MAKING METAL LETTERS

 

This is an old technique that goes back to the early days of Photoshop (well since Photoshop had Layers at least). Yet, I'm surprised to find how few Photoshop users know how to do it.
   

First, create a gray lowercase letter 'e'.

I chose Times Italic.

Next, switch to the Move Tool (black arrow), then create a selection from your letter by COMMAND-CLICKING (PC: CONTROL-CLICKING) the letter's layer.

Save the selection (SELECT MENU/SAVE SELECTION). Call the selection "letter".

Choose LAYER MENU/LAYER STYLE/INNER GLOW.

Change the color to black, the BLEND MODE to Normal, and change the size to make it softer.

Look at the image on the left for help.

CONTROL-CLICK (PC: RIGHT-CLICK) the effect icon



on the layer and choose CREATE LAYER from the menu that pops up. This separates the letter and its effect.

Then link the 'e' layer and the effect above it and choose MERGE LINKED from the Layer Palette Option Menu.

After you merge, the letter and the effect will become one layer.

Change the contrast on the effected letter to brighten it a bit.

I used curves (IMAGE MENU/ADJUSTMENTS/CURVES) to brighten it.

Copy the letter, go to the Channels palette, create a new channel, then paste the letter.

You now have a channel that looks like your effected letter.

We'll use this to give our 'e' back on our layer palette a 3D look...

Switch back to the layer with the effected letter.

 

If you don't have the letter's selection on, COMMAND-CLICK (PC: CONTROL-CLICK) the letter layer to create the selection.

Go to SELECT MENU and choose Modify then Contract and shrink the selection.

How much depends on your image resolution, but I shrunk it by about 18 pixels.

 
Create a new layer above your gray letter and fill the now smaller selection with white.

DESELECT this, then blur the white (FILTER MENU/BLUR/GAUSSIAN BLUR).
Switch back to the gray letter, and choose FILTER MENU/RENDER/LIGHTING EFFECTS and set it up similar to what I have.

Note it's a directional light, I'm using texture channel (the effect channel we pasted earlier) and white is high.
Now the magic-Go to the IMAGE Menu and choose ADJUSTMENTS. Then choose CURVES.

Set your curves similar to what I have here-

After you apply curves, you should have something similar to this.

By the way, play with different curve settings besides the one I show you. You can get some crazy effects with that tool...

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