Hello everyone this is Chris from Spoon Graphics
back with another video tutorial for Adobe Photoshop.
Today I'm going to take you through the process of creating this melting liquid RGB text effect
with somewhat of a retro 80s aesthetic with its vibrant colours and grainy texturing.
This effect is ideal for creating poster art or an album cover design with a retro-futuristic
style.
We'll use a couple of simple tools within Photoshop to create the effect, then finish
off the piece with textures to enhance the retro vibe.
Begin by creating a new document in Adobe Photoshop. I'm working at a size of 3503x2548px
because it just happens to be the dimensions of the background texture I'll be using, which
is one of my FREE Film Dust Textures.
Follow the link in the description to download the pack for yourself. I'm using number 3.
Open up the texture in Photoshop, then go to Select > All, followed by Edit > Copy.
In the main document, paste the texture, then fill the background layer with black using
the ALT+Backspace shortcut.
Reduce the opacity of the texture layer to around 50% so it isn't as prominent.
Select the Type tool and set out the wording for your artwork. I'm using a font named Bebas
Kai, which you can activate in Photoshop via the link in the description if you're a CC
user.
Scale and position the text centrally on the canvas, leaving a little space for the melting
effect.
Drag the text over the New icon to make a copy. Use the shortcut CMD+T (or CTRL + T
on Windows) for Transform, then right click and choose Flip Vertical.
Stretch the text so it extends off the bottom of the canvas, then position it to line up
underneath the original.
Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. Choose to Rasterize the text layer. Usually we would
create a Smart Object, but I don't think there's a way to perform all the steps required non-destructively.
In the motion blur options, set the angle to 90 degrees, with a strength of 100.
Shift and click both text layers in the layer stack and merge them into one layer using
the CMD+E shortcut, or Layer > Merge Layers menu.
Find the Smudge tool from under the blur tool menu group, then adjust the settings in the
top toolbar to a tip with zero hardness, strength of around 50%, then ensure the Sample All
Layers option is not checked.
Set a fairly large brush to begin by using the square bracket keys to adjust the size.
Click and drag to distort and blur the stretched text to warp it out of shape.
This is where you find that your expensive computer isn't quite as powerful as you thought
it was as it starts to bog down and lag as it processes each stroke.
Continue blurring and warping the text to create a liquid appearance as if the text
is melting.
Work on the smaller details by reducing the brush size.
To eliminate the crisp edge of the orginal text, it helps to click and subtly wiggle
to blur the edges a little, giving it a slightly out of focus look.
When you have finished warping and your computer has recovered from its workout, use the CMD+J
shortcut to duplicate the layer twice.
Double-click the first duplicate and turn off the red and green channels in the Layer
Style settings.
Double-click the second layer and turn off just the Green channel.
Select each of the two duplicate layers in turn and nudge them out of place slightly
with the cursor keys. This will create an RGB splitting effect like an old CRT screen.
Select and merge all three layers into one using the CMD+E shortcut.
Set the blending mode to Color Dodge to create quite an intense colour effect as it blends
with the texture underneath.
Duplicate the layer and set it to Pin Light, then reduce the fill to around 80-90% to tone
down the effect, but allow some of the colourful grainy details to show through.
Add a new layer, then with the brush tool active, sample a colour from the artwork and
dab some large soft spots around the canvas.
Re-sample a new hue and add some more spots of colour. Set the blending mode of this layer
to screen and reduce the opacity to leave a subtle colour cast that complements the
colours of the effect.
You can customise the colours of the effect by adding a simply Hue and Saturation adjustment
layer. Move the Hue slider to experiment with different colour schemes.
No retro themed piece would be complete without one of my Retro Cover Art textures to give
it the authentic appearance of an old VHS tape cover or computer game box. You can pick
up the full pack, or download the free sample from my Spoon Graphics website.
Copy and paste a cover art texture onto the canvas, then use the CMD+T shortcut to scale
and position it to fit over the artwork.
Set the blending mode to Screen to allow the artwork to show through, but with the addition
of the creases and damage texture.
The final result is a vibrant, retro text effect with colourful glows that are generated
from the RGB splitting effect. Combined with the grainy textures and retro cover art textures
is has a rad 80s style to it.