BRIAN WEBB BLOG

This post is for you beginner to intermediate Photoshop designers out there. Some of you have asked… “How do you create that “softened-text-look” for your images?” Well, it’s so simple, anybody can do it… and I mean “anybody.”

Almost always, there’s more than one method to approach tricks and effects, but the 8 steps listed below is the technique I most commonly use to soften my text for web, email and print designs.

STEP 1: CREATE A NEW LAYER FOR TEXT
In your Photoshop document, create a New Layer, and type some text of your choice onto that New Layer.

STEP 2: CREATE A 2ND NEW LAYER FOR A TEXTURED IMAGE
Create a 2nd New Layer (below the first text Layer), and add some kind of subtle texture image (or you could just use a solid fill color on this layer). Whichever your choose… it’s important that the background image has adequate contrast to the color of your text, and that the background image isn’t too busy.

STEP 3: SELECT YOUR TEXT LAYER
Make sure your new layer of text is the “selected” layer in your Layers Palette, by single clicking on that layer.

STEP 4: SELECT OUTER GLOW LAYER EFFECT
Click on the “Layer Effect” button on the bottom of your Layers Palette, and select the “Outer Glow” option.

STEP 5: ADJUST OUTER GLOW SETTINGS
Set the Blend Mode to “Normal”, set the opacity somewhere from 80% to 100% (I typically use 100%), and set the Noise to 0.

STEP 6: OPEN COLOR PICKER FOR OUTER GLOW EFFECT
Now, single click in the color box for this effect, which will bring up the Color Picker, that will allow you to select the color of your glow.

STEP 7: CHOOSE COLOR FROM BACKGROUND
With the Color Picker open, move your cursor (which is now an Eyedropper Tool for selecting colors out of your image) — and click your Eyedropper Tool somewhere close to your text (usually within 3 to 5 pixels from your text.)

STEP 8: DARKEN COLOR CHOICE FOR OUTER GLOW
Now that you’ve selected the color of your background near your text, drag the selection circle inside of the Color Picker down a few pixels, so that the color that was pulled from your background will be darkened, but just a little. Click OK on the Color Picker, and then click okay on the Layer Styles Palette, and voila… you’re done.

SUMMARY WRAP-UP
Basically, soft text is just the result of a very subtle glow effect, that’s just a little darker than the color of the background behind your text… allowing your text to blend into the page better. You can also play around with the Outer Glow FX settings… by perhaps setting your Blending Mode from Normal to Multiply… or perhaps you’ll want to adjust the Opacity for your Outer Glow FX.

Softened text can be especially beneficial when using pixel fonts for web based design.

I hope this helps. Enjoy.