This tutorial will show you how to take any pattern (or picture) and use it with any font you like!
For this tutorial you will need a pattern or texture and a font. I am going to be using a felt texture from Pugly Pixel, and the Mensch font from Lost Type Co-Op.
As with all tutorials, this is using Photoshop CS4. (click to expand images)
STEP 1: First we need to create a pattern from the texture, pattern or picture, etc. Open the file with that pattern and go to Edit>Define Pattern. From there you will be able to name your pattern and click OK.
Now your pattern is saved in Photoshop and can be used in any future images.
STEP 2: Open up a new document and make it any size you like. For this tutorial I opened up a document (with transparent background) at 500×500 pixels.
STEP 3: Add a text box (highlighted in yellow) and type whatever you like. Take this opportunity to adjust font style and size as well.
STEP 4: Select Layer>Layer Style>Pattern Overlay. Find the newly saved pattern in the menu and select it. Click OK. As with pretty much every step, feel free to play around with the options; in this case, opacity and pattern size to see what you like best.
STEP 5 (optional): I find that with most patterns, it helps to outline the text to give it that extra something. So if you would like to add an outline, select Layer>Layer Style>Stroke. I used a stroke of 3 pixels and decided on a lighter grey so it was not as intense as black (color #595656). Click OK.
STEP 6: Now go to File>Save for Web & Devices and select PNG-24 if you would like a transparent background.
Let’s check out the final result!
So the next time you find a pretty pattern or texture, make sure to create a Photoshop pattern from it! You can even use a photograph as a pattern! The ideas are endless! Just always remember to give credit where credit is due.
