Wave’s text effect

September 28th, 2009 by ART-D Posted in Adobe Photoshop, Text Effects

In this tutorial we’ll turn standard text into a stunning, eye-catching text effect. We’ll be using Layer Styles, Photoshop Filters, and combining different techniques to mock-up the text into a related background. Let’s learn how to create this text effect.

Final Image Preview

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Firstly create a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop with the size 1900px by 1200px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Take the Gradient Tool (G) and open the Gradient Editor from Options Bar:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Choose the Foreground to Transparent gradient.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Apply the gradient from the top to down.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Apply the next filter: Filter>Distort>Wave and choose the next settings:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
It’s the result you should get:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3

Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Shadow.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3

Add Gradient Overlay:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
We’ve got the next effect:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Create a new layer, fill it with black color applying the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and drag it under layer with gradient in Layer panel.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Back to layer with gradient and make a copy of this layer (Ctrl+J) and apply Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical. Set after that the Opacity the same way demonstrated below:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Select the Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B), set the Opacity to 50% in Options Bar and use black color for Foreground color.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Create a new layer and use here the selected brush to dark out the background the same way demonstrated next picture.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
On the next layer we’ll represent another gradient. Change Foreground color to white, take Gradient Tool (G) and open the Gradient Editor from Options Bar to select the Foreground to Transparent gradient.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3

Apply the gradient on top.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Go to Filter>Distort>Wave.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
The new result should be moved on the central part of the canvas, using in this case the Move Tool (V).

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Make a copy of the last made layer, turn it over vertically, select both layers, pressing Shift+left mouse click on the layers on the Layers panel. Then Merge Down the selected layers, pressing Ctrl+E

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Press Ctrl+T (Free Transform) and scale down as shown.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Outer Glow.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Add Inner Glow:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Apply Gradient Overlay:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
It’s the result you should get:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Raise the contrast of our work, using the Create new fill or adjustment layer > Curves:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Adjust the curve shape as shown to make a little color corrections.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
The work became more contrastive.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Create a new layer, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) create a rectangular selection as shown and fill the selection with white color.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Apply the next filter: Filter>Distort>Wave filter.

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3
It’s the result you should get:

Create Wave's text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS3

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  • Mira

    05/10/2009

    Really liked this tutorial. Although I didn’t quite get it right, it did give me some ideas for future projects. Thanks!

    My result: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miranl/3983886565/

  • Nokadota

    13/10/2009

    This is the text effect I was looking for, thanks alot.

  • Kasaule David

    02/12/2009

    Man this thing is great and cool it is one of the things i have been looking for
    Thank more tutorial pliz
    God bless you

  • Kasaule David

    02/12/2009

    Man do not forget more tuts

  • Renson

    21/12/2009

    Thanks a lot for this tutorials! I have been looking for this kind of tutorials for long time. Thanks again.

  • Alan

    24/01/2010

    Can’t get it, even after following to the word several times, do i start with a white or transparent background (tried both), when i apply 1st inner shadow, the whole thing just goes black, when should i be creating a new layer i.e. should i duplicate background before i start?

  • luiz gabriel

    04/03/2010

    thanks for the tut, hes my result http://www.flickr.com/photos/px42/4405380176/sizes/o/

  • danieladirael

    22/06/2010

    my result http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1106/4722816041_4df3f164b2_b.jpg thanks

  • sling bag

    27/06/2010

    Thanks for share. Nice tutorials. nice work…

  • floryela

    27/07/2010

    thanks !

  • Driek

    06/08/2010

    Thanks for this tutorial man, really nice one. Didn’t get the text completely right, so I tried to make it some of my own. Without the stroke and with other gradient and things like that.

  • Jack Tego

    15/08/2010

    Thank you for the tutorial, it was fun to do and I will definitely be using that waveform technique in the future.

  • Pantz

    17/09/2010

    You should have started out with telling us what type of bg to use.

    Also, it would have been really helpful to include the screenshots of the layers as well.

  • colton

    08/12/2010

    it was no good

  • Michael

    01/03/2011

    This tutorial is lacking a lot of many helpful things. IMO, it wasn’t good at all.

  • Zalia

    02/03/2011

    I’m a bit stuck at the adding gradient bit. I use PS CS4 and when I add the gradient it fills the whole image leaving no black whatsoever, and in your example the gradient seems to just appear around the edges of the black spikes. Any advice anyone?
    Thanks

  • Amanda

    16/03/2011

    I’m having the exact same problem as Zalia. Same photoshop version and everything. D:

  • Carlos E. Quevedo

    20/03/2011

    Alan
    24/01/2010
    Can’t get it, even after following to the word several times, do i start with a white or transparent background (tried both), when i apply 1st inner shadow, the whole thing just goes black, when should i be creating a new layer i.e. should i duplicate background before i start?

    I have the same problem as Alan and agree with

    Pantz
    17/09/2010
    You should have started out with telling us what type of bg to use.
    Also, it would have been really helpful to include the screenshots of the layers as well.

    I’m using Photoshop CS4 Extended.

    Thanks :D

    Some advise, help, anyone?

  • Lucifer

    18/05/2011

    Great tutorial i gave it a try for banner size and not wallpaper size so the electricity wasnt as good as urs but here is my outcome:
    http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/W333D/header_bg.png

  • Edward Steve

    02/08/2011

    Great tutorial. Thanks a lot. Easy to follow and learn. Keep it up.

  • Jewel

    30/12/2011

    like the others, I’m can’t get the right result in the inner shadow and gradient layer styles, it just becomes black. i’m using PS CS3, uugghhhh i can’t get it, but i want to! >.<

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