Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Posted on November 23rd, 2009 under Text Effects

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In this tutorial, I will show you the steps I took to create this gloomy-looking text effect by using the amazing cloud filter in Photoshop. Have a try :)

The purpose of this tutorial is to show you the use of the cloud filter to create various effect, such as light and shadow, as a result bringing more depth to your text effect.

I personally love the cloud filter and I think it’s so versatile and you can use it to generate amazing effect and spice up your design. The trick is how you apply it and what other options do you use to combine it with (such as selection tools, other filter effects, or layer blending mode).

Here is a preview of the final effect:

5 final1 500x410 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Alternative darker version: (I adjust the brightness and contrast of the final effect, and some abstract texture to it)

gloomy text flatten 500x350 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

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Ok let’s get started!

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1400px * 600px (in fact size doesn’t really matter much in this tutorial), fill the background with the following gradients:

1 grad 500x199 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Personally I like to start with a gradient background with light grey, as it helps setting the mood for the text effect later on we will be created.

On the canvas, type a letter on the centre with a big bold font (I chose this font) as shown below:

1 type 500x296 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

On the text layer, apply the following blending options:

Inner Shadow

1 inner sha 500x350 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Gradient Overlay

1 grad ove 500x350 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Pattern Overlay

1 patt 500x350 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

and you will have the following effect so far:

1 effect1 500x405 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Step 2

Duplicate the text layer three times, disable the layer effects for those duplicated layers and put them below the original text layer. Alter the font color a bit and adjust the position of the text to the left and right of the original text layer a bit.

Your result should be looking similar to the following screenshot:

2 type1 500x447 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Then on each duplicated layer, add a layer mask respectively and erase a portion of the text with a soft brush on the spots as shown below:

2 erase 500x441 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

The ulimiate goal of this step is to blend the edge of the text with the surrounding, so we can get ready for the next step.

To further increase the depth of the text, we can make a copy of any one of the duplicated text layer, replace the font color with a dark one, apply the following Gaussian Blur to the text layer: (Make sure this layer is beneath the original text layer)

2 gau blur Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

You will have followin effect:

2 shadow 2 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Step 3

Create a new layer on top of all previous layers called “cloud” and grab the Lasso Tool and draw a selection with 25px feather around the text, as shown below:

3 lasso 500x402 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Go to Filter > Render > Cloud and render some cloud inside it (with white as foreground colour and dark grey as background colour)

Hint: try experimenting with different feather settings for the Lasso Tool, you will see by changing the feather, the cloud with become either thinner or thicker.

Once you finish with the rendering, resize the cloud and position it as shown below:

3 resize 500x393 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Duplcate the cloud layer once and position it to the lower position as shown below:

3 lower cloud Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Change the blending mode of both cloud layer to “Hard Light”, you will have the following effect:

3 effect3 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Step 4

Duplicate the cloud once more and name the duplicated layer as “shadow”, put it just above the background layer, hit Ctrl + I to invert the colour and position it on the bottom of the text.

Change the blending mode of the shadow layer to “Normal” and opacity to 40%, you will have the following effect:

4 invert cloud 500x425 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Duplicate the Cloud layer once and put it above all previous layer, rotate it to around 60 degree and apply the following motion blur setting to the duplicated layer:

4 motion blur Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Name this layer as “Light”.

Change the blending mode of this light layer to be “overlay”, duplicate it a few times and drag them around the text, and you will have the following effect:

4 effect3 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Step 5

OK now we can do some fine tuning to the text by adding a Curves adjustment layer to it:

5 curves1 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

and add some colour over the text by adding another layer on top of the curves adjustment layer with the “overlay” blending mode. Here is my final effect for this tutorial:

5 final 500x410 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Alternative darker version: (I adjust the brightness and contrast of the final effect, and some abstract texture to it)

gloomy text flatten1 500x350 Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop

Ok that’s it for this tutorial! Hopefully I gave you some ideas about the cloud filter and how you can use it for creating light, shadows and adding more depth to text effect.

Till next time, have a great day!

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seven

impressive
BEASTfrmEAST

Excellent job, but how did u jump to step 5?

Im new

Peace
Vince

Nice tutorial! Really easy.
http://best-texture-world.blogspot.com Best Texture World

Good tut, thanks.
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[...] Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in … [...]
http://photoshop-tutorials.thelilo.com/photoshop/photoshop-tutorial-create-gloomy-text-effect-beginner/ Photoshop Tutorial-Create Gloomy Text Effect-beginner « The Lilo

[...] link to this tutorial:http://www.psdvault.com/text-effects/create-gloomy-text-effect-by-utilising-the-amazing-cloud-filter... [...]
http://www.conceptopixel.com Luis Lopez G.

