metal

Medieval Metal Text Effect in Photoshop

abduzeedo — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:56:11 +0000

Last week I saw the movie Immortals and before the movie I was walking around at the movie theater checking some poster. I saw the Immortals poster, as well as some old Harry Potter and all have the same kind of metal text effect. With that in mind I decided to come up with a Medieval Metal Text Effect using Photoshop.

So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a nice metal text effect using just layer styles. It's a simple tutorial and won't take you more than 30 minutes to go through the step by step.

Step 1

Open Photoshop and start a new document. I am using 2560x1440 pixels for the size. Fill the background layer with grey #464646.

Step 2

Search for some metal textures. I used some for Shutterstock. The one I used is from Kompaniets Taras called seamless silver metal texture with empty place for your text or image. Use Multiply for the Blend Mode

Step 3

Add a new layer and then select red and yellow for the background and foreground colors. After that go to Filter>Render>Clouds.

Step 4

With the layer selected go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Select the layer mask thumb and then change the background and foreground colors to black and white. With the layer mask thumb selected go to Filter>Render>Clouds. You will apply render clouds filter to the mask.

Step 5

Group the layer into a folder and then add a mask to the folder and apply the same render cloud filter to this new mask.

Step 6

Change the Blend Mode to Overlay.

Step 7

Add the text you want to use for this design, the one I am using was created in Illustrator and I used the font called Roman SD.

Step 8

Now it's time to create the bronze effect. To do that we will use Layer Styles. Basically we will use Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Inner Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Color Overlay and Pattern Overlay.

Step 9

For the Pattern Overlay create a metal pattern before using the same metal pattern used in the step 2.

Step 10

This is the result after the layer styles. It's pretty much done now and you can apply that to all sorts of symbols.

Step 11

Let's add some more details, this time I used a knight from a Shutterstock image called 4 Metal medals background by granata1111.

Step 12

Apply the same layer styles, the only difference is in the Pattern Overlay that this time we will apply Overlay for the Blend Mode.

Step 13

This is the effect after the layer styles. It looks god but still need some little refinements.

Step 14

This is an optional step but it always add some little magic to this kind of artwork, I am talking about Lens Flare. You can search on Google Images or Shutterstock to find one you like, I am using an image that I found on Google Images, you can download it here.

Step 15

Let's add a vignette effect, to do that is very easy. Add a new layer and fill it with black using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). After that with the Eraser Tool (E) and a very soft and rounded brush, erase the center of the image.

Step 16

Select all layers and duplicate them, after that group all the new layers into a new one. The keyboard shortcut for that is Command(mac)/Control(PC) + Alt + Shift + E. With the new layer selected go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 10 for the radius. After that duplicate the blurry layer. Use Overlay Blend Mode for the one that is underneath and Screen Blend Mode for the one that is on top. Also change the opacity of both layers to 50%.

Conclusion

Here is the final result. As you could see the effect was create with basically layer styles. It's a impressive how powerful layer styles are and the different kind of effects you can create. So now it's up to you to try and play around with them to come up with your own effects.

Download Photoshop File

Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial

About the author

Abduzeedo is a blog about design. There are all sorts of articles for those who want to look for inspiration. Also you will find very useful tutorials for the most used applications out there, with a special selection of Photoshop Tutorials and Illustrator Tutorials. You can get in follow us via Twitter at @abduzeedo

Sponsored Links:

Captain America Shield in Photoshop

abduzeedo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:09:21 +0000

I haven't had the chance to watch Captain America in the theaters yet, however I've seen the poster all over San Francisco. Every time I see it I think to myself that would be awesome to create that shield in Photoshop. This morning I woke up and decided that I would do that :)

So in this tutorial I will show you how to create the Captain America shield using Photoshop. The whole process is quite simple and won't take you more than 45 minutes.

Step 1

Open Photoshop and create a new document. I am using 2600x2600 pixels. Fill the background layer with black using the Paint Bucket Tool (G).

Step 2

With the Ellipse Tool (U) create a circle in the center of the document using red (#d51a37) for the color.

Step 3

With the Magic Wand Tool (W) select the area of the circle and then add a new layer on top of the red layer.

Step 4

Fill the new layer with white using the Paint Bucket Tool (G).

Step 5

Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Make sure you have black and white for the background and foreground colors. Use 150% for the Amount, Gaussian for the Distribution and select Monochromatic.

Step 6

With the marquee selection still active go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Use 40 for the Amount, Spin for the Blur Method and Best for the Quality.

Step 7

Go to Image>Adjustment>Levels. Change the Input Levels using 103 for the black, 1.00 for the grey and 192 for the white inputs.

Step 8

Change the Blend Mode to Darken at 100% Opacity.

Step 9

Repeat the same thing now to create the grey circle of the shield.

Step 10

Repeate the same steps to create the 3 other circles and the star. Notice that for each object I created the radial brush effect.

Step 11

Time to add some realism to the shield. First thing to do is use Layer Styles. Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Drop Shadow. Use white for the color, LInear Dodge (Add) for the Blend Mode, -4º for the Angle, 5 pixels for the Distance and 4 pixels for the Size. Also change the Contour for the one I am using in the image below.

Step 12

Select Inner Shadow. Use Linear Burn for the Blend Mode, black for the color, 90% for Opacity, 45º for the Angle, 5 pixels for the Distance, 0% for the Choke and 3 pixels for the Size. Alos use the same Contour style I am using in the image below.

Step 13

Select Stroke. Use 2 pixels for the Size, Inside for the Position and black for the color.

