How to Create a Retro, Colorful, Halftone Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop | How To
This tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop’s layer styles, filters, and actions, with a couple of adjustment layers and texture overlays, to create a bright, colourful, retro, halftone text effect. Let’s get started!
This text effect was inspired by the many Layer Styles available on GraphicRiver.
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:
- Komikazoom font.
- Cement Grit Textures by ghostlypixels
- Snow Overlays by M-e-f
- 20 Folded Paper Textures by Layerform
- Free Pack 6000 photoshop gradients by Supertuts007 (Load the DIALS.grd file)
1. How to Create a Simple Line Pattern
Step 1
Create a new 1 x 3 px document, and use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create a 1 x 1 px selection at the bottom of the document.
Step 2
Make sure the Background is transparent, fill the selection with the Color #bcbcbc, and press Command-D to deselect.
Go to Edit > Define Pattern, change the Name to Lines, and click OK.
2. How to Create Background and Text Layers
Step 1
Create a new 1000 x 735 px document, click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, choose Solid Color, and set the fill Color to #030608.
Step 2
Create the text in All Caps using the font Komikazoom. Change the Size to 300, the Tracking to 50, and the Horizontal scale to 95%.
3. How to Create Shape Layers and Adjust Their Attributes
Step 1
Rename the text layer to Text, duplicate it, and change the copy’s name to Halftone.
Step 2
Duplicate the Halftone layer, rename the copy to Stroke 1, and right-click the Stroke 1 layer to choose Convert to Shape.
Step 3
Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), and in the Options bar, change the Fill to None, the Stroke Color to #b6b6b6, and the Size to 5. Click the Set shape stroke type icon to change the Alignment to Outside.
Step 4
Duplicate the Stroke 1 layer twice, and rename the first copy to Stroke 2 and the second to Extrusion Stroke.
Step 5
Hide all the copy text layers, but keep the original (Text) layer visible to work with each one separately.
Make sure to make each layer visible before working with it throughout the tutorial.
4. How to Apply Gradient Overlay Effects
Step 1
Double-click the Text layer to apply a Gradient Overlay effect with these settings:
- Check the Dither box.
- Use the Spectrum gradient fill.
This part determines the base coloring of the text effect, so you can choose other fills if you like as well.
Step 2
Double-click the Halftone layer to apply a Gradient Overlay effect with these settings:
- Check the Dither box.
- Use the Black to White gradient fill.
Step 3
Right-click the styled Halftone layer and choose Convert to Smart Object.
5. How to Create a Halftone Effect
Step 1
With the Halftone layer selected, go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone.
Change the Max. Radius to 8 and all the Screen Angles (Degrees) Channel values to 90, and click OK.
Step 2
Go to Filter > Blur > Surface Blur, and change the Radius to 2 and the Threshold to 255.
Step 3
Change the Halftone layer’s Blend Mode to Subtract. This will create the halftone effect.
6. How to Style Stroke Layers
Step 1
Double-click the Stroke 1 layer to apply Gradient Overlay effects with these settings:
- Check the Dither box.
- Blend Mode: Hard Light.
- Use the Grey Fan F10 – angled gradient fill.
Step 2
Add another Gradient Overlay effect instance with these settings:
- Check the Dither box.
- Use the Yellow, Magenta, Teal gradient fill.
Make sure this effect instance is below the previous one.
This will style the first stroke layer.
Double-click the Stroke 2 layer to apply the following layer style:
Step 3
Add a Stroke with these settings:
- Size: 250
- Position: Outside
- Blend Mode: Vivid Light
- Check the Overprint box
- Opacity: 65%
- Fill Type: Pattern
- Pattern: Lines
- Scale: 75%
Step 4
Add a Drop Shadow with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Hard Light
- Color:
#ff9b19 - Opacity: 70%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 75
- Noise: 5
Step 5
Add another Drop Shadow effect instance with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Hard Light
- Color:
#ff1919 - Opacity: 25%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 150
- Noise: 5
Step 6
Add one more Drop Shadow effect instance with these settings:
- Blend Mode: Hard Light
- Color:
#e719ff - Opacity: 55%
- Distance: 0
- Size: 250
- Noise: 5
Step 7
Change the Stroke 2 layer’s Fill value to 0%.
