Creating a Gel Text Effect in PhotoShop

This tutorial shows you how to make a glossy text effect. It looks like it was squeezed out of a cake decorating tube.

For this assignment I would like you to create this text using your own name.

The instructions below are merely guidelines. You can experiment with the sizes and settings to suit your taste, but for the sake of project marks, try to stay close to the suggestions.

Getting Started:

 

 

Open a new PhotoShop project and choose 800 pixels by 600 pixels and a resolution of 300 pixels/inch. You may have to modify the canvas size to accommodate your text.

 

 

Save the file into your PhotoShop project folder.

I used 48pt VAGRounded BT.  Bauhaus 93 works nicely as well.  You want a text style that looks like it was squeezed out of a toothpaste tube for this effect.

Once you select the Text Tool you will see the Text Options at the top of the screen. The BLUE oval shows the Font Family, the GREEN oval shows the Font Size, and the MAGENTA Oval shows the Colour swatch.

I created a new layer for each word. This will allow me to use separate colours for each line of text.
 

Right-click a text Layer to bring up the Blending Options.

Select Drop Shadow and use the following settings:

  • Blend Mode: Multiply

  • Opacity: 75%

  • Angle: 120

  • Check Use Global Light

  • Distance: 5 px

  • Spread: 0%

  • Size: 5 px

Select the Colour Swatch to change the Drop Shadow colour from Black to a slightly darker shade of your text colour.

Use the Eye Dropper Tool to select the text colour.

 
   

In the Color Picker window move the circle toward a darker shade.

Repeat the Drop Shadow effect for each Text Layer.

Select Inner Shadow and use the following settings:

  • Blend Mode: Multiply

  • Opacity: 75%

  • Angle: 120

  • Check Use Global Light

  • Distance: 5 px

  • Spread: 0%

  • Size: 15 px

Repeat the Inner Shadow settings for each of the text Layers..

Select Outer Glow and use the following settings:

  • Blend Mode: Screen

  • Opacity: 60%

  • Technique: Softer

  • Spread: 15%

  • Size: 10 px

  • Range: 50%

  • Jitter: 0%

Select the Color Swatch and using the eye-dropper tool as before, pick a LIGHTER shade of your text colour for the Outer Glow.

Repeat for each text layer.

Select Inner Glow and use the following settings:

  • Blend Mode: Multiply

  • Opacity: 50%

  • Technique: Softer

  • Choke: 10%

  • Size: 10 px

Select the Color Swatch and using the eye-dropper tool as before, pick a DARKER shade of your text colour for the Outer Glow. You can just select an area that is already dark from a previous step.

Repeat for each text layer.

The last setting is Bevel and Emboss. Use the following settings:

  • Style: Inner Bevel

  • Technique: Smooth

  • Depth: 100%

  • Direction: Up

  • Size: 16 px

  • Soften: 0 px

  • Angle: 90

  • Altitude: 75

  • Highlight Mode: Screen

  • Shadow Mode: Multiply

  • Opacity: 0

The finished result!
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