We're going Red for World AIDS Day 2016 with this 3D text effect. Use Photoshop's 3D tools and settings, along with adjustment layers and filters, to create a simple, 3D cylinder text effect.
Let's quote directly from WorldAIDSDay.org on what this annual event is about:
World AIDS Day is held on the 1st December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988.
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.
- Unintended font
- MBossed pattern by Alex Parker
1. How to Add a Color Fill Layer
Step 1
Create a new 1920 x 1080 px document, and then click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Solid Color.
Step 2
Use the Color#9d2323.
2. How to Create a Text Shape
Step 1
Create the text using the font Unintended, and set the Size to 250 pt.
Step 2
Right-click the text layer, and choose Convert to Shape.
Rename the shape layer to Text.
3. How to Subtract Ellipses From a Text Shape
Step 1
Pick the Ellipse Tool, click the Geometry Options icon, and set the Fixed Size‘s W and H values to 11.
Step 2
Hold the Option key to subtract the ellipse from the text shape, and then click-drag slightly to create the ellipse.
Place the ellipse in the center of one of the text's dots, and then release all to subtract.
Step 3
Repeat that for a couple of other dots over the text.
4. How to Downsize a Document and Create a Rectangle Shape Background
Step 1
This is an optional step if you want to work with a smaller document size.
Go to Image > Image Size, and enter any new dimension values you like. Here, the Width is set to 1250 px.
Step 2
Pick the Rectangle Tool, and create a rectangle shape that extends a little bit outside the document, and then rename its layer to Ground.
5. How to Create a 3D Scene
Step 1
For each of the Text and Ground layers, select it, and then go to 3D > New 3D Extrusion from Selected Path.
Step 2
Select both 3D layers, and then go to 3D > Merge 3D Layers.
6. How to Work With the 3D Scene
Step 1
To access the 3D mesh settings and properties, you’ll need to open two panels: the 3D panel and the Properties panel (both found under the Window menu).
The 3D panel has all the components of the 3D scene, and when you click the name of any of those, you’ll be able to access its settings in the Properties panel. So make sure to always select the tab of the element you want to modify in the 3D panel before you change its settings in the Properties panel.
Step 2
If you select the Move Tool, you’ll find a set of 3D Modes for it to the right of the Options bar.
When you choose one of those, you can then click and drag to perform changes (on the selected element in the 3D panel).
Use those modes to change the Current View into an angle you like.
7. How to Change a 3D Ground Mesh Settings
Step 1
Select the Ground mesh tab in the 3D panel, and then, in the Properties panel, change the Extrusion Depth to 2.
Step 2
Click the Coordinates icon at the top of the Properties panel, and then change the X-Rotation Angle to 90.
Step 3
In the 3D panel, click the 3D panel menu icon and choose Move Object to Ground Plane.
8. How to Change the 3D Text Mesh Settings
Step 1
Select the Text mesh in the 3D panel, and then click the Deform icon at the top of the Properties panel.
Change the Extrusion Depth to 15 and the Vertical Angle (Y) to 3.
Step 2
Click the Coordinates icon at the top of the Properties panel, and then change the X-Rotation Angle to 90.
Step 3
Click the 3D panel menu icon, and choose Move Object to Ground Plane.
Step 4
Click the Cap icon at the top of the Properties panel, and then change the Bevel Width to 3 and the Contour to Half Round.
9. How to Use the 3D Axis
Step 1
Pick the Move Tool, and use the 3D Axis to move the Ground meshes below the text.
The arrows at the ends of the axis move the mesh, the part below them is used for rotation, and the cubes are used for scaling. The cube in the center is used to scale the object uniformly. All you need to do is click and drag the part you want.
Step 2
Click the Current View tab in the 3D panel, and then choose Left from the View dropdown menu in the Properties panel.
Step 3
Zoom in and move the camera view around until you can see the side of the text clearly.
Step 4
Next, select the Text mesh and rotate it so that it is parallel to the Ground mesh.
Step 5
Move the text mesh to the ground plane, and then click the Default Camera tab in the 3D panel to change the camera view again.
10. How to Create a Simple 3D Material
Step 1
Select all the text Material tabs, as well as the Ground Front Inflation Material tab.
Then, in the Properties panel, click the Diffuse texture icon, and choose Remove Texture.
