Create A Leopard ‘X’ in Photoshop
With the recent release of Mac OS X Leopard, I’ve decided to create a tutorial where you can create your own ‘X’. This tutorial is a great exercise in using the dodge and burn tool as well as working with selections.
Set the stage. Take a dark photo will very little color so you can see the X in proper lighting. If the X were against a white background, it would be hard to see the highlights of the edges in the later stages of this tutorial. This desatuared Cosmos Wallpaper will do the job to achieve this.
Type out the ‘X’
Take the text tool and type out the capital letter ‘X’. I’ve found that the “Myriad Pro Bold” font creates a close resemblance to the real X used in Apple’s artwork. Make the size of the X around 800 pt. (Remember, its always better to start large, then scale down when you are finished.) Set the color to the default black.
Gradient Overlay Layer Style
Next, apply a layer style effect to the ‘X’. To access the layer style palette, with the X layer selected, go to the menu under Layer >> Layer Style >> Gradient Overlay. Set the opacity to 9% and the angle to -90 degrees.
Bevel Edge
Right click the ‘T’ corresponding to the text layer and choose “Select Layer Transparency”. Create a new layer above the X and fill in the selection with the color #4c4c4c. After that, go to Select >> Modify >> Contract… Contracting the selection will reduce the size of the selection similar to how a image transform would. Depending on how large you’re, you’ll want to change the contraction size, but the particular size I made the ‘X’, I’ll choose 3 pixels. Now with that new layer still select, hit delete so that the new layer trims around the ‘X’.
A small subtle trim will give the effect of depth.
Dodge & Burn Tools
Its time to take out the dodge and burn tools. These tools are very good for a situation like this because they won’t add any new pixels and the tools won’t harm layers other than the one that is selection. With both of these tools, make sure you use a brush hardness of 0%. This will stop any harsh lines created. It takes a while to get the setting right for the situation, but I’ve found the dodge tool works great at a Range of Shadows and Exposure at 21% (changes these in the options palette). For the burn tool, a Range of Shadows and Exposure set to 6% (yes that 6%, these tools need little exposure have an effect on the image). Add highlights and shadows to the trim layer just like you were painting on it.
The dodge and burn tools should add perspective and proper lighting to the ‘X’.
Use the Selection Tool As A Mask
A great way to create an edge is to take the square marquee selection tool, and create along the crease of the ‘X’. Take the dodge tool and brush inside the selection, then go to Select >> Inverse and burn the other side.
Using the rectangle marquee tool is a great way to create edges at joints in the ‘X’ when using the dodge and burn tools.
Gloss
Last but not least is the large gloss reflection that will come across the X. Create a new layer and select the pen tool. With the paths option chosen from options palette, create a swoosh across the ‘X’ and close the pen path outside & around the ‘X’. Take the Path Selection Tool (the point just above the pen tool) and right click on the path and pick “Fill Path…”. Fill the path with white. Again using the “Select Layer Transparency” from the X text layer, create the selection and go to Select >> Inverse and delete the white outside the X.
Change the opacity of the gloss layer to around 40%. Create a layer mask for the gloss layer. Take a white to black gradient set to radial, and drag a gradient from the left side of the X where the reflection appears on the X to about 200 pixels past where the reflection leaves on other side of the X. With a large black brush set to 0% hardness (we don’t want any edges) brush along top left of ‘X’ to fade out some reflection.
Final Result
October 29th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Well, that was nice! I’ll have to try that! ;)
October 29th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Nice… i’ll try it!
October 31st, 2007 at 10:25 am
Nice tutorial.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:01 pm
you are amazing dude.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:48 am
I used another letter and it worked just as well as an X. great effort put into this one, thanks.
November 4th, 2007 at 12:14 am
Thanks for compliments guys!
November 6th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Superb! I love the edging with the burn tool. Nice. Thanks
November 12th, 2007 at 12:10 am
Very cool. If you’re on a Mac, you can type in Shift + Alt + K to get the Apple logo (assuming it’s a system font). I did that, then applied the above effects. Here are the results: http://tobycentral.blogspot.com/2007/11/apple.html
Thanks for the tutorial!
November 12th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Just what I need, really thanks!
November 16th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
Wonderful tutorial. Great text effect. Nice neat and Professional :) thanks a lot.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:45 am
THIS TUTORIAL IS GONNA MAKE ME CRY…. BLESS YOU MY FRIEND…. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR A LONG TIME… *CRYING TEARS OF JOY*… BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD TO EXPERIMENT WITH THIS…. *STIL CRYING*
December 7th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Great efforts dude but your tutorial is very complicated for n00bs especially the gloss & dodge burn part ;)
December 14th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
When I right click the T box in the text layer, I do not have an option to select layer transparency. I have CS3, is there another way to do that?
