This tutorial shows how to make a neon sign, how to make a fading reflection from that sign, and finally how to animate the sign so it flickers in Imageready. It's a fairly complicated tutorial so follow closely.

 

1

a. Start with an image 6 x 2 inches

b. -Now go to Edit>Preferences>Guides, Grid and Slices...

Use these settings:

Gridline Every: 1 inches

Subdivisions: 4

c. View>Show>Grid to show the grid or hit Ctrl + '

d. With the grid on use the rectangular marquee tool and the fill command (alt + backspace) to make the background layer look like this. The colors I used were 787878 and 6E6E6E.

 

2

a. Now using the type tool make your text. Using the grid for reference and the move tool resize the text so it is half as wide as the image. As shown here.

b. The font I used is called abduction, you can get it here:

http://www.typenow.net/

c. After you have your text sized correctly hit ctrl + a to select all. Then select the move tool and hit the center horizontally button at the top of the screen. Then hit ctrl + D to deselect.

 

 

3.

a. Make a new layer and position it under your text layer, name this layer Filament.

b. Hold Ctrl and click on your text layer to load its selection. Then go to Select>modify>Contract and contract by 1 pixel.

c. After you contract the selection fill it with a dark grey. Then hit ctrl + D to deselect.

 

 

4.

a. Apply these layer styles to your text layer.

b. The colors I used were

Outer glow: 1B86FF

Color overlay: 5172DC

Stroke: 619BDD

 

-Your image should now look like this.

-The tutorial continues on page 2