Above you can see the original picture and final effect.
The picture I used for this tutorial can be found here:
STEP 1
Make three copies of the background layer (ctrl + J ). We will change the levels of each of these layers so that we have a better finished affect.
STEP 2
Go to image>adjustments>levels to change the levels of the top layer. We want to make this layer lighter. For this, drag the middle pointer slightly to the right, and the right pointer to the left. I used the values shown above.
Rename this layer ‘light’ – double click the layer name.
STEP 3
Hide the first layer (the layer you just worked on) by clicking the eye beside the icon. Then click the second layer.
We want to give this layer a higher contrast. Go to image>adjustments>levels, again dragging the pointers in the same direction.
I used the values shown above.
Rename this layer ‘dark’ – double click the layer name.
Show the light layer again by clicking the eye beside the icon, and hide all other layers.
STEP 4
Rename the third layer ‘normal’ – double click the layer name. We will not change the levels of this layer
STEP 5
Now we want to create the text. For this, you can use the same font/size the whole way through the image, or you can change them – both are effective.
For this tutorial, I will change to font/size.
This can be done in several different ways, but for this tutorial, I will use the method that uses the least amount of layers.
Start by duplicating the ‘light’ layer – to do this click on the layer and use shortcut (ctrl + J). Rename this layer as ‘light2’ and hide it - it will be used as a backup layer.
Click on the text tool, selecting horizontal type tool, then on the image where you want to type. This works better with single words rather than sentences.
Highlight the text and change the font/size on the top tool bar. I chose the font cooper black at size 30pt.
Click the move tool to deselect the text.
STEP 6
Repeat step 5 until you achieve an image similar to that above.
NOTE: Some of the text layers should overlap slightly – this will give a better final image. The whole space does not need to be filled.
NOTE: If you want to keep the font the same, instead of repeating step 5, you can simply duplicate the text layer (ctrl + J) and move to a different position. These layers can be resized using (ctrl + T) (remember to hold shift while resizing to keep the proportions!)
STEP 7
We want to merge all of the text layers, to create one single layer.
Click the top text layer, then hold shift and click the bottom text layer – this will select all of the layers in between too. Right click on one of the selected layers and choose rasterize type.
Again right click on of the selected layers, this time choosing merge layers. This combines all layers into one.
STEP 8
Hold ctrl and click the combined layers image. This will create a dotted line around the text.
Now click the layer ‘light’ so that it is highlighter.
We now want to select and delete the inverse. To do this, use crtl + shift + I, then hit delete. This will remove the background image, but keep the bits covered with text.
Deselect the selection by using (ctrl + D), then hide the text layer by clicking the eye beside the icon.
Your image should look like this so far.
STEP 9
Repeat steps 3-7, this time using the ‘dark’ and ‘normal’ layers.
NOTE: don’t forget to overlap the text layers. It is ok to completely cover some layers!
if you want your image to look more like a photograph, you can add in a little of the background.
STEP 10
Make a copy of the background layer (ctrl +J).
Make a copy of the background layer (ctrl +J).
Select the rubber tool, setting the opacity to around 43%.
You want to create a gradient-like effect using the rubber – fully erase the top left hand corner of the background layer, keeping the bottom right.
My layer looked like this.
Erase the layer to suit your image.
