Create a Luminous Text Effect in Photoshop

Today I’ll show you how to create a luminous text effect in Photoshop. We’ll learn on the way how to manipulate the font to get the desired effect, how layer styling could help us to bring amazing results on the canvas. You will learn how to give tube light effect to the plain text as well as how to further experiment with it to get the result as mine.

Resources:
Wall of gold
Bauhaus 93 font

Before we start, let’s have a look at our final result.

Step 1

Create a new document with a 600px width and a 900px height in Photoshop.

Step 2

Fill the background with color #010517 using the paint bucket tool.

Step 3

Open the “Wall of Gold” resource in Photoshop, and copy and paste it into your document on a new layer (“Layer” > “New Layer”) just above the background. Reduce the opacity of texture layer to 15%. Double-click on this layer to open the blending options window, and use the following settings to apply a color overlay.

Step 4

Now set #ffffff as your foreground color and select the type tool to type in your text. We’ll be using a font called “Bauhaus 93” font here. Type each letter on a new layer and arrange them as shown below.

Step 5

Next, we’ll give these letters rounded ends. Select the ellipse tool and draw a circle. I am using a different color for the ellipses to differentiate them from the original text. Now Press Ctrl + “T” to activate the free transform tool, you can resize the ellipse to match the size of the “L” letter end. Elongate this circle a bit and arrange it at an angle, as shown below.

Make all letters ends rounded in the same way. Once you are done, collect the letter “L” and the ellipse forming its ends into the same group and name this group “L”. You can do this by selecting all of the layers forming the rounded “L,” pressing the shift key, and going to “Layer” > “Group layers.”

Step 6

Right-click on the letter ‘”I” layer, select the option “Rasterize type,” and then erase the white circle forming the dot of the “I” using the hard round eraser tool. After that, select the ellipse tool and form two circles like the ones below.

Step 7

We are done with the basic shape of the text, so now we’ll move ahead to give it a luminous effect. We’ll give it a kind of “tube light” look. For the desired aesthetic, first we’ll merge the individual letter groups. To do this, right-click on the letter “L” group and select the option of “Merge group.” Merge the rest of the letter groups in the same way. Once you are done, duplicate the “L” letter layer to get two copies by going to “Layer” > “Duplicate layer.” So, form three identical layers for each letter. You can label them as 1, 2, and 3 to keep them organized. We’ll apply a different layer styling on each layer.

Step 8

Now, double-click on the L1 layer to open the blending options window and apply the following layer style settings:

Once you are done, right-click on the L1 layer and select the option of “Copy layer style.” Now, right-click on the i1, g1, h1, and t1 layers one by one, and use “Paste layer style” to apply the same effects on them.

Step 9

Now double-click on the L2 layer and apply the following settings. Make sure to take its fill to 0%.

Copy this layer style and paste it onto layers i2, g2, h2, and t2.

Step 10

Set the fill of L3 to 0%. Then, double-click on the L3 layer and use the following settings for satin.

Copy its layer style and paste it on i3, g3, h3, and t3.

Step 11

We’ve created a nice luminous effect so far. Now I’ll show you how you can further manipulate it to make the effect more interesting and fun. Duplicate the “Light” folder and merge this duplicated group. After that, double-click on this merged group and use the given settings to apply a color overlay.

Step 12

Duplicate the original “Light” folder once again, and then merge it, placing the new copy above the red version of “light.” Now, we’ll select various areas of our text on this layer with the help of the pen tool, and and we’ll erase them. This will make the red light visible through the erased areas. So, select the pen tool and choose “Paths” from the top options bar. Now, draw the shape as shown below. Once you are done, right-click, choose the option “Make selection,” and then go to “Edit > “Clear.” Press Ctrl + “D” to deselect that area.

Repeat the same technique to clear the other end of letter “L”.

Step 13

Keep on creating similar shapes within rest of the letters using the pen tool, and clear them off to achieve the effect below.

Step 14

Now, duplicate the red version layer, change its color to blue in “Color Overlay” and place this copy below the red version layer. After that, move it to the right and upwards to give the text a 3D impact.

Step 15

To get a slightly darker version of blue text layer, press Ctrl + <click blue “light” layer> to make a selection around it. Now, click on the appropriate icon to “Create new fill or adjustment layer” (which is present at the bottom of the layers panel), and choose the of “Hue/Saturation” option. Use the following settings here.

Once again, make a selection around the blue version layer and create a new adjustment layer of “Brightness/Contrast.” Use the given provided below.

Step 16

Once again, duplicate the red version of “light” and place this layer below the blue version layer. Drag it a bit to the right and upward, as shown below. You can increase the contrast for the red version as explained in step 15.

Step 17
Next, we’ll create a sort of stand for the text. Select the rectangle tool to draw a stick, as shown below.

Step 18

Double-click on this stick layer and apply the following settings as a “Bevel and Emboss” layer style.

Step 19

Now, duplicate this stick layer few times and arrange the sticks vertically and horizontally, as shown below.

Step 20

At the end, click on the icon to “Create new fill or adjustment layer,” and select the “Levels” option. Apply the following settings for “levels.” Make sure to place this adjustment layer at the top of rest of your Photoshop layers.