Ice Text Effect

Step One: New Canvas

Open Photoshop and create a new canvas that is sized about 300 x 300 pixels. You can always make the text smaller later - work large and keep your quality.

Step Two: Fill & Type

Fill your background with black, and then type your word(s) in white. I'm using Allencon Demo at 72 points.

Step Three: Duplicate & Rasterize

Duplicate your text (right-click the text layer and choose "Duplicate"). Then, right-click your duplicated text layer, and choose "Rasterize Type". This makes the text an image or a shape instead of text.

Step Four: Rotate 90° CW

Click Edit - Transform - Rotate 90° CW. Click the "eye" icon beside your normal text layer to make it temporarily invisible, and you should have something like this:

Step Five: Wind

Now, with your rasterized type layer selected, click "Filter" and choose "Stylize". From the options, click "Wind". It will pop up a window that looks like mine below - set your options to Method: Wind - Direction: From the Right.

Step Six: Checkpoint

Your rasterized type layer should resemble this now:

Step Seven: Layers Palette

Go to your layer palette, and drag the rasterized type layer behind your normal type layer. Click the "eye" beside your normal type layer to make it visible again. You might have to use your move tool to line up the two layers of type.

Your layers palette should be laid out like this:

Step Eight: Change Text Color to Black

Now, select your normal text and change its color to black:

Step Nine: Layer Style

Now we get to set the "ice" look, beyond the dripping. Go to your layer styles (the little "f" icon in the bottom of your layers palette) and choose "Outer Glow". The only setting you will need to change is the color. I've used Hex# 2996d5, but feel free to choose any color that you like.

Step Ten: Checkpoint

Click OK when you've set your outer glow, and your text should be complete:

Step Eleven: Finishing Touches

To move your text on to another image, just click the "eye" beside your background layer, and then click "Layer" and choose "Merge Visible". You can now drag your text onto any image you want, resize it to any size you need, etc. I just added a few snowflake brushes and called it good: