Wide's World

Oh, the wind and rain

by

Widearea

Porno-Graphix

A few more text effects

In considering topics for Wide's World, our intent is to offer explanations of various graphic techniques that can be applied in our adult webmastering. We have in past articles learned many basic techniques that can be useful in a variety of applications for our adult sites. We are approaching a point where we can move on to more complicated graphic techniques, where we can use new software tools and branch out in terms of what we can achieve. However, with the exciting Newbie Projects of the Week and other things happening at Wide's World, we will be taking it easy this week with a few more text effects that can be used to create compelling graphics. In the future, we will go further into the world of graphic design by using vector graphic applications and other cool stuff to take our design to the next level. Now would be a good time to go and dust off that paint program for upcoming articles.

Wind, Zoom and Ripple

We will use some more basic filters in Photoshop to create text effects for our adult graphics. In our example this week, we are going to apply three filters to create an animated button.

1. Select File -> New and create a new file for your design. Our example is 150 x 60 pixels.

2. Create a basic design for the base art. This is where your own creativity and style can come into play. For our example the type will run on the top layer while the effects will be shown underneath.

3. Select the Type tool in the toolbar and click in the canvas area and enter the messaging to which you will apply the filters for the effects. In our example we will apply the filters to the "VNWR."

4. With this layer of type active select Layer -> Duplicate Layer. The original layer will remain our original from which additional copies will be made.
5. With the copied layer active, select Layer -> Type -> Render Layer (MAC)/Create Shape (WIN).
6. Select Filter -> Blur -> Radial Blur and choose "zoom" radio button from Blur Method option in the dialog box and set a value for the effect using the slider.

7. Repeat steps 4-6, and increase the amount of zoom from the previously applied filter to the new layer copy.

8. For the next filter effect repeat step 4.
9. With the copied layer active, select Layer -> Type -> Render Layer (MAC)/Create Shape (WIN).
10. Select Filter -> Distort -> Ripple and set an initial value for the effect.

11. Repeat step 7, and increase the amount of ripple from the previously applied filter to the new layer copy.

12. For the next filter effect repeat step 4.
13. With the copied layer active, select Layer -> Type -> Render Layer (MAC)/Create Shape (WIN).
14. Select Filter -> Stylize -> Wind and set an initial value for the effect.

15. Repeat step 11, and increase the amount of ripple from the previously applied filter to the new layer copy. In our example we set the wind to blow from both the left and the right.

16. Save your work.

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Note that the filters lend themselves to animation in that the filter settings can simulate movement in every effect. To compile a graphic we simply made a .gif with each effect and looped it to show how it all can come together. You may like your results better if you simply try it with one filter effect. Well, thanks for coming to Wide's World this week. Until next time... Happy hunting and enjoy those built-in effects!

Reference

Grafx Design - Easy Photoshop tutorials
Phong's Tutorials - Specific effects tutorials.