Web Development: How to Create a Glass Text Effect in Photoshop Using Layer Styles

Friday, April 3, 2020

How to Create a Glass Text Effect in Photoshop Using Layer Styles

Final product image — What You'll Be Creating

In this quick tip tutorial, we will show you how to create a glass text effect using layer styles in Photoshop. Let's get started!

What you will learn in this glass effect Photoshop tutorial:

How to create a vignette effect background in Photoshop
How to create a glass text effect in Photoshop
How to use Layer Styles to create 3D text in Photoshop

Follow along with us over on our Envato Tuts+ YouTube Channel:

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:

Font - The Nautigal
Pattern used for the background (GraphicRiver)
Background Image (Free)

1. How to Create a Gradient Background

Step 1

First, create a new PSD document, 600 x 400 pixels in RGB mode, 72 DPI with a white background color. Now prepare your assets. Install The Nautigal font on your computer and optionally open the PAT file to create a background. Or you can use the Background Image instead of starting a new document, so you can skip creating the background and jump to step 3 of this tutorial.

Step 2

To make the background, go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below.

You can also access the Blending Options in two faster ways. The first (and the fastest) way is to double-click on the layer in your Layers panel. The other way is to right-click on the layer in your Layers panel and choose Blending Options.

When you are done with all the settings below, don't forget to hit OK in the Blending Options window! If you have downloaded the Patterns file, use pattern number 31. You can also leave the background without the pattern overlay or use any other pattern as the result will look great on any light background.

gradient overlay effetc — If you want to move the gradient to the left, click and drag when you're in the Layer Style panel, Gradient Overlay section.

resize backgound — If you want, you can resize the background with Control-T.

2. How to Create a Glass Text Effect in Photoshop

Step 1

Start by creating the first text layer. Now we can start making our text effect. First, choose the Type Tool and change the Font to The Nautigal, Size around 255 pt and Anti-Aliasing Sharp. Now type your text somewhere in the center of the image. You can write any word, but in this tutorial I'll use "Wow".

Step 2

This first text layer will be at the bottom of all the text layers. Go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on your text.

Step 3

Now let's create and customize the second text layer.

Duplicate your text layer, and select the new text layer. Select the text layer in the Layers panel and go to Layer > Duplicate layer and name it as you wish. Now go to Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style as we will make a different style for this layer. Finally, go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on your text.

You can also use the quicker methods to access the Blending Options from "Step 2" of this tutorial. When you are done with all the settings below, don't forget to hit OK in the Blending Options window! This text layer will be in the middle of all three text layers in your Layers panel. So for now it should be above the first one.

Step 4

We are almost there. Now it's time to create and customize our third and last text layer.

Start by duplicating the second text layer. Select the text layer in the Layers panel and go to Layer > Duplicate layer and name it as you wish. Now go to Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style as we will make a different style for this layer. Finally, go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on our text.

Again, you can use the quicker methods to access the Blending Options from "Step 2" of this tutorial. When you are done with all the settings below, don't forget to hit OK in the Blending Options window! This text layer will make most of the effects and must be on top of all other text layers.