How to Make a Graffiti Text Effect With Photoshop Layer Styles

Final product image
What You’ll Be Creating

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a graffiti text effect in Photoshop. We will use layer styles and the “Blend If” function from the blending options.

The text effect we will be creating is inspired by Graffiti styles from Envato Market.

Graffiti styles

Looking for a shortcut? You can download one of these graffiti fonts to help you create graffiti quickly and easily:

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during this text effect tutorial:

1. How to Set the Background and the Text

Step 1

We will use a brick wall background for this graffiti text effect. Open Photoshop and instead of creating a new document, go to File > Open… and select Brick-wall.jpg from the tutorial assets. If you want to try a different background, you can try one of the many wall backgrounds on Envato Elements.

Brick wall

Step 2

Use your Type tool (T), select the Graffogie font with a Size of 285 pt, and write the word “Vote” on your artboard. Then go to Type > Warp Text and select Shell Upper with Bend: 21%, Horizontal Distortion: -29%, and Vertical Distortion: 22%, and hit OK. Finally, select only the letter “V” on your artboard and then go to your Character panel and set the Tracking to -75.

Type Vote

Step 3

Use your Type tool (T) again to write two more words: “for” and “Pedro”. Make sure that each word is on its own layer. Write “for” with the font size 116 pt and tracking 75. Then write “Pedro” on a new layer with the font size 255 pt and tracking 75.

Type for and pedro

Step 4

Use your Move Tool (V) and move the writing together. Then select all three text layers in your Layers panel and hit Control-T. Now set the Rotate to -8°. Finally, we are ready to start creating Photoshop text effects.

Arrange writing

2. How to Create the First Graffiti Text Effect

Step 1

Let’s start by selecting the layer “Vote”. Now go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… and apply the following layer style.

In Blending Options, use these settings:

  • Advanced Blending: 0%
  • Blend if: Grey
  • Underlying Layer: Alt-click (mac users Option-click) on the white marker to split it and then set the left part to 161 and the right part to 236.
Add blending options

Step 2

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

  • Style: Inner Bevel
  • Technique: Chisel Hard
  • Depth: 144%
  • Direction: Up
  • Size: 8 px
  • Soften: 0 px
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: 98º
  • Altitude: 30º
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Highlight Mode: Overlay with color #035b7c  and Opacity: 100%
  • Shadow Mode: Overlay with color #ff3000 and Opacity: 88%
Add a bevel and emboss

Step 3

Add an Inner Shadow to the text effect with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Color: #000000
  • Opacity: 100%
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: -94º
  • Distance: 0 px
  • Choke: 0%
  • Size: 10 px
  • Contour: Cone
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Noise: 11%
Add an inner shadow

Step 4

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Color: #000000
  • Opacity: 19%
  • Noise: 61%
  • Technique: Precise
  • Source: Center
  • Choke: 1%
  • Size: 10 px
  • Contour: Cone – Inverted
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Range: 50%
Add an inner glow

Step 5

Add a Satin style with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Overlay
  • Color: #64ec87
  • Angle: 90°
  • Distance: 19 px
  • Size: 24 px
  • Contour: Half Round
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Check the Invert box
Add a satin

Step 6

Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Linear Burn
  • Check the Dither box
  • Opacity: 6%
  • Style: Linear
  • Angle: 90º
  • Scale: 60%
  • Click on the Gradient and set these stops:
  • Color stops with Color #000000 on Location: 0% and 100%
  • Opacity stop with Opacity: 0% on Location: 0%
  • Opacity stop with Opacity: 100% on Location: 100%
Add a gradient

Step 7

Add an Outer Glow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Linear Burn
  • Opacity: 29%
  • Color: #000000
  • Technique: Precise
  • Spread: 50%
  • Size: 3 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
Add an outer glow

Step 8

As a final step for this text effect, add a Drop Shadow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Pick the color #000000
  • Opacity: 95%
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: 90°
  • Distance: 5 px
  • Spread: 39%
  • Size: 24 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Noise: 10%

Hit OK to apply all changes.

Add a drop shadow

Here’s the result of the first graffiti text effect applied.

Partial result

3. How to Create the Second Graffiti Text Effect

Step 1

Select the “for” layer and go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… to apply the following layer style.

