It’s been awhile since I published a photoshop tutorial. So, I figured I’d take some time to publish one of my favorite photoshop text effects.
I’m not really sure what you would use this text effect for, except for maybe text on desktop wallpapers, but it just a looks cool. I used it a few times for random design projects back in college. But, I haven’t really used it since.
Either way… Here’s how you create a pixelation background for text.
How to Create a Pixelation Background for Text
Step 1:
The background and font colors are up too you, or the project at hand. But, I’ve generally found that a white font on a darker background looks the best with this text effect.
For this example, I choose a solid dark red color (#BA3422) because it goes along with the colors of my site. The end result of the pixelation text effect may vary on font color, background color, and the font itself.
Step 2:
Create your text, and then duplicate that text layer.
Select the duplicated layer, and Rasterize it. This will allow us to apply a couple filters to the text layer, and create the pixelated background. Apply the following filter:
Filter ::: Blur ::: Gaussian Blur
You should now be asked to enter a radius. This is completely up to you and what fits best with the font you’re using. For this example, I selected a radius of 10.
Step 3:
With the same duplicated text layer selected, you will apply another filter which will be the one that brings the pixelation out.
Filter ::: Pixelate ::: Mosaic
You should be asked to put in a cell size. This will determine how big the pixelation squares are behind the text. For this example on the right, I used a cell size of 7.
Step 4:
You should now see a ‘pixelated’ effect behind the original layer of text.
Select the original layer of text and apply a drop shadow to it. This will help it stand out from the pixelated background.
The settings of the drop shadow should be determined by what looks best for the text in your project.
Step 5: (Optional)
If you want your pixelated background to stick out a little more. Apply the following filter to it.
Filter ::: Sharpen ::: Sharpen
This will give the pixelated background a more defined look. Feel free to repeat this filter as you see necessary, but for this example on the right, I only applied the filter twice.
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