Since I’m not about to go out and spray paint my website on the side of a city wall, I figured I could at least simulate the look in Photoshop. With the help of some awesome brushes from Bittbox and Deviant Art and a cool font I found at Dafont. The effect is rather easy to create, here’s how…
This tutorial has been updated to include the vanishing point filter thanks to the advice of Andre and Erika. I also took the liberty of adding a couple of extra steps to help improve the realism.
Step 1
Find a picture of a brick wall or a building that you’d like to use as a background. The one I used can be downloaded here. Create a new document in Photoshop at the size you’d like and place the bricks on the top layer.
Step 2
Step 3
Add a thick stroke to your text. Open up the layer style window by double-clicking next to the layer name.
Step 4
We need to alter the perspective of this text to make it work with this wall. Right click on the text layer and choose Convert to a Smart Object from the options that appear.
Step 5
Press ctrl, click on the thumbnail next to your text layer’s name, this will select that layer, hit ‘ctrl, c’ to copy that layer to the clipboard. Now hide the layer by clicking on the eye next to the layer. Hit ‘ctrl, d’ to deselect your selection. Click to add a new layer to the top and name it ‘perspective text’ or something of that nature. This is were you will place your text after using vanishing point.
Step 6
With the ‘perspective text’ layer selected click Filter->Vanishing Point. With the create plane tool selected, click for the four points of the perspective. Use the brick lines to help line things up. Also make sure the grid is large enough to hold all your text.
Step 7
Hit ‘ctrl, v’ to paste in your text. Now hit ‘ctrl, t’ and transform your text into place. When you have it the way you like click OK.
Step 8
Make a new layer and place it behind your text layer. Then grab a splatter brush and use the same color as the stroke on your text. I used these brushes, for this effect. Dab some paint so it drips a little below the text and add some small splatters around.
Step 9
Merge the splatters and the text layers by highlighting both the layers, right clicking on one and choosing ‘merge layers. Ctrl, click on the thumbnail in the layer palette next to the name of the newly merged layer to create a selection of just the text and splatters. Now click on the bricks layer, and hit ‘ctrl, c’ to copy just the bricks that are below the text and splatters that you have selected. Create a new layer at the very top of the palette and name it something like ‘brick overlay’. Press ‘ctrl, v’ to paste the bricks on this new layer. Press ‘ctrl, shift, u’ to desaturate this layer. Change the blend mode to hard light and the opacity to 80%.
Step 10
Add a layer mask to the ‘prespective text’ layer. Now grab some of your favorite grunge brushes. I used these brushes from Bittbox. Change your foreground color to black and with the grunge brushes paint away some of the mask revealing some of the brick layer below. Be subtle with this step.
Step 11
The effect is pretty sick already. Let’s just add a little more illusion of depth. Make a new layer at the top and name it ’shadows’. Grab the gradient tool make a radial gradient go from gray to white. Click on the right side and drag to the left, creating the gradient. Change the blend mode to linear burn and the opacity to 75%.
This is a really effective and fairly simple to create text effect. I hope you can find some use for this in your own projects. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to use the comment form below.
Andre
July 12, 2008
for the correct perspective of the graffiti I would have used the “vanishing point” feature, but anyway great and simple tutorial…
Erika
July 12, 2008
I was just about to say… you might want to check out vanishing point and maybe dropping the opacity/changing the blending mode to overlay or something… because graffiti isn’t quite THAT bold on brick.
Nice tut, overall, though. :)
Andrew Houle
July 12, 2008
Thanks Andre and Erika for the great advice! I just finished updating this tutorial to add in the vanishing point filter, as well as some extra steps to help with the realism.
collette
July 15, 2008
hi! i’m a newbie in photoshop. i have the CS2 version installed in my laptop. i’m trying to follow the steps above but got stock in the part where the text is required to be “converted to smart object.” the only option i get is “Group into new smart object.” Is that the same?