In Blending Options, use these settings:

  • Advanced Blending: 0%
  • Blend if: Grey
  • Underlying Layer: Alt-click (mac users Option-click) on the white marker to split it and then set the left part to 158 and the right part to 217.
Add blending options

Step 2

Add a Bevel and Emboss to the text effect with these settings:

  • Style: Inner Bevel
  • Technique: Smooth
  • Depth: 100%
  • Direction: Up
  • Size: 8 px
  • Soften: 0 px
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: 90º
  • Altitude: 30º
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Highlight Mode – Opacity: 0%
  • Shadow Mode: Multiply with color #000000 and Opacity: 50%
Add a bevel and emboss

Step 3

Add a Stroke with these settings:

  • Size: 1 px
  • Position: Outside
  • Fill Type: Color
  • Color: #000000
Add a stroke

Step 4

Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Color: #000000
  • Opacity: 100%
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: -94º
  • Distance: 0 px
  • Choke: 18%
  • Size: 5 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Noise: 11%
Add an inner shadow

Step 5

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Color: #000000
  • Opacity: 30%
  • Noise: 61%
  • Technique: Precise
  • Source: Edge
  • Choke: 1%
  • Size: 4 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Range: 50%
Add an inner glow

Step 6

Add a Drop Shadow with these settings to finish this text effect:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Pick the color #000000
  • Opacity: 956%
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: 90°
  • Distance: 5 px
  • Spread: 27%
  • Size: 18 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Noise: 17%

Hit OK to apply the layer style.

Add a drop shadow

Here’s the result of the second graffiti text effect applied.

Partial result

4. How to Create the Third Graffiti Text Effect

Step 1

Select the “pedro” layer and go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… to apply the following layer style.

In Blending Options, use these settings:

  • Advanced Blending: 0%
  • Blend if: Grey
  • Underlying Layer: Alt-click (mac users Option-click) on the white marker to split it and then set the left part to 139 and the right part to 201. Then split the black marker and set its right part to 80.
Add blending options

Step 2

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

  • Style: Inner Bevel
  • Technique: Chisel Hard
  • Depth: 144%
  • Direction: Up
  • Size: 8 px
  • Soften: 0 px
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: 98º
  • Altitude: 30º
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Highlight Mode: Overlay with color #1faee3  and Opacity: 100%
  • Shadow Mode: Overlay with color #ce43db and Opacity: 88%
Add a bevel and emboss

Step 3

Add an Inner Shadow to the text effect with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Color: #000000
  • Opacity: 100%
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: -94º
  • Distance: 0 px
  • Choke: 0%
  • Size: 10 px
  • Contour: Cone
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Noise: 11%
Add an inner shadow

Step 4

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Linear Dodge (Add)
  • Color: #dd8925
  • Opacity: 33%
  • Noise: 47%
  • Technique: Precise
  • Source: Center
  • Choke: 58%
  • Size: 16 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Range: 50%
Add an inner glow

Step 5

Add a Satin with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Overlay
  • Color: #f08d18
  • Angle: 90°
  • Distance: 19 px
  • Size: 24 px
  • Contour: Half Round
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Check the Invert box
Add a satin

Step 6

Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Linear Burn
  • Check the Dither box
  • Opacity: 6%
  • Style: Linear
  • Angle: 90º
  • Scale: 60%
  • Click on the Gradient and set these stops:
  • Color stops with Color #000000 on Location: 0% and 100%
  • Opacity stop with Opacity: 0% on Location: 0%
  • Opacity stop with Opacity: 100% on Location: 100%
Add a gradient

Step 7

Add an Outer Glow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Linear Burn
  • Opacity: 29%
  • Color: #000000
  • Technique: Precise
  • Spread: 40%
  • Size: 2 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
Add an outer glow

Step 8

As a final step for this text effect, add a Drop Shadow with these settings:

  • Blend Mode: Normal
  • Pick the color #000000
  • Opacity: 96%
  • Uncheck the Use Global Light box
  • Angle: 90°
  • Distance: 5 px
  • Spread: 39%
  • Size: 24 px
  • Check the Anti-aliased box
  • Noise: 10%

Hit OK to apply the text effects.

Add a drop shadow

Congratulations! You’re Done!

In this tutorial, you learned how to use layer styles and blending options to create some cool graffiti text effects in Adobe
Photoshop.

We started by creating our text, and then we changed it with blending options and layer styles to three different graffiti effects on the wall.

Final result

The text effect we created was inspired by Graffiti styles from Envato Market.

Graffiti styles

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Please feel free to leave your
comments, suggestions, and outcomes below. Here are some other tutorials you may enjoy:

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