crucial action: Because we’ll save other files later and it’s best to keep them all in the same folder, save the document you’re working on in a separate folder.
Step 5
You must open two panels in order to access the 3D mesh settings and properties: the Properties panel (under the Window menu), as well as the 3D panel.
All the elements of the 3D scene are listed in the 3D panel, and by clicking any of their names, you can access the Properties panel’s settings.
Changing the camera angle (view) is something you’ll need to do frequently while working in a 3D scene. In order to select the Move Tool, first click “Current View” in the 3D panel.
There are no longer any unique 3D Tools in Photoshop CS6. Right now, if you look at the Move Tool’s Option bar, you’ll see a set of 3D Modes for the tool. You can move the scene by selecting a Mode, then clicking and dragging in an empty space.
Step 6
Meshes can also be used with the Move Tool 3D Modes. However, using the 3D Axis is a simpler choice. While the Move Tool is in use, you can access the 3D Axis by clicking a mesh (or the mesh’s name in the 3D panel).
The mesh is moved by the arrows at the axis ends, rotated by the area below them, and scaled by the cubes. Scaling the object evenly is done using the central cube. The desired portion only requires a simple click and drag.
Only move the meshes if you want to make changes to them. Change the Camera View instead if you want to position them differently or view them from different perspectives.
When you have chosen the letters you want to keep inside the box, move them along the Z axis to slightly push them outside of it.
To completely remove a letter from the box, pull it out after clicking it.
Reposition and rotate the letter however you like.
To ensure that nothing is floating above the ground plane, Command/Ctrl + Click each group of meshes in the 3D panel, choose 3D > Snap Object to Ground Plane, then choose the letter outside and repeat the process.
(The small arrow next to each mesh allows you to expand or collapse the group in which it is placed.
Step 7
In the Properties panel, change the Texture Mapping to Tile and the Depth to 750 for the box mesh name (inside its group) that you selected in the 3D panel.
Change the Width and Contour to 3% and Half Round, respectively, by clicking the Cap icon at the top of the Properties panel.
To change the texture mapping to tiles and the depth to 350, click the mesh name of the first text layer.
Change the Width and Contour under Cap to 5% and Half Round, respectively.
The second text layer mesh should use the same configurations.
Step 8
Create a new document with a resolution of 1024 by 1024 pixels. Due to the time-consuming nature of the textures used, it will be used to create two textures. We’ll save them as images rather than having to recreate them every time.
Use #a1a1a1 to completely cover the background.
“Travertine” is the name of the new layer you just made.
Under the Stone category, select the “Travertine” filter by going to Filter > Filter Forge > Filter Forge 3. Click Apply after using the default preset.
Hold off until the texture is used.
Activate Hue/Saturation by selecting Image > Adjustments. Click “Ok” after changing the Lightness and Saturation to -5 and -100 respectively. (File > Save As…) the file as a .jpg image in the folder you created earlier, and name the image “Travertine”.
“Wall Distressed” should be the name of the new layer you create.
Select the “Wall Distressed Section 1” filter from the Building category by going to Filter > Filter Forge > Filter Forge 3. Apply by selecting the most recent preset.
Although this filter might take some time, it is extremely detailed. Apply the effect, then save the image with the name “Wall Distressed” in both.jpg and.png formats.
If you’d like, you can save the textures’ PSD file and then close it (File > Close).
Step 9
Make a new document that is 500 x 500 pixels.
Choose the “Rusted Metal” filter from the Techno category by going to Filter > Filter Forge > Filter Forge 3. Utilize the last preset, then check Seamless Tiling under the Settings tab and change the Size,pixels value to 166.67. Click Apply.
Activate Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. Then click Edit > Define Pattern and enter “Rusted Metal.”
Step 10
It’s a good idea to give the groups new names before continuing to make it simpler to recognize them.
Double-click the group’s name to change it, then press Enter or Return.
