





Note: This tutorial is written for Photoshop CS on a Windows XP platform and assumes you have a basic knowledge of Photoshop. However, this technique will work on most versions of Photoshop or similar graphics package.
In this tutorial we will create a metal panel from scratch (with no imported graphics) and create the effect of etched metal text like this:

1. Create a new canvas 250 x 100 with background colour #353535.
2. We'll start by making the base of the metal plate; select the Rounded Rectangle Tool and set the radius to 10px. Draw the base of the metal like this:

3. Apply a Stroke layer style like this:

4. We need the metal plate to look like it has rounded edges - apply a Bevel and Emboss layer style like this:

5. Apply an Outer Glow layer style like this:

6.Right-click the Layer 1 layer and choose Rasterize Layer.
7.Double click the Layer 1 label and rename the layer to Base. Your Base layer should like like this:

8. Ctrl + click the Base layer to select the layer transparency. Choose Filter > Noise > Add Noise and Amount to 10% and Distribution to Uniform; ensure Monochromatic is checked.

9. Choose Filter > Blur > Motion Blur; set Angle to 0 degrees and Distance to 10 pixels. It will look like this:

10. Choose Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. Click Ctrl + F – this will apply the effect again.
11. Duplicate layer Base and rename it Worn. Right-click the Worn layer and choose Clear Layer Style. Ctrl-click layer Base to select the layer transparency. Choose #353535 for the foreground layer and white (#FFFFFF) as the background layer. Then choose Filter > Render > Clouds. It will look like this:

12. Choose Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and set the Contrast to 50. Leave the Brightness as it is; your image should like this:

13. Choose Filter > Mosaic > Pixelate and set the Square size to 3 and you'll end up with this:

14. Change the Blending Mode of the Worn layer to Overlay and set the Opacity to 60%:

15. Choose Filter > Add Noise > Noise and set Amount to 10%, Distribution to Uniform and ensure Monochromatic is checked:

16. Choose Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and set the Contrast to 35. It should look like this:

17 .Now it's time to write the etch the text! Choose the Horizontal Text Tool, set the font to Arial Black and size to 18 pt and the text colour to #353535. Select Center Align and type DR QUINCY so your canvas looks like this:

18. Now apply these Stroke settings to the text layer:

19. Your etched metal text is finished and should look like this:

This tutorial works well with any "bold" font. If you don't have Arial Black or you feel like experimenting try some other "bold" fonts.
These resources are provided free of charge. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help finance these resources, no matter how big or small, please use the PayPal button below.
This resource was written by Tim Bennett Bsc (Hons). Tim Bennett has a First Class Degree in Multimedia Systems Computing from Leeds Metropolitan University. He works as a freelance multimedia developer under the company name Texelate creating free and commissioned high-quality multimedia solutions. Find out more by visiting the portfolio section and viewing his blog. If you'd like to request a resource get in touch!