December 24th, 2007 at 3:09 am
Hey, 1st off wow great tutorial! i have been trying to recreate the X for months!
2nd: I am new to Photoshop CS3 (Mac OS X) and where can i find the Select Layer Transparency feature/ how do i do the Beveled Edge section could you PLEASE simplify it for me, and where do i find the Dodge and Burn tools? and again could you help me with that section?
Thanks, Jordan.
January 13th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Hillary Said:
“When I right click the T box in the text layer, I do not have an option to select layer transparency. I have CS3, is there another way to do that?”
Hillary, I also have CS3, and I found that the option “select pixels” did the same thing as the option “select layer transparency”. It’s in the same part of the menu as select layer transparency.
Hope this helps
January 14th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Great Stuff! Thanks
January 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
wow… i really love it =) THANK YOU VERY MUCH =)
January 30th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Great tutorial! How about creating an action that can do most of this for us! :D
February 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
@Jonah I’m haven’t used actions yet, but I’ll hopefully cover it soon.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
For those who were having trouble with the ‘Bevel Edge’ step and not being able to find the ‘Select Layer Transparency’ option, to get the same result all you have to do is Command click (Ctrl on PC) on the thumbnail on the X’s layer whilst the grey overlay is the active layer and it will create a selection of the X. Invert the selection by hitting Cmd-Shift-I (Ctrl on PC) and then hit Backspace if you’re on a Mac, Delete if on PC. Invert the selection again as described above and then go to Select->Modify->Contract and then set it to 3 pixels. Once it’s contracted, delete the selected area and you’re left with the bevel around the edge.
Hope that helps :)
April 21st, 2008 at 11:05 am
Great efforts dude but your tutorial is very complicated
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I didn’t understand this paragraph. Please send me some screenshots on how to do this
which ‘T’ and text layer do i right click
please explain and please send screenshots
i am using Adobe Photoshop CS3
(Right click the ‘T’ corresponding to the text layer and choose “Select Layer Transparency”. Create a new layer above the X and fill in the selection with the color #4c4c4c. After that, go to Select >> Modify >> Contract… Contracting the selection will reduce the size of the selection similar to how a image transform would. Depending on how large you’re, you’ll want to change the contraction size, but the particular size I made the ‘X’, I’ll choose 3 pixels. Now with that new layer still select, hit delete so that the new layer trims around the ‘X’.)
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Slip, please explain it in a more simple language
May 24th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Hey Marshall,
The ‘T’ I’m taking about is in the layer palette. It appears when you create new text layer. The title of this layer should be what you type in the text layer. You want to create a selection from the text (aka the marching ants). I don’t have CS3, but in CS 1 (and I think 2) this as an option when you right click on that layer. You can select the text using the magic wand tool also. My advice it to right click on that layer a few times and see if you can find that option (or something similar to it.) But the end result is that you have a selection around that text. You then want to reduce that selection. So the rest of the tutorial depends on executing that step.
Here is another thing you could try, With the text layer selected, go to Layer >> Type >> Create Workpath. You should get a path around the text. Right click on that path, with the “Path Selection Tool” (aka the black selector tool near the text tool) right click on the path and choose “Make Selection…”.
Tell me if this helps, Devin
June 13th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Would be awesome if u made an tutorial on how to make just the background
June 13th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Would be awesome if u made a tutorial on how to make just the background
June 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am
very nice information thanks..
June 27th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
it’s really awsome! :)
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
nice i enjoy it
August 6th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Cool DUDE!!
January 24th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
wow thats good. Thanks that helped heres mine:
http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp330/lozza232pics/Lozzatexteffect8.jpg
March 13th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Create A Leopard ‘X’ in Photoshop…
Take a dark photo will very little color so you can see the X in proper lighting. If the X were against a white background, it would be hard to see the highlights of the edges in the later stages of this tutorial…
April 9th, 2009 at 9:51 am
WOW :) download click thank much your
April 20th, 2009 at 10:00 am
A simple but smart n useful tip.
April 21st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
its nice and simply super
June 27th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Great tutorial, thx
July 30th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
[...] Create A Leopard ‘X’ in Photoshop [...]
August 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
i really like your professional techniques for this tutorial and also enjoy to download source file.
October 5th, 2009 at 8:53 am
[...] Create a Leopard “X” in Photoshop (video tutorial) [...]
October 18th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
[...] Create A Leopard ‘X’ In Photoshop Do that X. [...]
October 28th, 2009 at 5:56 am
thenk you photoshop
December 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
[...] Create A Leopard ‘X’ in Photoshop [...]
February 6th, 2010 at 3:38 am
[...] Create a Leopard “X” in Photoshop (video tutorial) [...]