"Tips and Tricks - Photoshop: Using Layer Styles" by DAViD ALLeN

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photoshop, layer styles, layers and tutorial

Layer Styles are a very powerful feature in Photoshop that beginners can easily learn to harness for great image effects. A Layer Style is a special effect that can be applied to an entire layer in Photoshop. Layer Styles include a multitude of textures, overlays, and lighting effects that modify how a layer relates to others layers and the background in a Photoshop document.

For this tutorial we will use Layer Styles to create a glass effect on text, which will allow for the background to show through and still be fully editable. This tutorial will work with CS3 – CS5 versions of Photoshop. Like in my previous tutorial, I will utilize one of the sample images that comes with Photoshop CS5 (photo1.jpg).

1. Locate and open in Photoshop the image from your computer’s C drive: photo1.jpg (Program Files > Adobe > >Adobe Photoshop CS5 > Samples > Photomerge ) (Note for Mac users these files are located in the Samples folder as well).

2. Make sure that for this demo that your Foreground color is set to white and your Background color is set to black before we continue,

3. Select the Type tool (T) and click once inside the photo1.jpg image (note: a new Type Layer will be created automatically).

4. Select a font style like Arial Black and a large size like 150 pt. from the text ribbon at the top. Type in the word Scenic for this demo. Next click on the Eyeball icon to turn the Type Layer off temporarily.

5. Right-Click on the background layer and select Duplicate Layer from the pop-up menu. Select OK when the dialog window comes up.

6. Make sure that the Background copy layer is selected, then go to the Filter drop-down menu and select Distort > Glass . Because of the size of the image, you may then need to reduce your view by using the scale controls at the bottom left-hand corner of the Filter’s window. I scaled my image to 33.3%.

7. Under the glass filter controls in the upper right-hand of the window, set: Distortion to 5; Smoothness to 3; Texture to Tiny Lens; Scaling to about 110%. Click OK to accept the settings.

8. Go to the Edit drop-down menu and select Define Pattern . Click OK to accept the default name of the new pattern or provide your own name.

9. We no longer need the Background copy layer, so we can throw it away by dragging it to the Trash icon in the lower right of the Layer panel or by Right-clicking and selecting Delete Layer from the pop-up menu.

10. Select the Type Layer for your Scenic text and click on the box for the Eyeball icon to turn it so it is visible again. Then click on the Add a Layer Style button in the lower section of the Layer panel (it has the letters fx). Select Bevel and Emboss from the pop-up menu. Set the parameters: Style to Inner Bevel; Depth to 225; Size to 25. Leave the rest for now at their default settings.

11. Select Pattern Overlay from the Styles list at the left (make sure that it is checked and highlighted). Choose the pattern that you created in step 8 from the Pattern pop-up menu. Then uncheck Link with Layer and click on the Snap to Origin button. This will align the pattern with the background image.

12. Select Satin from the Styles list at the left (make sure that it is checked and highlighted). Set the parameters to: Blend Mode to Screen; the color swatch to a white color; Opacity to 20%; Distance to 40 px. Leave the rest for now at their default settings.

13. Finally we will add a bit of a drop shadow. Select Drop Shadow from the Styles list at the left (make sure that it is checked and highlighted). Set the parameters: Blend Mode to Multiply; Opacity to 75%; Distance to 14 px; and Size to 24 px. Click on the OK button.

The nice thing about applying Layer Styles in this manner is that the text is still fully editable. Also when you move the text around in your image, the effect appears to be applied to the background no matter where the text is. Many other effects can be applied to the Type Layer (or any other layer) in this manner. Try out some of them and let us know what your results are.

MaeBelle

Thanks David,♥ I would like to know if these tricks will work with Photoshop Elements 6? I don’t have the one you specified,:o)) God Bless,Mae
DAViD ALLeN

I am sorry, but I have never used Photoshop Elements. However, my suspicion is that this tutorial will not work for PE6 unless you have the same layer style capabilities and Filter options.
robpixaday

This is super! I just opened PSE 8 and there’s an option for Layer Styles (very limited, of course…LOL). Never even tried it until you posted this!
Thank you!
Charmiene Maxw...

thankyou so much for sharing this
frankula49

Thanks David…I never ever thought of saving filters Elements to define patterns great Idea. I always did them as and when per Pic.
Regards
Frank
frankula49

As an after thought I think the “Scenic” word would look far better without the Intense drop shadow as that makes it look as though it were up against a poster rather than in the scene itself. hmmmm just another view point not a criticism.
Regards
Frank
DAViD ALLeN:

Yes, there are so many variations that can be applied using Layer Styles. Depends of the effect you want to convey. Thanks for you comment.
Lenka
For PS Elements:

I’ve seen similar tutorial before, but unfortunately it did not work in Elements. Anyway, you can achieve nearly the same effect! :) The differences when compared with the tutorial above are:
1. Skip step 9 above!
2. (ad 10.) There is no Add a Layer Style button in PSE. But you may add a layer style using the Effects menu (Window/Effects). In Effects, choose Bevels / Simple Inner. You can set size, but there is no depth setting.
3. (ad 11.) Here comes some improvisation as there is no pattern overlay you could apply on a layer :( But in fact, you can create the same effect if you don’t delete the pattern layer created by distort/glass (= skip step 9 above!), move it above the text layer and group it to the text layer. Don’t link! Now when you would edit the text layer, the text remains ‘covered’ by the pattern.
4. (ad 12.) If you want the Satin effect on the glass, make a new layer above the one with glass pattern, and fill it with Satin pattern with the Paint bucket tool (from the tool menu on the left side). On the bar, check ‘Pattern’, and choose Satin. You cannot set any parameters, size etc, but it will work well mostly. Group to the text layer. Similarly to the original tutorial, set the layer blend mode to screen and lower opacity to 20.
5. (ad 13.) As for drop shadow, you cannot set a blend mode.
The results should be very similar :)
DAViD ALLeN:

Lenka,

Thanks for providing modification to the tutorial for PE.