Broken Text – Photoshop Tutorial

This tutorial uses a free font and both Photoshop and Illustrator to achieve a 3D, split text effect.

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Resources:

Stenha Font from dafont.com

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Step 1

Open Illustrator and select Web Document, accept the default size

Select the Type tool and Stenha font, size 200pt

Select white as the foreground colour – you won’t be able to see what you type at this point

Type your required word

Click on the Selection tool in the tools sidebar menu

Effects>3D>Extrude and Bevel – check the preview box to be able to see the text and apply the following settings:

Duplicate the layer and turn off the visibility of the original layer

Click the Appearance icon on the right sidebar to view the fly-out palette

Double click Extrude & Bevel

Check the preview box and apply the following settings:

Select>All

Edit>Copy

Step 2

Now open Photoshop

Create a new file 1000 x 800, 72ppi resolution, white background

Fill the background with black

Edit>Paste>Smart Object

Hit the Enter key to accept the placement

Right click on the layer in the layers palette and click Rasterize Layer

Rename this layer ‘Text2’

Step 3

Back to Illustrator, turn off the visibility of ‘Layer 1 copy’ and restore the visibility to ‘Layer 1’ and make it the active layer

Select>All

Edit>Copy

We are now finished with Illustrator

Step 4

Back to Photoshop

Edit>Paste>Smart Object

Hit the Enter key to accept the placememnt

Right click on the layer in the layers palette and click Rasterize Layer

Rename this layer ‘Text1’

Step 5

Turn off the visibility of ‘Text2’

Working on ‘Text1’, apply a layer mask by clicking the icon at the bottom of the layers palette

Using the Pen tool or your preferred method, mask out the bottom part of the text. If any letter is not divided, you will have to divide it yourself – you should end up with something like this:

Step 6

Now turn off the visibility of ‘Text1’ and restore the visibility to ‘Text2’ and in the same way, mask out the top part of the text to end up with something like this:

NOTE: Some repair work may be required for some letters, but don’t worry too much about the last letter on the Text2 layer as much of it will be under the text on Text1 layer.

Restore visibility to all layers.

Step 7

Double click on ‘Text1’ layer in the layers palette to bring up the blending options and apply the following Gradient Overlay settings:

Copy and paste the layer style to ‘Text2’, double click on ‘Text2’ in the layers palette to bring up the blending options and change the angle of the gradient overlay to 60°:

Step 8

Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation – apply the following settings:

Apply the same Hue/Saturation adjustment to ‘Text1’ layer

Step 9

With ‘Text2’ layer active

Ctrl + T to transform the object

Rotate the text a little and move it down slightly as shown below:

Step 10

With either of the text layers active

Filter>Artistic>Plastic Wrap – apply the following settings:

Make the other text layer active

Filter>Plastic Wrap (the top item on the drop down menu – this will apply the same effect)

Step 11

Duplicate the background layer

Filter>Render>Lens Flare – apply the following settings:

You need to get the flare behind the top of the first letter – you may have to redo it a couple of times – use Ctrl+Alt+Z to step backwards, then try again until it is in the correct place

Repeat this step on the same layer to get a flare behind the bottom of the last letter

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