Unique Horror Style Text Effect

Posted on January 11th, 2008

Learn how to easily create a unique horror style text effect in Photoshop using only Layer Styles and the Horizontal Type Tool.

Step one:

Start by creating a new document in Photoshop, all the default settings except dimensions: 660 pixels width, 300 pixels height.

Get out your Horizontal Type Tool and write out your desired text on the canvas. I used the font ‘Eras Bold ITC’, sized at 140 pt and black for color.

Step two:

Under Layer Style(Layer > Layer Style) add an Inner Glow, Color Overlay, Pattern Overlay and Stroke blending options to your text layer.

Step three:

With all that blending options added your text layer should now look like this.

Step four:

In a seperate text layer add your name again, same font settings but white for color. Then on your layers palette set the layers blending mode to Darken.

Step five:

Under Layer Style(Layer > Layer Style) add a gradient Overlay blending option to your white text layer.

Step six:

Once again add another copy of your white name in its own text layer. Then on your layers palette right click on the text layer and select Rasterize Layer. This should turn your text layer into a regular layer. Now grab polygon lasso tool and make random cuts like you see on the picture below.

Step seven:

Under Layer Style(Layer > Layer Style) add an Inner Glow, Color Overlay, Pattern Overlay and Stroke blending options to your text layer. Then on the layers palette set the layers blending mode to Darken.