Level: Advanced Program: Photoshop CS6, Windows 10 Time: 1 hour
What We Will Be Learning: In this tutorial, we will be learning how to create a trendy “cut out” font effect, just in time for Earth Day! This effect will be perfect for cards, posters, flyers, or any image where you have a bold statement to make!
This tutorial assumes you have knowledge of basic Photoshop functions such as adjustment layers, layer masks, and layer effects.
Images Used: Forest: Image #9630017 | Flowers: Image #2407337, #18677442, #26871198 and #29350518 | Deer: image #39937689
Note: At the end of each step there is an image of what my layers look like at the point of that step in case you get lost!
Step One: Creating the Background First, we the going to prepare our background. Our background is 1626×1080 px in size.
1. Find an image of a Forest (image #9630017) 2. Create a Color Lookup layer and set it to “Soft Warming”. 3. Create a second Color Lookup layer and set it to “Fall Colors” at 50% opacity.
1. Create a new layer and set it to “Screen”. 2. Using a very large, round, soft brush paint a pale yellow (#fff1c2) color on the left side of the forest, to increase the light. 3. Create another new layer and set it to “Soft Light”. 4. Using the same brush, paint black in the darker parts of the forest to enhance the shadows.
Group all layers together and name the group “BG”.
LAYERS:
Step Two: Creating the Text Now, we are moving onto the text. The font I will be using is “Nevis”. However, you can use ANY large thick font. Experiment!
1. Create a White square on the right side of your forest. 2. In a large black font, type out “Happy Earth Day”.
1. Hold down Ctrl and then click your text layer to make a selection of it. 2. Click on your white rectangle layer and then add a layer mask to it. 3. Click on the layer mask and hit Ctrl + I to invert the layer mask. 4. Delete your original black text.
1. Find two images of lily flowers (image numbers #2407337, #18677442). Extract and place them on your letters.
1. Add layer masks to both flowers. Ctrl + click on the white rectangles layer mask to select the letters. 2. Using a hard, black brush mask out the parts of the flower you don’t want showing. You want to create the effect that the flowers are coming through the letters.
1. Group the two flowers together in group names “Lilly”. 2. Clip a Hue/Saturation layer to the Lilly group. Settings: Saturation -14. 3. Clip a Brightness and Contrast layer to the Lilly group as well. Settings: Brightness 5 and Contrast -21.
1. Create and clip a new layer onto the white rectangle that has your text. 2. Using a medium, soft, round brush with a very low Flow (10%), paint black behind the lilies to create shadows.
Group all the layers you just created together. Name the group “Text”
LAYERS:
Step Three: Adding Foliage Next, we are going to add some various plants and more lilies behind our text to add some detail and depth.
1. Using the same flowers as you used before, copy and paste them behind your text. Flip them around and resize them so they look less repetitive. Place them in different positions.
1. Find a fern image (image #29350518) and extract and place the fern on the upper left-hand corner. 2. Clip a Brightness/Contrast layer into your fern. Settings: Brightness 20 and Contrast -48 3. Find an image of a different flower (image #26871198) and repeat the steps above.
Group all these flowers and plants together in a group named “Background Plants”.
LAYERS:
Step Four: Adding the Deer
1. Find an image of a deer (image #39937689). Extract and place the deer on the left side.
1. Create and clip a new layer into the deer layer. Set it to “Multiply”. 2. Using a medium, soft, round brush paint a dark brown (#181513) on the bottom of your deer to create a shadow. 3. Create and clip another new layer into your deer. Set it to “Overlay”. 4. Using a soft round brush paint white on the highlights and black on the shadows. We are looking to add more contrast and light. Focus on the antlers, eyes, and edges of the fur.
1. Create and clip another new layer into your deer. Set it to “Soft Light”. 2. Using a large, soft, round brush paint a pale yellow color (#fff0b0) on the antlers and face of the deer. Anywhere that needs, even more, light.
1. Create and clip a Brightness/Contrast layer into your deer. Settings: Brightness -30
Group all the layers you have just created into a group named “Deer”.
LAYERS:
Step Five: The Final Colors Finally, we are going to add out final coloring layers to help pull everything together and add more atmosphere. We will be doing this in 4 different adjustment layers. The layers are ordered from top to bottom and should be placed in a folder above all other folders.
1. Brightness/Contrast layer: Contrast 30 2. Color Lookup layer: Soft Warming 3. Color Lookup layer: Edgy Amber set to 20% opacity
1. Create a new layer set to “Soft Light”. Using a very large, soft, round brush paint white in the upper left corner and black in the lower left corner. Set the layer opacity to 56%.
1. Finally, a Gradient Map layer set to a Black to White gradient with a 33% opacity.
Finale Layers:
And there you have it! This is a highly versatile effect that can also be used with shapes instead of text! Remember to always experiment!
Other Font Effects You Might Want To Attempt: