How to Create a Hot Concrete Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Final product image
What You’ll Be Creating

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a hot concrete text effect using two layers to get a central vanishing point in Adobe Photoshop. Let’s get started!

Tutorial Assets:

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

1. Creating the Background

Step 1

Install the pattern
file named concrete01.pat by double
clicking it.

Step 2

Create a New document
(File > New). Set Width to 600 px and Height to 500 px. Resolution must be 72 ppi.

Create a new document

Step 3

Select the background
and duplicate it (go to Layer >
Duplicate Layer > OK
). Rename the new layer as Background Pattern.

Layer Background Pattern

Step 4

To add the texture, go
to Layer and open the Layer Style window. Select the Pattern
Overlay
box, choose concrete01.pat
from the list, and then press OK

Pattern Overlay

Background Pattern

Step 5

Go to Color Overlay inside the Layer Style
panel and apply the following settings.

Color Overlay

Dark Background Pattern

Step 6

Now we are going to
add the shining red light to create the hot reflected effect in the background.
Go to Layer Style > Bevel &
Emboss
and set these values:

Red Bevel  Emboss

2. Creating the Text

Step 1

Type the word Saint or some text of your choice using the Stonecross font. Set the Font Size to 130 pt, Leading to Auto
and Tracking to 20 pt. For best
quality, change the anti-aliasing mode to Sharp. Rename the layer ‘SAINT a’.

Step 2

Duplicate the text and
rename the new layer ‘SAINT b’ as
shown below. Hide the ‘SAINT b
layer to work more comfortably, because we are not going to use this layer yet.

Duplicate the text layer

Step 3

Using the Move Tool, select
the two text layers and the background layer, and then click the align commands Align Horizontal Center and Align Vertical Center on the top menu
to center it.

Plain text WIP

3. Styling the Main Layer

Step 1

Select the SAINT a layer and go to Layer > Layer Style > Pattern Overlay. Click on the Pattern box, choose concrete01
from the list (we are using the same background pattern), and set the Scale to
50%. Now it looks just a little more like real concrete. 

Text Pattern Overlay

Text Pattern Overlay

Step 2

To get the beveled
look, go to the Layer Style window and modify
the settings of Bevel & Emboss and
Contour as shown below.

You’ll need to create two custom contour curves
to get the volume effect. Follow the images carefully and use the values shown in the right column.

Bevel and Emboss
Contour of Bevel and Emboss
Beveled text

Step 3

To light up the letters we are going to use a gradient base. Select Gradient Overlay from the Layer Style window and set the values as shown below.

Tip: To create a new point
in the gradient you have to click under the gradient bar. Clicking each one of
the color stops allows you to modify Location and Color.

Gradient Overlay to light on the letters
Hot Concrete

Step 4

Go to Layer Style > Satin
and use the following settings to brighten up the text.
The Contour is a default curve named Cove – Deep.

Brighten up the text by Satin
Brighten up the text

Step 5

Now we’re going to improve the effect by adding a shiny glow. Go to Layer Style > Inner Glow and set the following values.

Shiny glow with Inner Glow
Concrete even more hot

Step  6

We need to add some shadows to separate the text from the background. Go to
Layer Style >
Outer
Glow
and use the settings shown below. 

Some shadows
Outer Glow as a shadow

4. Styling the Second Layer

Step 1

Now we’re going to work with the second layer named ‘SAINT b’, so make sure you turn it on! In this step we have to achieve a perspective with a central vanishing
point. Go to the Character window and
change the Horizontally Scale value to 97%
as shown below.

The second layer

Step 2

Go to Layer > Layer Style >
Pattern
Overlay and select the concrete01 pattern from the box to match both layers’ texture. Set the Scale to
50%.

Pattern Overlay

Second layer now with pattern

Step 3

To get the burning edges color you have to go to Layer Style and modify Color
Overlay
using the following values.

Turn red the second layer
3D look

Step 4

Select Stroke from the Layer
Style
window, and set the Position as Outside
and Fill Type as Color, with the value shown below.

Add some color stroke
Shiny stroke

Step 5

We are going to add some
shadows to separate the text from the background. Go to Layer Style > Drop Shadow and use the values shown in the image
below.

Separate the text from the background
Close to the end

Step  6

In this final step we are going to emphasize the hot edges by adding Outer Glow. Go to Layer Style > Outer Glow and modify
the following settings. The Contour is a default curve named Cone.

Hot edges
Final step

Great Job, You’re Done!

In this tutorial I showed you how
to create a hot concrete text effect using a real texture and two layers to achieve a central
vanishing point.

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and can use what
you’ve learned for your own projects. Please feel free to comment and show me your results.

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