Step 14

Apply the layer style on all circles and the star. You migh have to make a few adjustments depending on the size of your design.

Step 15

Time to add some textures. The one I am using is courtesy of Shutterstock and you can find it at http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-20761540/stock-photo-metal-plate-backgro...

Step 16

Apply the circle mask on it and also change the Blend Mode to Soft Light.

Step 17

Import a new texture, this one is from DeviantArt and you can find it here http://wojtar-stock.deviantart.com/art/metal-texture-4-60021019. Also paint with white using the Brush Tool (B) and a very soft brush. This white will be important for the blend mode in order to create some highlights.

Step 18

Change the Blend Mode to Color Burn at 30%.

Step 19

Add a new layer and using the Gradient Tool (G) with the Angle Style, fill the layer with a gradient using black and white. As you can see from my image I created a custom gradient for this effect.

Step 20

Change the Blend Mode to Overlay at 80%.

Step 21

Duplicate the layer and change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge at 30%. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Select the Brush Tool (B). With a very soft brush and black for the color start painting the areas you want to hide. In our case the areas 1,2 and 3)

Step 22

Add a new layer on top of the others and then create a marquee selection of the circle area. Then go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Make sure you have black and white for the background and foreground colors.

Step 23

Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light at 50% Opacity.

Conclusion

Select all layers and duplicate them, after that merge all the new layers into a new one via Layer>Merge Layers. With the new layer selected go to Image>Adjustment>Desaturate. Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light at 50%.

As you can see the whole process was quite simple, we used basic filters and textures. The secret was the Blend Modes to create the light effects necessary to give realism to the scene.

Download the Photoshop File

Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial.

About the author

Sponsored Links:

New Illustrations by God Machine

marcos333 — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:45:34 +0000

We already interviewed God Machine 2 years ago, since then he showed a great evolution on his work, getting more and more detailed as time goes by. It's great to see artists like these that keep evoluting their style, we can say that they're like Wine.

Nowadays God Machine work for some apparel labels, doing t-shirts and other stuff. Also, he seems to do a lot of artworks to metal bands, what is really cool indeed since he have a gore/splatter illustration style.

‘Godmachine Lives in South Wales, Uk with his wife, two cats and his beard. Inspired in his youth by
skatebording and comics and being self taught, Godmachine has managed to carve a space for himself
and make a huge impact on the merch world...and soon everywhere else..’ (God Machine's website)

If you want to know more about God Machine, you can access his Website.

About the author

My name is Marcos Torres, I'm Graphic Artist from Porto Alegre, Brasil. You can get to know more about me by acessing my Personal Website or by following me on Twitter: @marcos333. You can also see some of my last projects at my Flickr.

Sponsored Links:

Mediacite Shopping Mall, by Ron Arad Architects

fabiano — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:35:24 +0000

Maybe amazing is not yet the word to illustrate this mall in Belgium. Created by Ron Arad Architects, the building of nearly 10,000 m2 is a masterpiece in a matter of architectural innovation and daring.

Despite the conservative environment of this area of Liege, a city of Belgium, the Mediacite is very well placed in context with clean and simple shapes that make contact with the surrounding buildings, while creating a new volume, outstanding and innovative, which transforms a simple mall in one place to be admired. And according to the architects "the building stands out as a symbol of the city’s revitalisation and strives to spearhead the city’s regeneration".

The design of the roof unites these elements with a complex network of steel roof ribs that undulate through the mall. The lattice of steel sculpts the volume of the mall beneath, varying both in height and structural depth to form a variety of differing experiences.

The project was completed to a highly accelerated programme, with a duration of only 34 months from inception to completion. The total built area for the Mall is 9750m2. With a construction budget of €18.75m the project was delivered for €1920/m2.

section 01

model 01

perspective section

structure

model 02

About the author

I'm from Brazil, co-founder of Zee with Fabio. Nowadays I like to play with Fireworks, Photoshop and improve my skills in CSS. If you wanna request some posts, please feel free to contact me or follow on Twitter.

Sponsored Links:

Incredible Business School Building in New Zealand

fabiano — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:26:42 +0000

The combination of glass and metal is practically perfect in this project. This school in Auckland, New Zealand, is a project from FJMT and Archimedia, 2 offices who like to abuse these materials. And we can see in this building how to perfectly combine these materials.

There are some places that we would like to study and work, the Business School and Teaching Complex is an example. Besides the beautiful shapes of the building, the school was built with integrated areas of study for social contact among students and also a garden that invites people to relax after a few hours of studying. A warm and modern place, where the concept of the format of the building was designed as a gesture to invite the community to join. Photos by John Gollings are amazing and very helpful to understand and appreciate this project.

We developed architectural forms that open through a series of organic flowing ribbons in a gesture of invitation, outreach and optimism, gathering the energy of the site into a major new public square. These layered glass and stainless steel planes are carefully composed to orientate and join the forms and internal volumes of the new building to significant landscape elements.

Tip from archdaily.com.

About the author

Sponsored Links:

Insane Metal Album Covers Inspiration

abduzeedo — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:21:15 +0000

Metal Album covers might be very disturbing, with diabolical subjects, in totally crazy compositions. But, despite the subject the illustrations area very well done and the effects applied to the name of some bands have become very recognizable of this type of song. In this post we will list simply 45 insane Metal Album covers.

This article was suggested by Andrew Cameron. He also sent to us most of the images featured in the post. If you want to suggest articles, just send an email to us at abduzeedo@abduzeedo.com