1

• Open a new document that is 300 pixels wide and 80 pixels high.

2

• Click and hold down the Text tool and choose the 'type mask tool'.
• Type some text as an outline. Use arial black, 60 point, italic, auto kerning, smooth, fractional widths, leading = 0.1, baseline = 0, tracking = -50.
• Save the selection. (Select->Save Selection) Name it 'text outline'.

3

• Make a new layer.
• Load the selection on the new layer.
• Set the foreground color to a light gray (195, 195, 195).
• Set the background color to a medium gray (135, 135, 135).
• Use the gradient tool and give it a radial gradient (foreground to background).
• Start in the middle of the text and drag to the last letter.
• Deselect the selection.
• Name this layer 'base color'.

4

• Create a new layer below the base color layer.
• Load the text outline selection again.
• Set the foreground color to black.
• Stroke the selection. Set the width to 5 and set to center.
• Deselect the selection.
• Name this layer 'outline'.

5

• Make a new layer above the base color layer.
• Set the foreground color to white.
• Load the text outline selection again.
• Fill the selection with the foreground color (white).
• Deselect the selection.
• Set the layer to soft light.
• Nudge the layer up 1 and left 1 (CTRL + uparrow, CTRL + leftarrow).
• Name this layer 'shadowmaker'.

6

• Make a new layer above the base color layer.
• Set the foreground to 50% gray.
• Load the text outline selection again.
• Fill the selection with the foreground color (50% gray).
• Deselect the selection.
• Set the layer to multiply.
• Set the layer opacity to 50%.
• Nudge the layer down 1 and right 1 (CTRL + downarrow, CTRL + rightarrow).
• Name this layer 'highlight maker'.

7

• Duplicate the 'outline' layer and rename it 'drop shadow'.
• Move the layer below 'outline'.
• Use a Gaussian Blur set to 2 pixels.
• Set the layer opacity to 50%.
• Nudge the layer down 2 and right 1.

8

• Give the background layer a color.
• DONE.

»

• If you want to go nuts, try colorizing the base color layer (CTRL + U).
• Or change the tracking on the text to an even smaller numer (try -125) so the letters run together.
• Oh the excitement.
  

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