Step 2
After that, create the material using these settings:
- Diffuse: 109, 22, 28
- Specular: 56, 38, 40
- Shine: 35
11. How to Create a Dot Pattern
Step 1
Create a new 50 x 50px document with a Black background.
Then, pick the Elliptical Marquee Tool and create a 30 x 30px circle in the center of the document.
Create a new layer on top of the Background layer, fill the selection with the color #eeeeee, and then press Command-D to deselect.
Step 2
Duplicate the circle layer four times, and place the center of each of the copies on one of the corners.
Step 3
Go to Edit > Define Pattern, and type Dots for the Name.
Close this file to go back to the 3D scene.
12. How to Apply a Bump Texture
Step 1
Click the Ground Front Inflation Material tab in the 3D panel, and then click the Bump folder icon in the Properties panel, and choose New Texture.
Step 2
Create a new 500 x 500px document, and click OK.
If a new file doesn't automatically open, click the Bump texture icon and choose Edit Texture.
Step 3
Duplicate the Background layer.
Step 4
Double-click the Background copy layer to apply a Pattern Overlay effect using the Dots pattern.
Save and close the file when you're done.
13. How to Edit a Bump Texture's UV Properties
Step 1
Click the Bump texture icon, and choose Edit UV Properties.
Step 2
Change the Tile values to get a result you like.
Step 3
Decrease the Bump value to 1.
14. How to Adjust a 3D Scene's Lighting
Step 1
Select the Infinite Light 1 tab in the 3D panel, and then, in the Properties panel, change the Intensity to 65% and the Shadow Softness to 30%.
Step 2
Use the Move Tool to move the light around, or enter numerical values for the Coordinates.
Step 3
Click the Add new light to Scene icon at the bottom of the 3D panel, and choose New Spot Light.
Step 4
Change the Intensity to 75%, the Shadow Softness to 30%, the Hotspot value to 30, and the Cone to 85.
Then, check the Light Falloff box, and change the Inner value to 350 and the Outer to 800.
Keep in mind that you can choose any other values you like based on the result you want to achieve.
Step 5
Move the light around until you like how the overall lighting of the scene looks.
15. How to Render Parts of a 3D Scene
Step 1
We're going to render two versions of the scene: one of the ground only, and one of the final scene.
So start by setting the Ground Front Inflation Material's Bump value to 0.
Step 2
Make the Text mesh invisible by clicking the eye icon next to it.
Go to 3D > Render 3D Layer. You can stop it any time by pressing the Esc key.
Step 3
Once the rendering is done, press Command-A to select all, and then Command-C to copy.
Step 4
Press Shift-Command-V to paste in place, and rename the pasted layer to BG.
16. How to Render a 3D Scene
Step 1
Make the BG layer invisible, and then select the 3D layer again, and make the Text mesh visible.
Step 2
Set the Ground Front Inflation Material's Bump value back to 1.
Step 3
Go to 3D > Render 3D Layer to render the full scene.
17. How to Use a Layer Mask
Step 1
Make the BG layer visible, and then change its Fill value to 80%.
Hold the Option key, and then click the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Step 2
Pick the Brush Tool, and select the Mask's thumbnail.
Set the Foreground Color to White, and then use a soft, round, slightly big brush tip to unmask some areas of the ground, and cover the pattern of the 3D scene's ground below it.
18. How to Adjust the Lighting and Apply Pattern Overlays
Step 1
Add a Levels adjustment layer on top of all layers, and then change the Shadows value to 7, the Gamma to 0.85, and the Highlights to 235.
Step 2
Add a Pattern fill layer, and use the MBossed pattern.
Step 3
Change the Pattern layer's Blend Mode to Linear Burn, and its Opacity to 15%.
19. How to Apply a High Pass Filter
Step 1
Create a new layer on top of all layers, and press the Shift-Command-Option-E keys to create a stamp layer.
Rename the layer to High Pass, and then right-click it and choose Convert to Smart Object.
Step 2
Go to Filter > Other > High Pass, and set the Radius to 1.
Step 3
Change the High Pass layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light.
Congratulations! You're Done
In this tutorial, we converted some text into a shape, and created holes in some parts of it. Then, we created a rectangle and converted it along with the text shape into a 3D layer.
After that, we worked on the 3D scene, modified the mesh settings, created patterns and materials, moved the camera angle, and adjusted the lighting.
Finally, we rendered two versions of the 3D scene and used a couple of adjustment and fill layers, as well as a high pass filter, to finish off the effect.
Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, and outcomes below.
