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Outline text in Photoshop Photoshop Tutorial


How to make outline text in Photoshop

 

outline


 

Newer method for Photoshop CC here   


(JUST ADDED: See the bottom of this tutorial for a PSD and a layerstyle that works in Photoshop CS6 and CC)

Step 1

 

Start with a blank layer and some text, this will work for shapes too.

 

Step 2

Right click/Cmd click on the layer name in the layers pallette. Select rasterize layer. Ctrl/Cmd click on the layer thumbnail to select the type.

Step 3

 

Create a new blank layer.

Edit>stroke. I added a 6 pixel stroke here. Make the location center.

Click ok.

Ctrl/Cmd click on the layer thumbnail to select the new stroke.

Step 4

In the layer palette, turn off the bottom layer, you should see the outline now.
Using the gradient tool: foreground to background linear – Black to white. apply a gradient to the selection.

 

Step 5

Now apply the stroke again, this time 1 Pixel and set to outside.

 

Step 6

 

To make the gradient look like metal, use our favorate curves trick.

Image>adjust>curves, use a similar curve to what is shown here.

Step 7

Now display the bottom layer again and fill with a color or a gradient to get this result.

 

Step 8

For a little extra depth apply a layer style to the outline, use a dropshadow.

 

Step 9

Here is the result.

 

Step 10

Another variation is to hide the fill and just use the outline with a dropshadow.

 

Step 11

 

Here is yet another variation. This is just the previous image inverted. Ctrl/Cmd+I Note for this to work, you must flatten the image first.

 

Step 12

 

Here is another variation. Play around with this effect and have fun.

See you in a week with another new tutorial.

Download the PSD

Beveled outline text with a Layer style

Here is a newer versions of the effect that I have created with a layer style

outline

 

 

install-layer-style

 

Also see the tutorial on creating a metal wire text effect as shown here

wireframetext11

 

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10 responses to “Outline text in Photoshop Photoshop Tutorial”

  1. Sounds like a lot to do for a simple outlining of text. Seems like a rather large oversight for PS to not have something so simple

  2. Why does this look like it’s from Windows 2000? I don’t think the version of photoshop around in 2016 is compatible with anything older than Windows 7 so why was this out of date tutorial posted?

    • There is a link at the top to the CC version. Many people are on older versions and still find this tutorial very relevant, that’s why.

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