If you want some 3D text and you don’t have a 3D modeling application or you just don’t know how to use one, this Photoshop tutorial might just be your thing. You’ll learn how to use basic transformation tools and some layer effects. We’re using Adobe Photoshop CS5, but this tutorial works just as well with any earlier versions.

1/4 Photoshop Basics

Make a new Photoshop document and choose a resolution that will give you enough space to work. You’ll crop it after you’ve finished, if needed. For this type of project you can work on a 500 by 500 pixels canvas. Create some text using the “Horizontal Type Tool”. You can choose any color or size you want.

2/4 The Perspective

Right now our text has nothing to do with 3D. For that we need to change the perspective. To be able to transform it, we will need to convert it into a shape. Go to the “Layer” menu, to “Type” sub-menu and click on “Convert to Shape.” Notice the change in the layers palette.

Now go to the “Edi/ Transform Path” menu and click “Perspective”.

You can drag the transform handles and change the perspective of the text. I’ve dragged the bottom-right handle. Hit Enter or Return when you’re done with that.

3/6 The copies – important!

You now have to create a lot of copies of our text layer and move them slightly to the right (it might depend on the perspective you want). The trick is to select the “Move Tool” {} and place it over the text. Holding the “Alt” key or “Option” (on Macs) press the right arrow key. This will automatically create a copy for every keystroke. We made 19 copies of the text layer.

The next step is moving the original layer on top of all the layers. To do that, click and drag the original layer to the top of all the other layers. A faster way to do it is to click on the layer and press Ctrl+Shift+] or CMD+ Shift+] (on Macs).

4/6 Merging the copied layers

We need to merge all the copies into a single layer. Click on the first layer beneath the original layer and, while holding the “Shift” key, click on the last copy of the original layer. This will help you select all the layers. Go to the “Layer” menu and click on “Merge Layers” or right click any of them and click “Merge Layers”.