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Carved Letters
Open a photo and use the Type tool (press
T) to create your type. Use Edit > Free Transform
(Command-T) and Command-drag the
corners and edges of the selection to fit the
angle of the image. (If there are perspective
problems that cannot be fixed in the type layer,
use Free Transform on the Background layer.)
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Command-click the type layer in the Layers
palette to load the type as a selection, turn off
the visibility of the type layer, and select the
Background layer. Copy and paste (the result
will be invisible), double-click the resulting
layer to open the Layer Style dialog box, select
Bevel and Emboss, and set an Inner Bevel in
the Structure controls.
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In the Shading controls, adjust the Angle and
Altitude controls and match the direction of
the light in the scene. Set the Angle between 0
and 180; otherwise the letters will appear to be
embossed instead of incised (unless the scene is
lit from beneath). If the scene’s lighting is sharp,
the default Opacity settings for Highlight and Shadow should be fine. The more diffuse the
light, the more you will want to decrease these
settings. Also make sure the direction of the
light is clear in the scene. If it is at all ambiguous,
the letters may appear to stick out instead
of in. Use the image’s reflective highlights and
shadows to indicate the direction of the light. My finished effect is shown at left.
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Sandblasted Letters
Many inscriptions are sandblasted into stone
instead of carved, and the look is very different.
To simulate this using Bevel and Emboss, start
with an Inner Bevel. (Size and Soften depend on
the scale of the lettering, resolution of the image,
and desired depth of the sandblasting.)
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If you want the inscription to look new, the
sandblasted stone should be lighter in tone.
Select the new layer, choose Hue/Saturation
(press Command-U) and slide the Lightness to
the right a bit. The sandblasted stone will usually
be rougher than the surrounding surface.
To simulate this effect, choose Filter > Noise >
Add Noise... and select Uniform Distribution
and the Monochromatic checkbox.
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Make an inscription more realistic by taking
into account the colors surrounding it—for
example, a gravestone in green grass with blue
sky above. In Bevel and Emboss’ Shading controls,
you would set the Highlight color more blue than
white, and the Shadow color more green than
black. This needs to be subtle—if you can actually
see the green or the blue in the inscription,
you’ve gone too far.
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Carl West is a freelance
artist, programmer, and
writer based in Waltham, Massachusets.
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