Battlestar Galactica Titles Photoshop Tutorial from David Occhino Design

· Tutorials · Battlestar Galactica Titles Photoshop Tutorial

Battlestar Galactica Titles Photoshop Tutorial
from David Occhino Design

Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Time: 60-90 minutes

This is a free Adobe Photoshop™ tutorial from David Occhino Design.

If you have intermediate Photoshop and Illustrator skills, you can re-create the Battlestar Galactica titles. This step-by-step guide will demonstrate how to simulate the look of the Battlestar Galactica lettering, with background artwork created by artist David Occhino. Creating the correct 3-dimensional look for the Battlestar Galactica text effect requires the use of modifying the outlines of the font to create numerous Photoshop layers and masks.

Battlestar Galactica Titles Tutorial by David Occhino Design

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA™ TITLES PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL

Prerequisite Photoshop skills:

create, copy, lock, merge and rename layers and layer groups
copy and paste image data
create image masks
work with selections, select and deselect
apply layer effects
use the paint bucket, gradient fill and brush tools
use HEX color values
import vector data from Illustrator

Prerequisite Illustrator skills:

create text layers and edit/kern text
apply strokes and fills to text and objects
export files to Photoshop

Materials Needed:

Adobe Photoshop CS3 or higher
Adobe Illustrator CS3 or higher
Optional: Basestar font software (OpenType). Other font software can also be used.
image file: scratched surface texture

Fig. 1

Step 1: Set up the Photoshop file

A) Install the Basestar OpenType font software including Basestar Laser, Solid and Outline.

B) Create a Photoshop file with the dimensions you need. Our example is 586 x 180 pixels.

C) Using the Paint Bucket tool , fill the background with black (000000).

D) Name and save the file and exit Photoshop.

Fig. 2

Step 2: Type the text in Illustrator

A) Open Adobe Illustrator and set up a new file. An 8.5" x 11" file will work fine.

B) Using the Type tool and the Basestar Laser (OpenType) font at 130 pt., type the text in black (000000).

C) Copy the text so that it can be pasted in Photoshop. Keep Illustrator open as you will be returning to it.

Fig. 3

Step 3: Create the red channel in Photoshop

A) Paste the Illustrator data that you just copied into a new layer in Photoshop as a Smart Object. Rename this layer "Lettering Fill."

B) Create a new layer under layer 1 and name this "Red Channel." Using a hard-edged paintbrush, paint the area under the channels of the letters in red (ff2400). Notice the extension of the red channel on the right side of the letter "S" in Fig. 3.

C) Turn off Layer 2 for now. We'll turn this back on later.

Fig. 4

Step 4: Create 3D text

A) Back in Illustrator, change the text font to "Basestar Solid," making sure you did not move the text in any direction. Set the color of the text to gray (c8c8c8).

B) Add a 3-pixel stroke of gray (c8c8c8) to the Basestar Solid text to make the letters heavier and larger.

C) Select the text with the Move tool . Apply a 3D extrude effect (Effect: 3D: Extrude and Bevel). Use this panel to apply a 3D effect:

X axis: 2°, Y axis: 0°, Z axis: 0°
Perspective: 15°
Extrude Depth: 110 points
Turn cap: On
Bevel: None
Surface: Plastic

C) Copy the 3D text (Fig. 4) so that it can be pasted in Photoshop. Keep Illustrator open as you will be returning to it.

D) Paste the Illustrator data that you just copied into a new layer in Photoshop as a Smart Object. Rename this layer "3D Lettering Top." Rasterize the layer and lock the pixels. Position this layer under the "Red Channel" layer.

Fig. 5

Step 5: Add another 3D layer

A) Back in Illustrator, use the undo function to return your text to the point when it was "Basestar Solid" before you added the 3-point stroke (Step 4A).

B) Change the font color to dark gray (828282). Add a 7-pixel stroke of dark grey to the Basestar Solid text to make the letters even heavier and larger.

C) As you did in Step 4C, select the text with the Move Tool. Apply the 3D effect (Effect: 3D: Extrude and Bevel):

X axis: 2°
Perspective: 50°
Extrude Depth: 40 points
Bevel: None
Surface: Plastic

D) Copy the 3D text (Fig. 5) so that it can be pasted in Photoshop. Quit Illustrator: the rest of the magic will happen in Photoshop.

