3-D Type With The Radial Blur Filter

A couple weeks ago I wrote about a technique adding 3-D motion to an image with the Radial Blur filter. Now you’ll see how a variation of that technique can actually create three-dimensional type.

The key to this technique is in creating the proper radial blur based upon your original type, and then adding a Stroke layer style to it which makes the fuzzy blur hard-edged but retains the three-dimensional quality. Figure 1 is where I will begin: an appropriately loud bit of text on its own layer, positioned with some extra space around it. If you read my article on 3-D effects and the Radial Blur filter, you’ll know that you need some extra space around your object so when you create the blur it doesn’t go beyond the edge of the page—unlike other layer objects, pixels caught outside the document boundaries will be cut offv.

Figure 1: The original image.

Step 1: Duplicate the text layer (Cmd/Ctrl-J).

Step 2: In the Layers palette, select the text layer that’s below the other and then select Filter –> Blur –> Radial Blur…. Photoshop will ask you if it’s okay to rasterize the type; this is okay (the upper type layer will remain vector).

Figure 2: Our Radial Blur settings.

Step 3: In the Radial Blur dialog box, match the settings shown in Figure 2. The positioning of your blur’s epicenter may be different depending on your text layer’s position, but it should be positioned where you want the vanishing point of the 3-D effect to be. In my case, I want the text to tower above our perspective so I placed the epicenter so the bottom text would be at eye-level. Click OK to commit to the blur (see Figure 3). Execute the radial blur again if you want a longer blur (Cmd/Ctrl-F to use the same filter and settings, or Opt-Cmd-F/Alt-Ctrl-F to use the same filter but change the settings).

Figure 3: Radial Blur.

Step 4: We add bulk and depth to the radial blur by adding Stroke and Color Overlay layer styles to the layer (Layer –> Layer Style, or using the Layer Style button in the Layers palette). In Figure 4 below (sans type layer) I used a black stroke and bumped up the size slightly so we wouldn’t see a stroke around every single pixel in the radial blur; instead, I want enough thickness to the stroke that the pixels blend together into a large mass. While that takes care of the shape and outline of the receding type, the Color Overlay affects the blur pixels inside, giving the shape depth. Any color that adds contrast works well here; I used an earth tone to give the type the texture of earth and mud. When you’re satisfied, click OK to commit. If you keep your file with layers, you’ll be able to tweak these layer styles in the future.

Figure 4: With the Stroke and Color Overlay layer styles added.

Step 5: Right now the original type layer does not match up with the three-dimensional counterpart. Now’s the time to use Free Transform (Cmd/Ctrl-T) and fit one to the other. It doesn’t matter which one you transform, but in the end your type should line up as mine does in Figure 5. I also added some layer styles to the type layer to complete the hard-core effect.

Figure 5: Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!