Bright Tinsel Text Effect

In this tutorial, we are going to use some brushes, Layer Styles, and different blend modes, to create a super fun looking tinsel-like text effect.

The Final Result

Tutorial Details

• Software Used : Photoshop
• Version : CS5 Extended
• Time : 0:30 – 0:45

Resources

• Moons and Stars 17 Brushes by Ashqtara.
• soft bokeh texture by night-fate-stock.

Step 1

Create a new 1024 x 768 px document. Set the Foreground color to #eeebe9, and the Background color to #f5a883, then, create a Radial Gradient from the center of the document to one of the corners.

Create the text using the font Arial Rounded MT Bold in All Caps. The Size is 350 pt, and the Tracking value is set to 100 px to avoid overlapping.

Step 2

Open the Brush panel (Window -> Brush), pick the Dune Grass brush tip, and change the Settings as shown below:

Brush Tip Shape

Shape Dynamics

Scattering

Color Dynamics

Right click the text layer and choose Create Work Path.

Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it Tinsel. Make the text layer invisible by clicking the eye icon next to it, and pick the Direct Selection Tool. Set the Foreground color to #d9001f, and the Background color to #300600.

Right click the path and choose Stroke Path.

Choose Brush from the Tool drop down menu and make sure that the Simulate Pressure box is un-checked.

This will stroke the path with the brush you’ve just modified. You can hit Enter to get rid of the Work Path.

Using the same brush, fill in the middle part of the text that was not covered with the stroke. Try not to overdo it.

It’s ok to have some empty areas as well, so there’s no need to go back and forth on the same area, because this will ruin the texture.

Step 3

Double click the Tinsel layer to apply the following Layer Style:

– Drop Shadow

• Opacity : 18%
• Distance : 15
• Size : 0

– Inner Glow

• Blend Mode : Linear Light
• Color : #9d1c24

This will add a subtle red glow.

Step 4

Open the Brush panel (Window -> Brush) and pick the Dune Grass brush tip once again, then change the settings as shown below:

Brush Tip Shape

Shape Dynamics

Scattering

Color Dynamics

Right click the text layer and choose Create Work Path. Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it Tinsel 2. Set the Foreground color to #ffffff, and the Background color to #300600. Stroke the path with the new brush and hit Enter/Return to get rid of the Work Path.

Change the Tinsel 2 layer’s Blend Mode to Vivid Light.

Duplicate the Tinsel 2 layer and change the copy’s Blend Mode to Linear Light. This will make the stroke more vivid.

Step 5

Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it Tinsel 2 Fill. Use the same brush you created in the previous step to fill the middle (empty) part, just like you did in the end of Step 2.

Change the Tinsel 2 Fill layer’s Blend Mode to Hard Light.

Duplicate the Tinsel 2 Fill layer.

Duplicate the Tinsel 2 Fill copy layer, and change its Blend Mode to Linear Light.

Duplicate the Tinsel 2 Fill copy 2 layer. The duplicated layers with the different Blend Modes will help create a nice bright texture for the Tinsel.

Step 6

Choose a soft round brush, and modify its Settings in the Brush panel (Window -> Brush) as shown below:

Brush Tip Shape

Shape Dynamics

Scattering

Set the Foreground color to #eeebe9. Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it Sparkles, then start painting some dots all over the Tinsel.

Double click the Sparkles layer and apply an Outer Glow Layer Style:

– Outer Glow

• Blend Mode : Vivid Light
• Color : #ffffff

Change the Sparkles layer’s Blend Mode to Vivid Light.

Step 7

Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it Stars.

Double click the Stars layer to apply the following Layer Style:

– Drop Shadow

• Opacity : 9%
• Distance : 10
• Size : 0

– Inner Shadow

• Color : #af8655
• Distance : 0

– Bevel and Emboss

• Technique : Chisel Hard
• Gloss Contour : Rolling Slope – Descending
• Check the Anti-aliased box
• Highlight Mode : Linear Light
• Shadow Mode – Color : #969696

– Contour

• Contour : Half Round
• Check the Anti-aliased box.

– Color Overlay

• Color : #aca294

Use a star brush from the Moons and Stars 17 Brushes pack to add some stars around the Tinsel.

Create a new layer below all Tinsel layers and call it Wires. Copy and paste the Stars layer’s Layer Style to this layer. (Right click the Stars layer -> Copy Layer Style, then Right click the Wires layer -> Paste Layer Style.)

Choose a hard round 3 px brush, and add some wires to attach the stars to the Tinsel. Choose the closest points to attach.

Place the soft bokeh texture on top of the Background layer, resize it to fit, and change its Blend Mode to Overlay.

And that’s it! Hope you enjoyed the tutorial.