Graphic Design: Give Your Text a Summer Touch

Create the background and text layers

Step 1

Create a new 1000x1000 px document.

Step 2

Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, choose Solid Color, and use the Color fill #f2e1cd.

Step 3

Create the text in All Caps using the font Remissis SemiBold, change the Size to 375 pt, the Leading to 350 pt, and the Tracking to -25.

Create 3D mesh layers

Step 1

With the text layer selected, go to 3D > New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer.

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

Select the Move Tool to access its 3D Modes to the right of the Options bar.

After you choose one of those, you can click-drag to perform changes on the selected element in the 3D panel.

Use the 3D Modes to change the Current View to an angle you like.

Adjust the 3D mesh settings

Step 1

Select the mesh name tab in the 3D panel, and change it Extrusion Depth in the Properties panel to 70 px.

Step 2

Click the Cap icon at the top of the Properties panel, and change the Bevel Width to 2% and its Contour to Half Round.

Create 3D materials

Step 1

Select the Front Inflation Material tab, and use these settings:

(the color values used are in RGB):

• Diffuse: 242, 225, 205
  
• Specular: 158, 157, 155
  
• Shine: 50%
  

Step 2

Select the Front Bevel Material tab, and use these settings:

• Diffuse: 242, 225, 205
  
• Specular: 135, 135, 135
  
• Shine: 20%
  

Step 3

Select the Extrusion Material tab, click the Diffuse texture icon, and choose Load Texture to load the Colorful array of gradient shades image.

Step 4

Select the text mesh tab, and set its Texture Mapping to Tile.

Step 5

Select the Extrusion Material tab again, click its Diffuse texture icon, and choose Edit UV Properties.

Step 6

Make sure that both Tile values are set to 1 and both Offset values ares set to 0%.

Step 7

Click the Illumination folder icon, choose Load Texture to open the Bright colorful abstraction with gradient image, and adjust the UV Properties like you did with the Diffuse texture.

Adjust the 3D scene

Step 1

Select the text mesh tab, click the Coordinates icon at the top of the Properties panel, and change the X Rotation Angle to 90º.

Step 2

Click the 3D panel menu icon and choose Move Object to Ground Plane.

Step 3

Move the camera angle to a view you like so that you can adjust the lighting accordingly next.

Adjust the 3D scene's lighting

Step 1

Select the Infinite Light 1 tab, and change its Intensity to 80% and its Shadow Softness to 35%.

Step 2

Use the Move Tool to move the light around until you get a result you like, or, you can click the Coordinates icon to enter numerical values.

Step 3

Select the Environment tab, change the IBL Intensity to 110%, the Shadow Softness to 50%, the Ground Plane Shadows Color to (R: 210, G: 62, B: 28), and its Opacity to 60%.

Step 4

Go to 3D > Render 3D Layer. The rendering might take a while, but you can stop it any time by pressing the Esc key.

Once the rendering is done, rename the 3D layer to Text, right-click it, and choose Convert to Smart Object to avoid making any accidental changes.

Add adjustment layers

Step 1

Add a Selective Color adjustment layer and change its Blend Mode to Luminosity.

Then, select Whites from the Colors menu, and change the Black value to -25%.

Step 2

Add a Color Lookup adjustment layer, choose the Turquoise-Sepia table from the Abstract menu, and change the layer's Opacity value to 7%.

Add textures

Step 1

Place the Noisy background image on top of the Text layer, resize it as needed, and change its layer's Blend Mode to Color Burn, and its Opacity to 50%.

Step 2

Duplicate the noise texture layer, and place the copy below the Text layer.

Step 3

Place the Border from various flowers and leaves photo on top of the copy noise texture layer, resize it as needed, and change its layer's Blend Mode to Multiply.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we used Photoshop's 3D tools and settings to create 3D colorful meshes. Then, we adjusted the 3D scene's lighting and rendered it, and added a couple of adjustment layers and textures to finish off the effect.

Please feel free to share your work in the projects section.