Wow, thats amazing and colorful, grat tutorial my manner.
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[...] Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop [...]
fanky

i need help!! with step 2, where you use the soft brush and the layer mask…how do you use these and where are they?

i canda new at this sortov stuff!
http://www.neurosoftware.ro/programming-blog/facebook-web-design/tutorial/45-web-designer-and-developer-community-picks/ 45+ Web Designer and Developer Community Picks | Programming Blog

[...] Create Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop [...]
Bryan G. C.

Good tutorial, thank you!
Inspired to this: http://bryan-kun.deviantart.com/art/B-in-Clouds-145063352

@BEASTfrmEAST: go to Image>Adjustments>Curves of press Ctrl/CMD+M.
http://design-newz.com/2009/11/28/create-gloomy-text-effect-by-using-the-amazing-cloud-filter-in-photoshop/ Create Gloomy Text Effect by Using the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop | Design Newz

[...] Create Gloomy Text Effect by Using the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop [...]
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[...] Create Gloomy Text By Utilising the Amazing Cloud Filter in Photoshop [...]
http://www.sblgraphics.com/photo-masking_service.aspx photo masking

Excellent nad useful tutorial.
Thanks.
Andrea

Mine didnt look like this… hmm. i just cant seem to get the hang of photoshop…
http://www.ateneupopular.com/tutoriales/tutorial-efectos-de-texto-en-photoshop/ Tutorial. Efectos de texto en Photoshop

[...] Ver tutorial texto nuboso [...]
http://cecreativ.blogdetik.com irpan

i like to design
http://www.designdazzling.com Design Dazzling

Excellent tutorial
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http://www.kaplang.com/blog Michelle

this is amazing :) thanks
http://www.dejurka.ru/web-design/15-text-effect-tutorials/ 15 туториалов для создания текстовых эффектов | Дизайн-журнал №1.

[...] Как создать сумрачный текст используя фильтры Фотошоп… [...]
Fredd

I cant do the step 2!
I just do what you say but…doesn’t work :(
Anyone can help me?
Yves Luxembourg

beautiful tutorial ! But can u explain please how to do the very last step. I can’t add some colour on the last layer who’s over the curves layer, thank you very much!
kadir

awful tutorial as usual,not understanding.all of the tutorial that belongs to that man are not un-der-stand-ing…
Scrax

You need to explain your tutorials MUCH BETTER. Some parts are just “?????”.

Quote: “Duplicate the text layer three times, disable the layer effects for those duplicated layers and put them below the original text layer. Alter the font color a bit and adjust the position of the text to the left and right of the original text layer a bit.”

What did you do here? Explain?
Just saying.
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[...] Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud [...]
jane

hm im new user of adobe pls help me to design this one.. thanks.. C:
http://www.webrisorsa.info/creating-text-effects-using-photoshop-and-tutorial-collections/251/ Creating Text Effects Using Photoshop and Tutorial Collections | Design | Web Risorsa | A Web Resource Abode

[...] Gloomy Text Effect by Utilising the Amazing Cloud [...]
http://Website Dushyantha

Need more info….
http://Website JB

Interesting tutorial. Just wondering how you added the color. Brush? Gradient? I tried them both but I just couldn’t get them to look like the ones here….
James Qu

@JB: I add a new color layer on top of all layers, set blending mode to “overlay” (or “color”) and use a soft round brush to paint around the text.
http://nexes-gaming.eu ySomic

Uuuh, i can’t understand parts of this tutorial :s
http://Website diabolic

HI, awesome tut but the psd file is not available in the vip section. any chance you can upload it?
http://Website arms

im having a hard time to add colors on the text please help me. please explain it further
http://Website parsleybrain

I really liked the look of this text effect and wanted to give it a shot, but, alas the tut is written in a way that most of it is written so vague I can’t follow. If I try to come up with an own resolution for the step I couldn’t follow my result looks so different. So, please, why bother to write a tut at all when it’s written so poor most people can’t follow?
James Qu

@parsleybrain: could you be specific about which part of the tut you can’t follow?
http://Website criss guzman

Hi nice tutorial but pliz peudes xplicarlo best video or would be better in step 2 I do not understand market New I put a layer or color overlay and nothing happens I put the mask layer but when I go with the brush I painted gray or color lso that takes 2 squares of color where the black and white and there porfa respond faster ago
http://Website criss guzman

hello look at the 2 step and nose can continue as is that of multiplying layers of granting them leave me ami white color and not peudo raterizo paint only if the layers from the 2 step nose can follow the tutorial
http://Website marco

how i puts colors on a text?? You can explain steps between the 4 and the 5?

thk
http://www.okezine.com majalah

Nice effect and easy to follow tutorial for newbie like me ^^
http://Website Gabby

I found this abit confusing, Im quite good with photoshop and the end result was seriously ugly. I know we are supposed to make it our own but more details would have helped.
HackerSofi

Psd Dowloand Link Pls ?