This lesson will show you how quickly and simply using army shapes and blending modes to create an army badge with bulging text.
Lesson resources:
- Font “Delicious”
- Dark Wood Texture (Dark Wood texture)
- Metal Texture (Dark Brushed Metal)
- Gradients (the lesson uses a gradient called “METALS.grd”)
Materials for the lesson you can download here.
Step 1
Create a new document. File – Create (File – New). 800 pixels wide Height: 461 pixels. Place the original image of the Dark Wood on the created document. Transform if necessary (Ctrl + T) to keep the proportions hold the key pressed Shift.
Make sure you have the “Rulers“(Rulers). To enable this option, go to View – Rulers or simply press Ctrl + R. Using the “Move” 
(Move Tool) move the horizontal guide to the middle of the canvas.
You should have this:
Step 2
Use the tool “Rectangle“(Rectangle Tool) in the tool settings, click on the gear, then activate the”From the center“(From center). This parameter will help you align the central points of the forms that we will create next. Left-click on the center of the canvas and drag the mouse to create a rectangle, its width is 490 pixels. Height: 255 pixels.
Rectangle fill color: (#adadad)
Step 3
Use the tool “Feather +” (add anchor point) (Add Anchor Point Tool). Add an anchor point on the left and right side of the rectangle:
Select tool “Arrow“(Direct Selection Tool) then select the anchor points we added in the previous paragraph.
Next, we need to give the rectangle some kind of roundness, after you have selected the added points of support, press the key combination Ctrl + T, then hold down the Alt key and drag one of the corners.
If you want whiter edges, hold down the Alt key and drag one of the horizontal sides.
It’s time to add holes for our plate. Select tool “Ellipse“(Ellipse Tool). In the settings of the tool, make sure that you have the “From Center” option active, and also that you have selected the option “Subtract front figure»(Subtract Front Shape). Create an ellipse 25×25.
Do the same on the other side:
Step 3
Double-click the label layer and apply the following parameters:
- “Stamping»(Bevel and Emboss)
- Size: 3 pixels. (Size)
- Uncheck Global Lighting
- Angle: 90 (Angel)
- Height: 58 (Altitude)
- Gloss contour: Check the box “Smoothing”
- Highlight Mode (Highlight Mode): “Bright Light” (Vivid Light)
- “Circuit»(Contour)
- Check the box “Smoothing”
- Range: 70% (Range)
- “Gradient Overlay“(Gradient Overlay)
- Overlay mode: Soft Light.
- Opacity: 80% (Opacity)
- Style: Reflected
- Angle: 63 (Angle)
- Scale: 133% (Scale)
- Use gradient “stove pipe 120” from gradient (METALS.grd)
- “Shadow»(Drop Shadow)
- Opacity: 30% (Opacity)
- Offset: 3 pixels. (Distance)
- Size: 1pix. (Size)
And here is the result of applying the parameters:
Step 4
Now we need to select all the reference points of the rectangle, to do this, select the tool “Arrow»(Direct Selection Tool) select all control points:
Create a new layer and place a metallic texture on it, while on this layer hold down the Ctrl key and left-click on the thumbnail of the figure layer.
Once you have a selection outline, press the key combination Ctrl + J, you will have a new layer with the already cropped texture, then delete the original layer with a metallic texture. Set the blending mode for the layer with the trimmed metal texture to “Overlay”.
Step 5
Add text to our tablet. Use the tool “Horizontal Text” 
(Horisontal Text tool) Font “Delicious” text color: (# b5b5b5) write any text in capital letters.
Duplicate the text layer twice, set the fill level (fill) for copies of the text layer to 0.
Double-click the original text layer with the left mouse button, and apply the following parameters:
- “Stroke(Stroke)
- Size: 3 (Size)
- Color classification: (# b5b5b5)
Right-click on the original text layer and select Rasterize Layer Style. If you use an earlier version of the program, then you need to group each layer separately. Layers – Group Layers (CTRL + G) (Layer> Group Layers)
Double-click the same layer with the left mouse button and apply the parameter:
- “Stamping»(Bevel and Emboss)
- Style: Outer Bevel
- Size: 3 (Size)
- Uncheck Global Light box
- Angle: – 149 (Angle)
- Height: 29 (Altitude)
- The contour of Glossy: “Deep groove” (Cove – Deep)
- Check the box “Smoothing”
- Highlight Mode (Highlight Mode): “Bright Light” (Vivid Light)
Change the level of “Fillings“(Fill) of this layer to 0%
Step 6
Double-click the first copy of the text layer with the left mouse button and apply the following parameters:
- “Stamping»(Bevel and Emboss)
- Style: Outer Bevel
- Tick the “Smoothing” item.
- Highlight Mode (Highlight Mode): Opacity (Opacity) 100%
- “Circuit»(Contour)
- Check the box “Smoothing”
- Contour: Deep Cut (Cove – Deep)
- Drop Shadow
- Offset: 3 (Distance)
Here is the result of applying the parameters for the first copy of the text layer:
Double click on the second copy of the text layer and apply the following parameters:
- “Stamping“(Bevel and Emboss effect)
- Size: 3 (Size)
- Check the box “Smoothing”
- Gloss contour: Wavy downward slope (Rolling Slope – Descending)
Here is the result of working with the last text layer, each text layer slightly enhances the basic details and shadows.
Step 7
Hold down the Ctrl key, click on the thumbnail of the layer with the shape of the tablet, you will have a highlighted label, create a new layer and place it above all layers, name this layer Noise.
Set the foreground color in the color palette: (# e7e7e7) background color: (# 5c5c5c). Without removing the selection, go to Filter – Rendering – Clouds (Filter> Render> Clouds). Then get rid of the selection (Ctrl + D).
Go to Filter – Noise – Add Noise (Filter> Noise> Add Noise).
- Effect: 5 (Amount)
- Distribution: Gaussian
- Check the box: “Monochromatic”
Change the blending mode for the “Noise” layer to “SoftShine“(Soft Light)” Opacity “(Opacity) 50%.
We work with lighting. Save the document as a PSD file, select all the layers and duplicate them by pressing the keys (Ctrl + J), the original layers can be placed in a separate group, to do this, select all the original layers and press the keys (Ctrl + G). Select all copies of layers and press (Ctrl + E). This will allow us to glue all layers together.
After you have glued the layers – copies, being on the merged layer, go to Filter – Rendering – Lighting Effect (Filter> Render> Lighting Effects)
You can work with the effect manually, for this simply move the edges of the ellipses.
The lighting effect gives more realism to our work.
That’s all, I hope you enjoyed the lesson.
Translator: Gennady Milovankin (MGD)
Author: Rose
