How to Create the Aura Text Effect

In this Awesome Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to create this colorful Aura text effect. A little practice with the Pen Tool would help you get greater results if you’re not quite familiar with. Some brush settings will also be covered throughout this tutorial. Have fun.





Step 1

Let’s start by creating a new document which is 1000 pixels wide, 600 pixels high and at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch. Fill the "Background" layer with 75% grey. Get the Type Tool and type "AURA". Set the font to Comics, which you can download here. Set font size to 40 pt and Tracking to 60. Actually the font you’re using doesn’t really matter, it will be guiding us to draw each letter roughly from the scratch.

Step 2

Create a new layer named "Text". Get the Pen Tool, choose Paths. Draw paths over the letters as in the below image. Each letter should be a seperate path so, after completing one letter, Command-click outside the path before starting the other.

Step 3

After drawing the last letter, Command-click outside the path to deselect. Get the Brush Tool. Select one of the round brushes and go to Window > Brushes to bring up the Brushes Palette. Turn off Shape Dynamics, set Diameter to 36 px and Spacing to 255%.

Step 4

Delete the "Aura" layer because you won’t need it. Set the Foreground Color to black. Go to Paths Palette, open the Paths menu and select Stroke Path. Make sure Brush is selected in the Stroke Path Dialog and hit OK. Now you have big spots along the paths. Now we’ll add some color. Select the "Text" layer in the Layers Palette and apply a Gradient Overlay using these settings: Gradient => Spectrum, Style => Linear, Angle =>90, Align with Layer => Unchecked, Scale => 60.

Step 5

Get the Smudge Tool from the Toolbox, pick one of the standard round brushes, open the Brushes Palette, turn Shape Dynamics off, set Diameter to 50px and Spacing at 5%. Create a new layer above the "Text" layer, select this new layer and the "Text" layer, then hit Command+E to merge. Name this layer "Text".

Step 6

Go to Paths Palette, choose stroke from the Paths Menu. Make sure Smudge is selected in the Stroke Path Dialog and hit OK. This will smudge the paint a little. Repeat this two more times. Now you can click outside the "Work Path" in the Paths Palette to get rid of the path.

Step 7

Go back to Layers Palette, and to make the text more prominent, select the "Text" layer and hit Command+J to duplicate. Hit Command+E to merge these two. Hit Command+J to duplicate the layer once more and name this copy as "Rays" and for now, make the "Rays" layer invisible. Apply a Bevel and Emboss Layer Style to "Text" layer using these settings: Style => Inner Bevel, Technique => Smooth, Depth => 175, Direction =>Up, Size => 20, Angle => 145, Altitude => 60 and Highlight Opacity => 90.

Step 8

Duplicate the "Text" layer by hitting Command+J and name the copy as "Reflection". Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. Place the reflection below the text as shown below. We’ll apply a Layer Mask to fade the reflection. Click the Add Layer Mask Button, get the Gradient Tool, pick Black, White gradient and apply a Linear gradient to the layer mask as shown below. Set Layer Opacity at 25%.

Step 9

Select the "Rays" layer and make it visible. Go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur and use these settings: Amount => 100, Blur Method => Zoom, Quality => Best. Hit Commad+F twice to apply the filter two times more. Set Blend Mode for the "rays" layer to Color Dodge and Opacity at 55%. Hit Command+T and set Horizontal and Vertical Scale at 140%. Place the rays as in the below image. Go to Layers Palette and drag the "Rays" layer below the "Text" layer.

Step 10

Now we’ll apply a Layer Style to "Background" layer. First double click the "Background" layer. You’ll see a New Layer dialog box, just hit OK. The layer is named as "Layer 0" now. Apply a Graient Overlay using these settings: Blend Mode => Screen, Graident => Black, White, Opacity => 40%, Reverse => Checked, Scale => 55%.

Step 11

Create a new layer named "Ground" above "Layer0". Get the Elliptical Marque Tool and make a selection like in the image below and fill it with white. Hit Command +D to deselect. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, apply with a Raidus of 40 pixels. Set Layer Opacity at 65%.

Step 12

Duplicate the "Text" layer and name the copy "Shadow". In the Layers palette, drag the "Shadow" layer below the "Text" layer. Make the layer styles invisible. Hit Command+T and scale it down and place it between the text and the reflection as in the below image.

Step 13

Hit Command+U to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog. Set Lightness to -90 and apply. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 5 pixels, then Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur, set Angle to 0 and Distance to 60 pixels.

Step 14

Now we’ll make the colors more vivid. Duplicate the "text" layer. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Raidus of 5 pixels. Set the Blend Mode to Overlay.

Congratulations

Yep, that’s all. If you would like to try this tutorial again, remember that you can achieve different effects using different brushes to create the spots and to smudge paint. Using different gradients for coloring the brush strokes will also vary the result. I hope that was a useful and fun tutorial.

-------------------------- photoshoplady