Texture application comes next. Click “Front Inflation Material” in the 3D panel after selecting the “Box” mesh as your starting point. Next, select Edit Texture by clicking the Diffuse texture icon in the Properties panel.
If a message notifies you that the texture is used multiple times in the scene, click OK to proceed.
The texture file will open in this manner. Since the mesh was first made from a shape layer, the front texture will be based on that shape.
Click the shape layer’s thumbnail with Command or Ctrl + click to make a selection. In the Options bar, select the Pattern fill option, then select the “Rusted Metal” pattern after selecting the Paint Bucket Tool.
To apply the pattern, add a new layer and click inside the selection. Save this document.
Additionally, the Bump texture will be made using this file. Thus, select File > Save As…, and save the file in the folder you created. Name the document “Box – Front Bump.” After saving the document, close it.
Step 11
Click the folder icon next to the Bump in the Properties panel, then select Load Texture and load the “Box – Front Bump” file while keeping the “Front Inflation Material” selection active.
To edit a texture, click the Bump texture icon.
When the texture file is opened, remove the top-most texture layer before making a selection and adding a new layer.
Choose the “Bonez” filter from the Organic category by going to Filter > Filter Forge > Filter Forge 3. Use the default preset and set the Size,pixels value under the Settings tab to 500. As soon as you click Apply, make sure the Seamless Tiling box is unchecked.
By causing the lighter areas to create raised surfaces and the darker areas to create flatter surfaces, this will give the texture some cracks. Close the document after saving it.
On the front of the box, you can now see how the two textures blend together.
Reload the “Box – Front Bump” file for the Bump by selecting the “Front Bevel Material” button. Along with the Front Inflation Material, the Diffuse Material has already been applied.
Step 12
Then, select Edit Texture from the Properties panel’s Diffuse icon by clicking it after selecting the “Extrusion Material” in the 3D panel.
Go to Image > Canvas Size after the texture has opened, and then enter 2000 for both the Width and Height values.
Before saving and closing the file, fill the layer with the “Rusted Metal” pattern.
You’ll see that the texture appears to be off-center. Click the Diffuse texture icon and select Edit UV Properties to correct that.
Change the U Offset and V Offset values to 0, the U Scale to 1000%, and the V Scale to 100%.
Select New Texture by clicking the icon for the Bump folder.
Click OK after creating a 2000 x 2000 px file. In order to fill the texture with the “Rusted Metal” pattern, click the Bump texture icon, select Edit Texture, and then save and exit the file. Click the Bump texture icon in the original document, select Edit UV Properties, and then enter the Diffuse texture’s values before clicking OK.
The box’s sides will now have texture. Keep in mind to save your work.
Step 13
Open the “Text” group, pick “Front Inflation Material,” then select “Edit Texture” from the Diffuse texture menu.
Place the “Travertine” image open on top of the diffuse texture.
Select “Create Clipping Mask” by selecting “Right Click” on the duplicated layer. To the letters below, this will apply the textures. If you want to move the texture, you can click and drag it with the Move Tool. Save this file.
Select File > Save As…, save the file in the folder you created, and call it “The “Distressed Wall” image should be opened and placed on top of all other layers after the texture layer has been deleted. Make a clipping mask, reposition the texture, and adjust its size as necessary (Edit > Free Transform). Afterward, save this document and exit.
Go back to the original document, click the “Front Inflation Material”‘s Bump texture icon, select Load Texture from the menu that appears, and then load the “Text – Front Bump” file.
The “Front Bevel Material” bump texture should also be loaded from the same file.
Step 14
Choose “Replace Texture” and then “Load Travertine.jpg” after clicking the “Extrusion Material” and “Diffuse texture” icons.
Select Edit UV Properties by clicking the Diffuse texture icon once more. Set both Offset values to 0, the V Scale to 100%, and the U Scale to 1000%.
Select “Distressed Wall.jpg” from the drop-down menu that appears when you click the “Front Bevel Material” Bump folder icon and select Load Texture. Use the same Diffuse texture UV values by selecting Edit UV Properties from the Bump texture icon after that.
