Photoshop Tutorials
How to Create Shiny Retro Text with Photoshop

How to Create Shiny Retro Text with Photoshop

How to Create Shiny Retro Text with Photoshop
Learn how to create this amazing typographic illustration with colorful type treatment. In this tutorial, Edmar Cisneros will show you how to create this artwork using Photoshop layer styles and special lighting effects.

Preview of Final Results

final_results

Resources

Step 1

Create a new document on Photoshop. It should be 2100 pixels wide and 3300 pixels high with a resolution of 300 dpi. Using the bucket tool (G) Fill the background layer with black.
step_1
Go to the Type Tool (T) and select the Tetra Font with a size of about 250 pt (you can do it larger if you want) and type the word "Super"on the upper part of the canvas. I chose the Tetra font because of its shapes but you can use any font you like.
step_1a
Right-click on the layer text of the type and select "Rasterize layer" to make it editable.
step_1b
Create a new layer. Select the type shape (Ctrl+click on the layer thumbnail) and grab the Brush tool (B). We are going to paint over the selection on the new layer to get the colors for the type. First start with the middle tone of the color palette you want to use. In this case, for the first word I chose a combination of dark blues going all the way to bright greens.
step_1c
Fill the selection with the blue color. Select a soft brush 0% hardness of about 250 pixels and brush over the lower part of the type with the darker blue to create some shading.
step_1d
step_1e
Change the size of the brush to something about 150pxl and select the darkest green color and start painting the lighter parts on the top of the letters. Be sure to leave some traces of the blue underneath the greener tones. You can also lower the opacity of the brush to about 40% to blend in the colors smoothly.
step_1f
Continue this way with the lighter green tones. Make sure you keep little hints of the color under the brighter shades and blend in the colors with your soft brush.
step_1g
step_1h
Now using color white and a smaller brush, add some more highlights to the lighter part of the letters.
step_1i
Once you are confortable with the result, you can go to Image>Adjustments>Brightness and contrast to make the colors pop a bit more:
step_1j
You should now have something similar to this:
step_1k

Step 2

Now we are going to add some layer style effects to the type to give it a shiny glossy finish. Double click on the layer thumb to bring up the Layer Styles menu and Check the "Bevel and Emboss" option. On the Depth option keep it at 100% with a size of 5px. On the Shading use an Angle of -29 and an altitude of 37°, change the Gloss Contour to the option showed below:
step_2a
Now Check the "Satin" option use the Blending mode to multiply with color black to 39% opacity. Change the angle to -71 , Distance to 11 and size 14. Change the contour to the shape on the example:
step_2b
After applying the layer effects you should have something like this:
step_2c
Now create a new layer and merge it into the type layer (Ctrl+E) to apply the effects in the same layer. At this point you can change the Brightness and Contrast of the type again if you feel the colors got too washed out:
step_2d
Now we are going to enhance some of the highlights using the dodge tool (O). Take a very small ,soft brush and set exposure to 10% and the range to "Highlights". Brush gently over the brightest highlights of the type following the contour of the letter:

Pages: 1 2 3 4

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33 comments on “How to Create Shiny Retro Text with Photoshop”

  4. Please help! Im stuck doing the pen tool, it doesnt work as i want it to do. I can only se the paths but no color, how do i fix it? i have tried anything i can come up with.. Its sad being stuck when i have done so much already. Thx!

    Reply

  6. I'm on Photoshop CC 2014 and I cannot for the life of me get the same effect that Step 2 is telling me I should be getting. Any advice?

    Reply

  8. Most instructions were not given clearly, pen tool behaved in a very different way from what you barely explained, and the font you are using called "Tetra" is not in photoshop CS6 or CC.

    Reply

  9. Don't know if it's an actual problem or if i'm just doing something wrong, but I can't figure out how to warp the light effects.
    The program swears that there aren't any pixels in the selection, and by the time i finally get the selection to warp, it doesn't warp the glow of the light effect so there's just an eclipse shadow left behind.

    Help?

    Reply

  14. Final result looks really cool, lots of steps to do, but I wanna try this for sure! Thanks a lot for the tutorial! :D

    Reply

  15. Step 4 does not work for me? I have tried everything, does somebody know what the reason behind this could be?

    Reply

  16. not good instructions for the lines on page 2, for on i can't make them with this pen pressure crap, or even warp the lines correctly

    Reply

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