Tall Polygon Font Effect tutorial

Low polygon (low-poly) font design is the latest and most popular design trend. The low polygon font design is based primarily on a 3D mesh with a small number of polygons, combined with some rendering techniques and lighting effects, making these grids look like paper crafts or origami.

The low polygon is usually implemented using 3D software, but this tutorial will teach you how to use the basic PS tool to implement its 2D simplified version, and we will use a very simple app to make the low polygon more beautiful.

Final effect:

　　Tutorial Details:

Software to use: PS

Software version: CC (also available with cs3+) >

Length of time required: 45-90min

　　Material required for the tutorial:

Intrepid Extrabold Fonts

Image Triangulator App

Light Grunge Textures

1. Create Background and text

To create a new file and set the file size according to your personal needs, the tutorial uses A3 to make it easier to print later. Do not need to set the same size, depending on the purpose of the work and the length of the text to be created to determine the appropriate file size.

Sets the foreground color to #e7e9ea and the background color to #a4a5a1. Click the Gradient tool, select the foreground color to the background gradient fill, and click the radial gradient icon.

Then, click on the file and drag it from the center position to the corner to create a background gradient.

Use the intrepid extrabold font to create text in all uppercase form. The text size is 180pt and line spacing is also set to 180PT (depending on the file size, you may want to set different font sizes and spacing).

Use simple text as much as possible, since the image Triangulator app used later will be time-consuming.

Ctrl-click the type layer thumbnail to create a selection, and then a new layer, named Fill.

Set foreground color to #9cbc2c, background color to #405203, select filter → render → cloud, then select the selection in the toolbar → cancel the selection.

Save the file as a JPEG picture format by clicking File > Store as.

2. Use image Triangulator App

Download the image Triangulator App, unzip it, and open the Triangulateimage5.bat file.

This will open several windows, one of which explains the purpose of each option, and familiarize yourself with the features of each option before you use it.

Another window is the tool window, which we will use to design the low polygon font.

3. Add nodes to Text

Click on the Select Image button above (CHOOSE an image) to open the previously stored images.

Make sure the display option is ORIGINAL (O).

The next thing to do is to click the add point at the corners and edges of the font as accurately as possible, so it's important to maintain the alignment of the points so that it works better.

Another thing to note is that at least 1-2 dots are added to the edge of each letter, a short edge adds at least one point, and a long edge adds at least two points. This makes it easier to add polygons to the letter center.

Click the On/off ERASER (E) button to delete or modify the points you have added.

When you select the Eraser tool (E), the mouse shape becomes rounded. This allows you to click on any added points and remove them, and then switch the Eraser tool (E) to the off state and add the points you need again. Using the Eraser tool (E) switching on/off mode can greatly improve productivity.

4. Creating polygons

After adding all the points, click Result (R) to display the effect options. This option will show the basic polygon effect diagram created based on the added point.

Now, click inside the text to add more polygons along the center of the text.

If some edges keep moving, either stop the mouse inside the letter or add more points to the edge of the letter to fix their position.

After the polygon design of the text part is finished, add the polygon effect to the background surrounding the text in the same way.

This process can be time-consuming, but it is the easiest way to create a 2D low polygon effect at this time.

Remember to switch result (R) display effect options to see the effect, to ensure that each part is well done.

5. Save Picture

Once all the designs are up to your satisfaction, click the Write to PDF button to save the artwork.

You can open the file in PS and make further modifications, or save it as a different format.

In PS, open the Otf_light_grunge_12 texture, add it to the open image layer, set the layer blending mode to overlay, and adjust the opacity to 15%. This will make the final work a little bit more decorative.

Alternatively, you can save the point that you created, click the Save Points button, and name the file. The coordinates of these points will be saved as txt files and can be loaded later when needed.

So, if you use a different color style to create text in PS, and you need to create a low polygon style, just open the image using the Image Triangulator app and click the LOAD POINTS button to open the previously saved coordinate file.

Note that the coordinate file applies only to the same text, so you can only modify the color style using the original coordinate file, and you cannot modify any other attributes, such as font, font size, text position, and so on.

After the coordinate file has been loaded, toggle result (R) display effect option to see how the new color style applies.

Again, you can continue the location of the edit point, or Add or remove point operations.

In this way, all the steps are complete.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and hope that the techniques used in the tutorials will help you.

Source: Find Inspiration Design Network

Category:

• PS Text Tutorial