Andrew Houle
July 15, 2008
Hi Collette,
Yeah that is OK. You just need to get the text on one layer so that you can use ‘vanishing point’. I hope this helps you get through the rest of this tutorial, if you have anymore questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Brennen
July 29, 2008
Hi, I’m having some trouble with step 9 I’m not sure exactly what I’m supposed to be doing at this part. Maybe I’m just confused. Any help would be great thanks
Andrew Houle
July 29, 2008
Hi Brennan,
I re-worded step 9 to be a little more detailed hopefully that helps. Basically you are merging both the splatters and the text onto one layer. Then you select the layer by ctrl clicking on the thumbnail of the newly merged layer. Then click on the brick layer, now when you hit ctrl c to copy; you will only copy the bricks that are below the selection you made for the text and splatters. Create a new layer at the top, paste the selection, desaturate it, and play around w/ the blend mode. This step gives the graffiti the appearance of texture and actually being on the brick wall. Let me know if all goes well.
Mark
August 6, 2008
I am having a problem copying and pasting the text into the Vanishing Point Feature. I have photoshop CS3 extended. I attempt to copy the text by pressing ctrl+c but i am not sure if it copies because when i try to paste it nothing shows up.???
Andrew Houle
August 6, 2008
Hi Mark,
Here’s a couple of things to check:
Did you convert the text layer to a smart object?
I just noticed in step 5 I said to right click on the thumbnail next to the layer’s name instead of what you should do, which is ctrl, click. When you ctrl, click you will see just the text from that layer selected. Did that selection show up?
After you copied the text did you deselect it and create a new layer? Were you on that new layer when you went into the vanishing point filter?
I hope using these problem solving steps helps. Sometimes finding something like this is like finding a needle in a hay stack. I would also be more than happy to look at your .psd file if you’d like to email it over, to try and find why it won’t paste in vanishing point.
Mark
August 6, 2008
I am sure I did everything you said to do right… But it just doesn’t want to copy to clipboard. I will try ctrl + clicking to see if that works…
Andrew Houle
August 6, 2008
Mark,
That is most likely why you can’t paste it in the vanishing point filter. If you don’t select the text (with ctrl, click) then there will be nothing to paste. Let me know if you get things to work.
Mark
August 6, 2008
thanks a lot. Ctrl + clicking worked. Great tutorial. It’s good that you update it frequently and reply to questions. Again, thank-you
Andrew Houle
August 6, 2008
Mark, your welcome. So glad you got it to work.
3
August 17, 2008
Awesome tutorial… The effect is great, and the tutorial is easy to follow. Thanks a lot!
3.1
August 18, 2008
Thanks for the tutorial, simple but powerful :]
Sumi
August 18, 2008
Hi, this is cool. Love how easily you can create an effect like this. Well worded and easy to follow. Thank you.
Joe
August 23, 2008
Hi!
What kind of font did you use at Dafont? What was the fonts name?
regards
Andrew Houle
August 23, 2008
Sumi, The font is called Amsterdam Graffiti. You can download it here.
tobbe
September 2, 2008
i dont get it with the Vanishing Point thing, cant get the text copied into Vanishing Point. i have read your tutorial peace for peace, but still cant get it to work. and i have read your “help mail” , still cant make it work. and by the way, what do u mean with tumbnail? the locker above the text layer or what?
Glad if u can help me :)
Andrew Houle
September 2, 2008
Hi Tobbe,
The thumbnail I referred to is the small image of the layer within the layer palette just to the left of the text. When you hold down ctrl and click the mouse button on the thumbnail image of that layer (in this case the graffiti text layer) this will select the layer. Then you can copy it (ctrl + c) and bring those pixels into the vanishing point feature. For more info, please refer to my comment in response to Mark. Or check out this link to another similar good tutorial about using vanishing point in this manner: http://www.photoshoplab.com/writing-on-the-wall-cs2-vanishing-point.html. I hope this helps.
LoveBird_01
September 4, 2008
hi
Gareth
October 3, 2008
Hi Andrew,
Great tutorial and just to say I think it’s great that you have the patience to reply and help everyone out when they are struggling – nice one mate.
Keep up the good work!
Gareth
Andrew Houle
October 3, 2008
@Gareth I really appreciate the kind words. I definitely try to respond to everyone, I designed this blog as a resource where designers could learn, get ideas, and get help. That includes trying to answer all their questions. I try not to miss any :)
Sc07
October 20, 2008
i think its great its just like real you dont have to change anything in my opinion
but advices are good everytime;)
sreelekshmi
November 18, 2008
I have some dout .i dont have the option convert to convert to smart object /group to smart object.I have the photoshop version 7.Is it because of this version pls clear my douts.
sreelekshmi
November 18, 2008
I had go through the link of the font .I would like to download some fonts to work with it in photoshope.How i get the amsterdam graffit as one of the font in my font list in photoshope ,wat step i should i follow. I dont know how to get it.
