Glowing Gel Text

[ReMake]

This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it.

 

This tutorial is an adaptation of the Photoshop tutorial Glowing Gel Text.

 

This is the result from the Photoshop tutorial:

 

Required Plugins:

Note: Read first How to install Plugins.

 

Align Object by @moc426 or Align Object by @xod

PSFilterPdn by @null54

Curves+ by @pyrochild

Plastic Wrap - Photoshop filter

Note: How to install Plastic Wrap filter. Unzip the file Plasti.zip and put the PLASTI~1.8 BF file in the Effects folder (C:\Program Files\Paint.NET\Effects\ for the Classic version, or \...\Documents\paint.net App Files\Effects\ for the Microsoft Store version).

 

1. Create a New Document () with a size of 600x300px. In the Color window, set the default colors (). Fill () the image with black color.

2. Add a New () layer. Set the Primary color to white. Choose the Text () tool in the Tools window and type your text in the Arial Black font size of 108px.

Align the text to the center of the image by applying the Align Object effect (Effects -> Align Object for @moc426's effect or Effects -> Object -> Align Object for @xod's effect).

3. Merge () layer down. Apply the Gaussian Blur () effect (Effects -> Blurs -> Gaussian Blur) with a Radius of 10.

4. Run the PSFilterPdn effect (Effects -> 8bf Filter). Click on the cross to the left of Artistic and select the Plastic Wrap filter. Click the Run Filter button.

In the dialog box that opens, set:
Highlight Strength: 5
Detail: 15
Smoothness:15

Click OK, then click OK in the 8bf Filter window.

5. Run the Curves+ (Adjustments -> Curves+). Adjust the curves as shown in the image below. Pay attention to the shape of the curves.

Click OK and you will get the following result:

You can apply other Curves+ settings, for example:

and get the red color.

You can download prepared presets for Curves+ (Glow_Green.xml and Glow_Red.xml):

Glow presets for Curves+.zip

 

For coloring, you can apply Color Filter by @Ed Harvey (Effects -> Color ->Color Filter)

or Color Balance+ by @dpy (Adjustments -> Color Balance+)

You can also apply Gradient Mapping by @pyrochild (Adjustments -> Gradient Mapping)

and get this result:

Note: The left color of the gradient bar must match the background color (black in this case). Preferably, but not necessarily.

 

You can download prepared preset for Gradient Mapping (Glow_2Color.xml):

 

Glow preset for Gradient Mapping.zip

 

Note: All settings described in this tutorial are approximate and depend on image size and the desirable end result.

 

[null54]

2 hours ago, ReMake said:

Note: If you are using the Microsoft Store version, go to the Search Directories tab. Click the Add... button and in the window that opens, select the path to your Effects folder. Go back to the Filters tab.

 

This step should not be necessary, PSFilterPdn automatically adds the Paint.NET Effects folder to the list of search paths.

[ReMake]

Thank you @null54 for the clarification. I didn't know this because I use the Classic version. Fixed the text.

[Pixey]

Nice one @ReMake 👍

 

I am a big fan of that Plastic Plugin and have used it in some of my work 🥰

 

[lynxster4]

Nice, easy tutorial @ReMake!  👏    Here's my take...

 

 

[Manc]

Hi @ReMake.

Nice tutorial, easy to follow.

Here's my effort.

 

 

 

[ReMake]

@Pixey, @lynxster4, @ipswichmanc  thank you for sharing your work.

 

I added a coloring method using Gradient Mapping to the tutorial. I hope that soon I will find other coloring methods or you will tell me these methods.

Also added presets for Curves+ and Gradient Mapping.

[Roger the Dodger]

Lovelly!

Thanks ReMake 🙂

[Manc]

[ReMake]

@ipswichmanc, very realistic, thanks for sharing.

[Manc]

Disregard. Finally got it roger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by ipswichmanc

[Ladybug]

@ReMake, I usually want to try tutorials soon after someone publishes but time always gets away from me and then its too late to post an example. But I really made it a point to try yours since I love how it looks. Thanks for making a great tutorial that is easy to follow and understandable for less technical people.

 

[ReMake]

Added two color options.

[Manc]

15 hours ago, Ladybug said:

@ReMake, I usually want to try tutorials soon after someone publishes but time always gets away from me and then its too late to post an example. But I really made it a point to try yours since I love how it looks. Thanks for making a great tutorial that is easy to follow and understandable for less technical people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the little ladybug.

We call it a ladybird.

As we invented the English language I'll go for 'Ladybird'.

Edited January 30, 2021 by ipswichmanc

[Ladybug]

Haha @ipswichmanc, touche! I have seen them being called ladybirds too since I scrapbook and sometimes the item (whether it be paper, stickers etc) is referenced as ladybird. I have always liked them. They pretty much are one of the few bugs I am not scared of. 🐞

[Manc]

39 minutes ago, Ladybug said:

Haha @ipswichmanc, touche! I have seen them being called ladybirds too since I scrapbook and sometimes the item (whether it be paper, stickers etc) is referenced as ladybird. I have always liked them. They pretty much are one of the few bugs I am not scared of. 🐞

 

 

You have to admit 'Ladybird' sounds better than 'Ladybug'.

When I was kid we had a song to sing if a ladybird landed on you.

Think it went.

Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home. You're house is on fire and your children are alone.

Then, you'd give a gentle blow to it and it would fly away.

Pretty sick songs when we were kids.

Cheers.😉 

Edited January 30, 2021 by ipswichmanc

[Ladybug]

Yes @ipswichmanc it does sound better than ladybug. Funny song. We had a song growing up about doing wash, ironing, showering, and some other things that helped kids learn the order of the days of the week as well as the types of things people did as chores. I was born and lived in Costa Rica till I was 8 so I learned some of those types of songs. We also had one that is about what the chicks say to their mother hen "pio, pio, pio". To this day to me chicks say pio and not peep lol.

[Djisves]

Sweet, concise and easy to follow tutorial. Thank you @ReMake. Thank you for the presets too.

 

11 hours ago, Ladybug said:

... showering, and some other things that helped kids learn the order of the days of the week as well as the types of things people did as chores.

My children were appalled to learn that bathing or showering was normally a weekly ritual when I was a child.