How to Create a Colorful Pendant Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Looking for a nice little gift? This tutorial will show you how to use a bunch of layer style, textures, and shapes, to create a bright, colorful pendant text effect. Let's get started!

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

• Sedona Script FLFfont


• by Starbl00d-Stock


• by aarizvi


• by MysticEmma


• by Supertuts007 (Load the CHROMES.grd file)

1. Create the Background

Step 1

Create a new 1024 x 683 px document, place the White satin stock 8 image on top of the Background layer, and resize it as needed.

Step 2

Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Levels.

Step 3

Change the Gamma value to 1.85 and the Highlights value to 205. This will brighten up the texture.

2. Create the Text and Style the Stroke

Step 1

Create the text using the font SedonaScriptFLF, the Size 350pt, and the color #f062b2.

Duplicate the text layer twice, and change the second copy's Fill value to 0.

Double click the original text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 2

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Style: Stroke Emboss


• Size: 8


• Gloss Contour: Cone


• Check the Anti-aliased box


• Highlight Mode: Linear Light


• Opacity: 75%


• Shadow Mode - Opacity: 50%

Step 3

Add a Contour with these settings:

• Contour: Cone


• Check the Anti-aliased box.

Step 4

Add a Stroke with these settings:

• Size: 5


• Position: Outside


• Fill Type: Gradient


• Style: Reflected


• Angle: 90


• Use the stove pipe 80 gradient fill.

Step 5

Add a Drop Shadow with these settings:

• Opacity: 45%


• Distance: 11


• Size: 20

Step 6

Click the + icon next to the Drop Shadow effect tab to add another one, and then select the new Drop Shadow tab.

Use these settings for the second Drop Shadow effect:

• Blend Mode: Color Burn


• Opacity: 15%


• Distance: 10


• Size: 5

This will style the pendant's stroke.

3. Style the First Copy Text Layer

Double click the first copy text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Size: 16


• Gloss Contour: Ring-Double


• Check the Anti-aliased box


• Highlight Mode: Vivid Light


• Shadow Mode: Color Burn


• Color: #4c0d33

Step 2

Add a Contour with these settings:

• Contour: Guassian - Inverse


• Check the Anti-aliased box.

Step 3

Add a Texture with these settings:

• Pattern: Metallic Snakeskin

This will style the first part of the text.

4. Style the Second Copy Text Layer

Double click the second copy text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Size: 18


• Uncheck the Use Global Light box


• Angle: 135


• Altitude: 74


• Gloss Contour: Cone - Inverted


• Check the Anti-aliased box


• Highlight Mode: Linear Light


• Shadow Mode: Linear Burn


• Color: #11d6b3

Step 2

Add a Texture with these settings:

• Pattern: Metallic Snakeskin

This will style the second part of the text.

5. Create the Rings

Step 1

Pick the Ellipse Tool, press and hold the Shift key, and then click and drag to create a 25 x 25 px circle. Release all.

Press and hold the Option key to subtract a smaller circle from the bigger one.

Click and drag again, release the Option key, and press and hold the Shift key instead. Then keep dragging to create a smaller 15 x 15 px circle.

You can press and hold the Spacebar to move the circle around, and then release all when the smaller circle is in the middle of the bigger one. This will create the ringshape.

Step 2

Duplicate the Ellipse 1 shape layer three times. Rename the second copy to Ellipse2, and the third copy to Ellipse 2 copy.

Place the Ellipse 1 and Ellipse 1 copy rings somewhere on the edge of the first letter, and the Ellipse 2 and Ellipse 2 copy rings somewhere on the edge of the lastletter.

6. Style the Bottom Ring Layers

Double click the Ellipse 1 layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Size: 7


• Gloss Contour: Ring


• Check the Anti-aliased box


• Highlight Mode: Linear Light


• Shadow Mode - Opacity: 50%

Step 2

Add a Contour with these settings:

• Contour: Cone


• Check the Anti-aliased box.

Step 3

Add a Drop Shadow with these settings:

• Opacity: 45%


• Distance: 11


• Size: 20

Step 4

Add another Drop Shadow with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Color Burn


• Opacity: 15%


• Distance: 10


• Size: 5

Step 5

This will style the bottom ring layer.

Right click the Ellipse 1 layer, and choose Copy Layer Style. Then right click the Ellipse 2 layer, and choose Paste Layer Style.

7. Style the Top Ring Layers

Double click the Ellipse 1 copy layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Size: 7


• Gloss Contour: Ring


• Check the Anti-aliased box


• Highlight Mode: Linear Light


• Shadow Mode - Opacity: 50%

Step 2

Add a Contour with these settings:

• Contour: Cone - Inverted


• Check the Anti-aliased box.

Step 3

This will style the top ring layer. Copy and paste this layer style to the Ellipse 2 copy layer.

8. Add the Chains

Step 1

Open the Artist Heart image, and use the Lasso Tool to select the right chain. You can then use the Quick Selection Tool or the Magnetic Lasso Tool to add the end of the chain to the selection.

Go to Edit > Copy, and then go back to the original document.

Step 2

Go to Edit > Paste, and then go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

Place the chain layer on top of all the Ellipse layers, and resize it as needed. Use the Move Tool to move the chain on top of the right rings.

Step 3

Copy and paste the Ellipse 1 layer's layer style to the chain layer, and then double click the chain layer to uncheck the Bevel and Emboss and Contour effects.

This will apply only the Drop Shadow effects to the chain layer.

Step 4

Duplicate the chain layer. Then go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical, and move the flipped chain on top of the left rings.

9. Add the Flares and the Background Blur

Step 1

Create a new layer on top of all layers, call it Flares, and change its Blend Mode to Linear Light.

Pick the Brush Tool, and set the Foreground color to #f4f1e2.

Choose any of the Stars and Flares Brush Set tips, resize it, and if you like, you can also change its Angle value under the Brush Tip Shape tab in the Brush panel (Window > Brush). Add some small flares to a couple of the bright areas.

Step 2

Select the Satin layer, and go to Filter > Blur Gallery > Tilt-Shift. Change the Blur value to 7, and click and drag the lines you have to get a result you like.

10. Add Some More Shadow

Step 1

Select all the text, Ellipse, and chain layers. Duplicate them, right click any of the duplicated layers, and choose Clear Layer Style. Then go to Layer > Merge Layers.

Rename the merged layer to Shadow, and place it on top of the Levels adjustment layer.

Step 2

Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, and change the Lightness to -100.

Step 3

Go to Filter > Convert for Smart Filters, and then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. Change the Angle to -35, and the Amount to 115.

Step 4

Use the Move Tool to place the shadow so that it extends from the text.

Step 5

Change the Shadow layer's Blend Mode to Multiply and its Opacity to 7, or any other value you like.

Step 6

Finally, use the Move Tool to nudge the Ellipse 1 copy and Ellipse 2 copy layers a little bit. This will show the rings below them, giving the illusion of a more 3D look.

Step 7

Keep in mind that you can move and resize any parts you feel need moving or resizing.

Congratulations! You're Done

In this tutorial, we adjusted the lighting of a satin texture, created a couple of text layers, and styled them to create the main text effect.

After that, we used the Ellipse Tool to create the ring shapes, and styled them as well.We also used a stock image to get the chain, adjusted its coloring, styled it, and added it to the text.Finally, we added some flares, and blurred the background to finalize the effect.

Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, and outcomes below.