Andrew Houle
November 18, 2008
@sreelekshmi Grab the font you’d like to use at a place like dafont and download it. Unzip it if needed and place it in your systems font folder. On windows that’s located here: C:\WINDOWS\Fonts Next time you restart Photoshop, you should see the font available.
Andrew Houle
November 18, 2008
@sreelekshmi Unfortunately smart objects aren’t an option on PS7, I believe they started with CS or maybe it was CS2.
bony
December 7, 2008
I have a problem I copy the text and transform the text layer to Smart Object, and I hide this layer, i made a new layer and I will select Vanishing Point then I paste the text but when I drag is hardly look as if he was behind the wall and when the move is a part … please help me..and i have Adobe Photoshop cs3…
bony
December 7, 2008
I would like if you could make from the start by watching one of the catches you had 4 layers and I have 3 1) (the image is bricks) 2) text and the brick overlay for this will be my problem please fix it and told me
bony
December 7, 2008
I can do this no answer my question
Jason
December 9, 2008
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Great Tutorial and incredibly cool effect!
Rick
December 27, 2008
A most outstanding tutorial. I used a heart around my grandson’s and his girlfriend’s name, and pasted it on the wall as if it had been painted there, instead of carved in a tree. They loved it. Thanks so much.
sam
January 3, 2009
Brillient mate, Most importantly i learned about grunge brushes
Joe Schmoe
February 5, 2009
ive gotten to the vanishing point of the tut. i make the vanishing point table thing fine, copy the text into it, then press command + t (i have a mac). the text doesnt move at all. plz help!
im using cs4
Joe Schmoe
February 5, 2009
apologies, i am just a beginner haha :D dont worry, i figured it out. good tutorial!
Andrew Houle
February 5, 2009
@Joe Schmoe Nice alias :) Glad you got it working!
Robinson
February 22, 2009
Hi!
Im having problems with step 10. When I right click on perspective text, enable layer mask is greyed out. Any advice?
Andrew Houle
February 22, 2009
@Robinson Is the mask icon at the bottom of the layers palette grayed out? If you’re not sure which one it is hover over each one to get the tooltip to show up.
Robert
February 24, 2009
I am not getting the option of converting to smart object. I am only getting the convert to paragrapgh text and convert to shape. Did I miss something??
Robert
February 24, 2009
Sorry……I am so new at this and I am teaching myself. I have at best very little knowledge of PS. I am using PS7. I do not see the Vanishing Point option either. I was just plaiyng around to see what I had missed. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Andrew Houle
February 24, 2009
@Robert I don’t believe the vanishing point feature or smart objects came out until later versions of Photoshop. I would suggest converting it to a shape, then doing a free transform and eyeballing the perspective.
Markonda
February 25, 2009
Very easy but so effective tutorial.. txt :)
sir eagle
February 26, 2009
what font did you use.
Andrew Houle
February 26, 2009
@ eagle The font is Amsterdam Graffiti you can get it here
Underdog
March 30, 2009
thankyou Andrew Houle ,
i got .it’s wonderful..i like this effect..look at my work
http://www.flickr.com/photos/psdiv/3398619452/
errisi^deltt
June 26, 2009
thank you realy much:$ i did it all
Lucky
July 7, 2009
I have a problem whit last step i get one side black and one white and you don’t have any white side on your picture what to do?
Lucky
July 7, 2009
I found the solution thanks for the tutorial
Charandeep
July 15, 2009
Hi, thanks for putting tis on its gr8 coz u can mould it into ur own and a whole new thing. keep it up
Charan
Kaplang
August 10, 2009
really cool tutorial, thanks :)
said
November 8, 2009
Excellent stuff!!! Thank you very much for sharing!
Sunny
November 19, 2009
ooooo really bumping man. . . . . goood keep it up . . . . !!!!
Cal
January 30, 2010
HI Andrew
Excellent, fun and easy to follow tutorial with very good results!
Keep it up and thanks
regards Cal