7. How to Style an Extrusion Stroke
Double-click the Extrusion Stroke layer to apply the following layer style:
Step 1
Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:
- Technique: Chisel Hard
- Size: 0
- Uncheck the Use Global Light box
- Angle: -30
- Altitude: 16
- Check the Anti-aliased box
- Highlight Mode: Vivid Light
- Shadow Mode: Color Burn
Step 2
Add a Gradient Overlay effect with these settings:
- Check the Dither box.
- Use the Yellow, Violet, Red, Teal gradient fill.
Step 3
Move the Extrusion Stroke layer below the Text layer.
Step 4
Duplicate the Extrusion Stroke layer and make it invisible, rename the copy to 1, and right-click it to choose Rasterize Layer Style.
Then, place both layers in a group with the name Extrusion.
8. How to Record an Extrusion Action
Step 1
Open the Actions panel (under the Window menu).
Click the Create new set icon at the bottom of the panel, enter Extrusion in the Name field, and click OK.
Step 2
Click the Create new action icon at the bottom of the panel, enter Action in the Name field, and click Record.
Step 3
Duplicate the 1 layer.
You should see all the steps recorded and added to the Action you’re creating.
Step 4
Press Command-T to enter Free Transform Mode, and change both the Width and Height values in the Options bar to 99%.
Hit the Return key to commit the changes.
Step 5
Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, and change the Hue to 15 and the Lightness to -10.
Step 6
Click the Stop recording icon at the bottom of the Actions panel.
9. How to Create an Extrusion
Step 1
Select the 1 copy layer, and play the Action you’ve just recorded around 16 more times, or until you get an extrusion depth you like.
Step 2
Select all the layers in the Extrusion group, and go to Layer > Arrange > Reverse.
This will place the last copy layer at the bottom and bring the first to the top.
10. How to Add Motion Blur
Step 1
Create a new layer on top of all layers, name it Blur, press the Option-Command-Shift-E keys to create a stamp, and convert the layer into a Smart Object.
Step 2
Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur, and set the Angle to 90 and the Distance to 30.
Step 3
Place the Blur layer on top of the Solid Color layer, and change its Blend Mode to Lighten and its Opacity to 50%.
11. How to Add Global Adjustments
Step 1
Add a Color Lookup adjustment layer on top of all layers, choose the TensionGreen table from the 3DLUT File menu, and change the layer’s Opacity to 80%.
Step 2
Add a Levels layer on top of all layers, and change the Output Levels Shadows value to 20.
12. How to Add Texture Overlays
Step 1
Place the Cement09-byGhostlyPixels.png image from the Cement Grit Textures pack on top of the Solid Color layer, resize it as needed, and change its layer’s Opacity to 70%.
Step 2
Place the 15.jpg image from the Snow with black bg folder in the Snow Overlays pack on top of the Stroke 2 layer, resize it as needed, and change its layer’s Blend Mode to Screen and its Opacity to 30%.
Step 3
Place the Folded Paper 14.jpg image from the 20 Folded Paper Textures pack on top of all layers, resize it as needed, and change its layer’s Blend Mode to Soft Light and its Opacity to 20%.
Step 4
Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels, and change the Input Levels Shadows value to 20 and the Output Levels Highlights value to 230.
13. How to Add Noise Overlay
Step 1
Create a new layer on top of all layers, name it Noise, and go to Edit > Fill.
Change the Contents to 50% Gray and click OK.
Step 2
Convert the Noise layer to a Smart Object, and change its Blend Mode to Soft Light.
Step 3
Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, change the Amount to 12 and the Distribution to Uniform, and check the Monochromatic box.
Congratulations! You’re Done
In this tutorial, we created a couple of text and shape layers and adjusted their attributes to create the different parts of the text.
Then, we used layer styles and filters to create the main colorful halftone effect. After that, we recorded and played an action to create the extrusion.
Finally, we added a bunch of adjustment layers and texture overlays to finish off the effect.
Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, and outcomes below.