Photoshop Word Shadowing Technique

Want to learn how to create your own word shadowing technique? Here it is in four easy steps:

  1. Open a new document. (The size I used is 500x100) Now type some text, doesn't really matter what. (I used Arial Black 36pt)

  1. Now hit CTRL + A(=select all), CTRL + C(=copy) and then CTRL + V(=paste). You have now copied the layer. Move the new layer exactly above the original text layer. Hit CTRL + T(=transform) and click the right mouse button, select "flip vertical". Now move the layer down by dragging it or using the arrow keys.

  1. Hit CTRL + T again and now select "Perspective". Move the lower right box to the right.

  1. Now simply go to the layers window and lower the opacity of the "reflection layer" to whatever you want. (I used 25%)

A fun way to add texture to your photo is by adding lines overlapping the picture. This will create a cool effect often seen in photo albums and slide shows. You can one of the most interesting sites out there. Grids can be used in headers, pictures anything you want really. The first thing you would do is:

  1. Open Photoshop. Open an image to apply line effect.

  1. Desaturate the image by Image > Adjustments > Desaturate

  1. Create New file with 1 pixel width, 2 pixel height and transparent background.

  1. Keep Black as a foreground color. Fill the top 1 X 1 pixel of transparent background using Pencil Tool.

  1. Select All using CTRL + A

  1. Create a pattern by Edit > Define Pattern. Name the pattern.

  1. Close the Pattern file and go back to image file.

  1. Edit > Fill (Choose "Pattern" from "Use" drop down menu and again in "Custom Pattern" you will find newly created pattern)

  1. Select newly created pattern and fill the image.

Often websites will use effects that will make their site look really fun. There are fire blasts, smoke, lightening and other cool effects that can make your site look quite professional or fun, whatever way you chose to have it. To create a quick and easy fire blast you can use the polygon lasso tool to select a shape like an elongated triangle. Then fill with white. Then you would Apply Filter > Distort > Radial Blur Zoom 100%. Next you would want to set the eraser as above and brush lightly around the edges of the shape until you have a triangle that has some missing parts around it, you don't want to go to heavy with this tool, just enough to take off a bit of the outer edges. Finally Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius 1.2. Now you have a full blown fire blast, you can really do whatever you want to your blast, make it red or yellow, but these are the initial steps to doing it.