How to Create a Cool Dot-Matrix Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a liquid recipient text effect. You will begin by creating the pattern for the liquid and then you will use a font made of circles, as a recipient for your liquid. You will learn how to fill a text with liquid and how to give it a phosphorescent effect. Let's begin !

Tutorial Resources

Step 1

First we will create the pattern for the blue liquid. Create a 10x 10px document, go to View > Show > Grid to enable the Grid and then go to View > Snap To > Grid to enable the Snap to Grid. Hit Control + K to open thePreferences window, go to Guides, Grid & Slices and enter the settings mentioned below. Along the tutorial I turned off the grid ( Control + ' ) for you to have a better vision. The grid will make it easier for you to create\edit the shapes.

Step 2

Concentrate on your Toolbar, set the foreground color to #FFFFFF and pick the Ellipse Tool. Move to your canvas and create the following vector shapes roughly as you can see below. Once you're done, save your pattern simply by going to Edit > Define Pattern. Pick a name for your pattern and click OK.

Step 3

Hit Control + N and create a 2000x 1000px document.

Step 4

Focus on the Layers panel, select the Background layer and click on the padlock icon to unlock the layer. Focus on your Toolbar, set the foreground color to #32313C, pick the Paint Bucket Tool and click on your canvas to fill it with a new color. Right click on the unlocked layer, go to Convert to Smart Object and then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noiseand enter the settings mentioned in the last image.

Step 5

Pick the Horizontal Type Tool and use the Fortuna Dot font. Move to your canvas, add the "AQUA" text with the size to 450px and the color to #2E2D36.

Step 6

Open the Layer Style window for the text and enter the settings mentioned in the next images. For the Pattern Overlay section use the Hex Metal Mesh pattern from the "Metal Mesh Patterns - Pack 1".

Step 7

Change the foreground color to #226167, pick the Pen Tool and make sure that the Tool Mode is set to Shapefrom the top bar. Move to your canvas and create the following vector shape. Try to pierce the font circles through the middle as you can see below.

Step 8

Focus on the Layers panel, hold the Control button from your keyboard and then click on the thumbnail icon that stands for the text to load a simple selection around it. Now, make sure that the blue vector shape is selected and click on the Add Layer Mask button. Once you're done, simply hit Control + D to clear your selection.

Step 9

Open the Layer Style window for the blue vector shape and enter the settings mentioned in the next images. For the Pattern Overlay section use the pattern created at the beginning of the tutorial.

Step 10

Change the foreground color to #21656C and pick the Ellipse Tool. Move to your canvas and focus on the font circles half filled with the blue vector shape. Create a set of squeezed circles with the height set to 6 px and adjust the length according to those font circles.

6 comments on “How to Create a Cool Dot-Matrix Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop”

chris says:

October 7, 2016 at 1:22 am

AWESOME...VERY NICE TUTORIALS.

xiomara says:

August 25, 2016 at 9:51 am

how to add the multiple inner shadow to the same layer? i just can't make it work...

Trevor Garratt says:

June 4, 2016 at 5:36 pm

I would have never guessed that this result was so involved. Its probably a good thing that you made this tutorial.

Benjamin says:

May 19, 2016 at 7:02 am

This makes for some really cool artwork on a website. even getting down to the detail like you have posted is such a cool look.

Colin says:

May 18, 2016 at 6:47 am

Awesome..

Lucas Campau says:

May 5, 2016 at 5:57 am

Wow, that seems like a very long process to get that look, BUT it is pretty fricken cool!