Step 15
To texture the remaining mesh (of the letter’s exterior), follow the exact same steps as before. The “Extrusion Material” UV values represent the only distinction. Set the U Scale and V Scale to 100% for the Diffuse.
U and V scales should be set to 250% for the Bump.
These numbers are affected by the depth and the covered area. So, if any values need to be changed, feel free to do so.
Step 16
Time to change the camera angle or Current View. Choose the Move Tool from the 3D panel’s “Current View” button, then adjust your camera view using the 3D Modes until you are satisfied.
If you want to save the view because you like it, you can select Save from the View drop-down menu in the Properties panel.
Click OK after giving the view a name.
The drop-down menu, as well as the 3D panel’s bottom, will now include the view. Consequently, whenever you switch views while working with 3D objects, you can return to the previously saved view by clicking its name in the 3D panel or selecting it from the View menu in the Properties panel.
Step 17
Adding a new layer and filling it with the color #beb8b2 on top of the 3D layer.
To create a postcard-shaped mesh, select 3D > New Mesh from Layer. The result will be a straightforward plane.
duplicate the layer of the plane.
After choosing the duplicated plane Mesh’s name, click the Coordinates icon and set the X Rotation Angle to 90 degrees.
Go to 3D > Merge 3D Layers after selecting the layers of both planes.
Step 18
From the View drop-down menu in the Properties panel, select “Current View,” then pick the name of the primary 3D layer. This will guarantee that the camera view is the same in both scenes.
Go to 3D > Merge 3D Layers after choosing both 3D layers to combine.
The groups of the planes should be selected in the 3D panel before being uniformly scaled. Then, to fill the scene, separately move and scale each plane. Verify that the Final camera view is where your work is being done. To make sure everything looks good in the final view, return to the initial view after moving the camera around to check how the scene appears.
It is necessary to select each plane before snapping it to the ground plane (3D > Snap Object to Ground Plane) as you scale and move the planes.
Uncheck the “Catch Shadows” box after choosing the mesh name of the first plane.
The mesh of the other plane should be treated similarly.
The Reflection value should be changed to 10 after choosing the second mesh material (ground).
Step 19
Shadow Softness should be set to 30% for “Infinite Light 1”.
New Point Light can be selected by clicking the “Add new Light to Scene” icon in the 3D panel.
Uncheck the Shadow box and change the Light’s color to #fff8ed. If the light inside the scene isn’t visible, click the “Move to view” icon in the Properties panel to move the light to the center of the frame.
Set the values to 1600, 600, and 500 by clicking the Coordinates icon.
You can move the light around until you are satisfied by clicking the “Infinite Light 1,” selecting the Move Tool, and doing so.
By selecting a specific area with any selection tool and then selecting 3D > Render, you can render that area. By clicking anywhere inside the document, you can halt rendering.
You don’t have to use the exact values listed here, especially if your camera angle differs. When you are satisfied with the outcome, keep adjusting the lights.
Step 20
After you’ve decided the scene is what you want it to be, make sure there are no selections and render it (3D > Render). It might take some time, but once it’s done, make sure to save the file.
Create a new layer called “Smoke” on top of all other layers, change its Blend Mode to Hard Light, choose the Brush Tool, and set the Foreground color to #bcbcbc. Select one of the first three brushes in the “Fog Grunge” pack, then resize it to a size of about 250 pixels.
Smoke should be added around a few other letters as well as the empty space surrounding the letter X.
Outside of the X area, the effect might not be as noticeable, but it still adds a nice hazy touch.
Make a new layer called “Dirt,” set its Blend Mode to Multiply, and alter the Foreground color to #bdb8b2 in the Layers panel. To add some grit to the letters, use the same brushes.
To remove any undesirable elements, use the Eraser Tool and a gentle round brush.
Final Image
And the outcome is as follows. By making additional meshes or by altering the used colors and textures, you can always add your own flair. Please feel free to post your thoughts and recommendations in the section below.
