How to Create a Cool 3D Comic Text Effect in Photoshop

What You’ll Be Creating

In this tutorial, you will learn a quick way to make a 3D text effect in Adobe Photoshop. We will use layer styles and a filter to add a comic book look to it.

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during this tutorial:

• Background and a pattern
• Montserrat font

1. How to Create and Customize the Text Layer

Step 1

For this text effect, we will use a cartoon style background. Start your Adobe Photoshop and instead of creating a new document, open background.jpg from the tutorial assets.

Step 2

Use your Type Tool (T) and write the word “COOL” on your artboard using the Montserrat Medium font, with a size of 212 pt. Then, on a new layer, write the word “COMIX” on your artboard using the Montserrat Black font, with a size of 170 pt.

Step 3

Select both text layers in your Layers panel and go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object. Then go to Edit > Transform > Warp and select Arc, setting the Bend to 8%. Commit the transform.

Step 4

The final step before we start creating a 3D effect is to add a filter. Go to Filter > Distort > ZigZag and set the Amount to 1, Ridges to 8, and select the Style: Pond Ripples. Hit OK.

2. How to Create a 3D Text Effect

Step 1

Now we will create the 3D depth for our text effect by duplicating and moving layers. Hit Control-J to duplicate the layer. Then move this duplicated layer using your arrow keys Down (↓) once and Right (→) once. Now repeat the duplicating and moving of the duplicated layers until you’ve created and moved ten copies of the original layer.

Step 2

Select all of the duplicated layers in your Layers panel and go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object. Change the layer name to 3D effect and then go to Layer > Arrange > Send Backward.

3. How to Customize a 3D Text Effect

Step 1

Select the “3D effect” layer and go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… to apply the following layer style.

In the Blending Options, set the Fill Opacity to 0%.

Step 2

Add a Stroke to the text effect with these settings:

• Size: 3 px
• Position: Outside
• Color: #0d0d0d

Step 3

Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Linear Burn #222222
• Opacity: 35%
• Uncheck the Use Global Light box
• Angle: -42°
• Distance: 6 px
• Choke: 0%
• Size: 0 px
• Check the Anti-aliased box

Step 4

Add a Pattern Overlay with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Normal
• Opacity: 100%
• Pattern: cb-lines-1 (downloaded from tutorial assets)
• Scale: 25%

Hit OK to apply the layer style.

Now we are done creating and customizing the depth of our 3D text effect.

4. How to Create and Customize the Inner Lines

Step 1

Select the “COMIX” layer and go to Layer > Duplicate Layer… and name it Inner Details. Then go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… to apply the following layer style.

In the Blending Options, set the Fill Opacity to 0%.

Step 2

Add a Stroke to this text effect with these settings:

• Size: 3 px
• Position: Inside
• Opacity: 0%

Step 3

Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Normal white
• Opacity: 100%
• Uncheck the Use Global Light box
• Angle: -45°
• Distance: 5 px
• Choke: 50%
• Size: 5 px
• Check the Anti-aliased box

Hit OK to apply the changes. Then go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Step 4

While the newly created smart object layer is selected, go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… again and apply the following layer style.

In the Blending Options, set the Fill Opacity to 0%.

Step 5

Add a Pattern Overlay with these settings to finish the inner details of our text effect:

• Blend Mode: Normal
• Opacity: 100%
• Pattern: cb-lines-1 (downloaded from tutorial assets)
• Scale: 12%

Hit OK to apply the layer style.

This is the result after applying all of the layer styles to this cool text effect.

5. How to Customize the Main Text Effect Layer

Step 1

The final layer we need to customize for our text effect is the “COMIX” text layer. Select it and go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options… and apply the following layer style.

Add a Stroke with these settings:

• Size: 3 px
• Position: Outside
• Color: #0d0d0d

Step 2

As the final step of this text effect, add a Color Overlay and select the color #fcea00. Hit OK to apply the layer style.

Congratulations! You’re Done

In this tutorial, you learned how to create a quick, cool 3D text effect using layer styles and multiple layers for 3D depth.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, and feel free to leave your comments and creations below.