Learn how to stylise your own 3D typeface to fit with a nature environment
Start off by opening your image into Photoshop by going to File>Open. Find a woods picture and open it, then get the Type tool up by pressing T.
Set white as the colour of your type, and enter your word by clicking onto the image. You may position the text wherever you like, and feel free to use your favourite font. We used Helvetica LT Std Bold Condensed.
With the text layer selected, go to 3D>New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer. This will give your text a 3D effect, which will be useful layer on when we begin manipulating the text.
The 3D palette should have opened up when you converted the text. If you don’t see it, go to Window>3D. Click on your word in this palette. In the Properties panel, lower the Extrusion Depth to between 350 to 400.
Now we need to make the 3D text more editable. In order to do this, we need to rasterize the image. Ctrl/right-click on the 3D text layer and click on Rasterize 3D.
Next we are going to place in our foliage images, that you can find on the internet. Download the files and then go to File>Place. Locate the specific images and then place them next to each other.
Our goal is to make the text look as realistic as possible. In order to do this, we need to blend the foliage into the text. Set both of the foliage layers to the Multiply blend mode.
With the text layer selected, click on the Magic Wand tool in the toolbar. Click outside of the text. You will see marching ants around the text. Now on both foliage layers, hit Delete to remove.
Download a set of foliage brushes, or create some by selecting foliage and going to Edit>Define Brush Preset. If you’ve downloaded some, click on the Brush tool, then click on the drop-down arrow in the top-left. Click on the gear icon, and then click Load Brushes. Pick the downloaded brushes.
To use the brsuhes, zoom in and on a new layer begin brushing with the foliage brushes using various greens around your first letter. Use this to pad out the letter to make it as bushy as possible.
To make this look realistic, we need to continue brushing around the rest of the text. Don’t rush this: zoom in and out while you are working to see what it looks like at a normal size.
Just as we loaded foliage brushes, either download grass brushes or create some of your own. Load your grass brushes and brush around the ground of the text. This is to blend the text into the ground to make it look more realistic.
Us a white soft circle brush with 25% Opacity and a black soft circle brush at 25% and draw over various parts of the image where you think the lighting should come from. Set this layer to Overlay.
Add Gradient Maps, Photo Filters and Colour Balance adjustments to add colour. After you’ve done that, add in a Vibrance adjustment and then set to 75% to finish colouring.
Duplicate the original text layer, and drag it to the top. Go to Image>Adjustments>Invert. Set this layer to Screen at 8% Opacity. It will slightly lighten the shadows on the text.