Photoshop patchwork text effect

Feb13th
2009
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I played with a few settings and came up with a fun technique for making patchwork styled text. It’s a simple text effect and only takes a few steps to achieve. With more time involved, like anything, greater results.

This is not very Web 2.0 but it has it’s place. The point is to add to the effects you can do regardless of what you use them for.

Step 1

We start with a new canvas of 600px by 200px with a black background. As this effect looks nicer on a more playful font I chose Jokerman. We set the font size to 110pt and the tracking to -140. This gives us a nice, large and over lapping text canvas to play with.

Step 2

Now we Ctrl-click the text to create a selection. Then Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer with our selection. Now we wan tto fill this layer with a horizontal gradient using #6161f2 to #61f2c0. This will help add color variation to the final outcome.

Step 3

Next Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer. Set the foreground color to #cef261. Using the Pen tool, create a horizontal line. Using the Convert Point tool, move each end of the path to create a bow-tie shape. Now rasterize this shape.

Now, Ctrl-click the layer, set the foreground color to #f2c061 then Edit > Stroke > 2px center. Then Ctrl-click the text layer, then click the shape layer and Shift+Ctrl+I to select the inverse and Delete. Now set the blend mode to Hard Light. This gives some variation to the colors and will help the final product.

Step 4

Now to add more color. I like to use Color Lovers to find patterns. I found this one that I liked to use for this tutorial. Copy the image and go back to Photoshop.

Ctrl+N to create a new canvas, Ctrl+V to paste in the pattern, Ctrl+A to select all and then Edit > Define Pattern to save this as a pattern.

Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer. Edit > Fill > Pattern to fill that layer with your new pattern. Ctrl-click your text layer, Shift+Ctrl+I to select the inverse and then Delete. Set the Blend Mode of this layer to Hard Light

Step 5

Now we’re going to add a little more color variation. Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer. Fill that layer with a gradient using #eef525 to #ffa250. Again, Ctrl-click the text layer, Shift+Ctrl+I to select the inverse and Delete. Set the Blend Mode of this layer to Overlay

Step 6

The next step is purely optional but it does add a nice touch to the effect. Ctrl-click your text layer, Shift+Ctrl+C to copy merged, Ctrl+V to paste this into a new layer. Ten to apply a filter. Filter > Stylize > Find Edges. Then Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer > Presets > Black & White with Orange filter. This will highlight all the inner edges in the patchwork. Set Blend Mode of this layer to Soft Light.

Then we some color to the background. Vertical gradient using #be9c7f to #f0f2be.

Step 7

All this leaves some pretty unsightly edges on the text. Since the colors used produced a pretty cartoonish outcome, a heavy edge stroke seems to work well. Ctrl-click the top layer, Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer, then Edit > Stroke > 2px Center using #5b4327.

Wrap up

That’s it. A simple text effect in very few steps. This is easily taken farther with a little more effort. The colors you choose will generate fairly random effects. Like any effect, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. For example, in the below image, I used a softer palette but the steps were the same. The biggest differences were in step three and the addition of the vertical lines (actually the vertical pipe character typed along a path with 400pt tracking). In step three, instead of a single horizontal path, I made a triangular path to add more randomness.

The PSD for download