D) Paste the Illustrator data that you just copied into a new layer in Photoshop as a Smart Object. Rename this layer "3D Lettering Bottom." Rasterize the layer and lock the pixels. Position this layer under the "3D Lettering Top" layer.

Fig. 6

Step 6: Add highlights to the 3D lettering

A) Hide all the layers above the "3D Lettering Bottom."

B) With the "3D Lettering Bottom" layer active, use the Polygonal Lasso tool to mask off the areas of the side bevel that you want to highlight (note the areas around the A, S, A and R in Fig. 6).

C) Use a soft Brush with about 50% opacity to lighten selected areas with white (ffffff). Then use a larger, softer brush to create the varied lighter gray areas seen in Fig. 6.

Fig. 7

Step 7: Add layer effects

A) Turn on the "3D Lettering Top" layer. Using a large soft brush with a 5-10% opacity, create some very slight variations in color. Use a brush with very little opacity and try using browns, yellows and blue-green to add variation in color. Use Fig. 7 as a guide.

B) Using the Lasso and Polygonal Lasso, darken the edges of some of the letters using a ruddy brown.

Fig. 8

Step 8: Create a scratched surface layer

A) Create a new layer above the "3D Lettering Top" layer with an image of a scratched surface texture. Name this layer "Scratched Surface Bottom."

B) Create a mask using the data in the "3D Lettering Top" and "3D Lettering Bottom" layers and apply it to the "Scratched Surface Bottom" layer.

C) Adjust the levels of the new layer so that it looks like Fig. 8.

E) Set the Blending Mode for this layer to Overlay with an opacity of 21%.

Fig. 9

Step 9: Create a lettering metal finish

A) Turn off all the layers except the "Lettering Fill" layer.

B) Using a large soft brush with a 5-10% opacity, create some very slight variations in color using browns, yellows and blue-green.

C) Add a layer effect (Bevel and Emboss) to the "Lettering Fill" layer:

Style: Inner Bevel
Technique: Chisel Hard
Depth: 100%, Direction: Up, Size: 0 px, Soften: 0 px
Shading Angle: 63°, Shading Altitude: 79°
Highlight Mode: Screen, Color: ffffff, Opacity: 100%
Shadow Mode: Multiply, Color: 000000, Opacity: 100%

D) Add a layer effect (Inner Glow) to the "Lettering Fill" layer:

Blend Mode: Normal, Opacity: 32%, Noise: 0%, Color: ffffff
Technique: Softer, Source: Edge, Size: 1 px

This layer should look similar to Fig. 9.

Fig. 10

Step 10: Add scratch marks

A) Using small brushes, black (000000) and varying opacity, add scratch marks across the letters of the "Lettering Fill" layer (see Fig. 10).

Fig. 11

Step 11: Add weathering to the text

A) Create a new layer above the "Lettering Fill" layer with an image of a scratched surface texture. Name this layer "Scratched Surface Top."

B) Set the Blending Mode for this layer to Overlay with an opacity of 36%.

D) Use the "Lettering Fill" layer to create a mask and apply this mask to the "Scratched Surface Top" layer.

E) Set the Blending Mode for this layer to Overlay with an opacity of 21%.

The "Lettering Fill" layer should look similar to Fig. 11.

Fig. 12

Step 12: Reveal all the layers

A) Turn on all the layers in the project file.

For most purposes, your artwork is completed. However, if you want to pull out all the stops on this project, you can continue your design journey with the following optional steps.

Fig. 13 - click image to enlarge

Step 13: Optional enhancements

While the classic black background is suitable, you might choose a different approach. In our example, a custom painting was created by artist David Occhino.

Custom Background

If you would like to use the custom painting by artist David Occhino, click here for a low-res version which you can use for non-business or commercial purposes. To use the artwork for a business project or commercial project, contact us.

Drop Shadow

If you want the text to stand out from the background, add a Drop Shadow layer effect to the "3D Lettering Bottom" layer (see Fig. 13).

Perspective

If you'd like to add some perspective to your text, group all of the text layers and masks (keep them in the correct order) into a Group. Choose "Edit: Transform: Perspective" and add the amount of perspective that you desire. After you apply the perspective, you might want to use the Sharpen filter to sharpen up the image.

Save your work and enjoy your new creation.

Did this tutorial help you? What other tips would you like to see on our site? Drop us a line and let us know.