Time to tag your screen! Here's the tutorial on creating your own graffiti in
Photoshop.
1. Start with an appropriate font. Here I used Tag Extreme.
Download
it here
Right click on the name on the layers pallett and select "rasterize type"
2. Create a new custom blend similar to this.
3. Ctrl/Cmd click on the layer to select it.
With the gradient tool set to linear draw the blend by dragging the gradient
tool from top to bottom.
4. Don't deselect.
Create a new layer
Edit>stroke
Add a 2 pixel gray stroke to the "outside"
5. Filters>blur>gaussian blur
Add a .08 gassian blur to the new layer with the outline on it.
6. Merge the outline area with the graffiti layer by clicking Ctrl/Cmd+E or select "merge
down"
7. Select the layer again. Cmd/Ctrl+Click on the layer thumbnail.
Add another stroke, this time make it black and put it right on the graffiti
layer.
8. Looking good! Now for the shadow.
Duplicate the layer by dragging it to the new layer icon on the layers pallette.
Select the new layer and Fill with black.
9. Drag the black layer behind the graffiti layer and move down and to the left
a little bit.
10. Here I added a background and changed the layer blending mode of the graffiti
to Hard light. See how it blends nicely to the background like it was painted
on.
About the Author:
Colin Smith is a best-selling author, trainer, and award-winning new-media designer
who has caused a stir in the design community with his stunning
photorealistic illustrations composed entirely in Photoshop. He is
founder of the world's most popular Photoshop resource site, PhotoshopCAFE.com, which boasts more than two million visitors.
With over 10 years of experience in the design industry, Colin was formerly Senior Editor and Art Director for VOICE magazine. He is a regular columnist for Photoshop User magazine, PlanetPhotoshop.com, and the official site of the National Association for Photoshop Professionals. He also contributes to a number of other graphic art publications and Web sites, such as Mac Design magazine, Web Designer magazine and Computer Arts Magazine.
Colin's graphic design work has been recognized with numerous awards,
including the Guru awards at Photoshop World 2001 and 2002, for his
work in both Illustration and Web Design. He's authored or co-authored
more than ten books on Photoshop, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Photoshop CS (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2003) and award-winning Photoshop Most Wanted: Effects and Design Tips (A Press/Friends Of Ed, 2002). Colin is also creator of the Photoshop Secrets Video training series (PhotoshopCD.com).
He is in high demand across the United States as a lecturer, presenting
his Photoshop techniques to Web designers and other graphics
professionals across the nation.
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