Hi, before I begin, I’ll repeat again,

I’m using GIMP, GIMP is an image manipulation freeware,

you can download it at,

http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

So, let’s see how to create a stone age style text like this,

Using GIMP.

You begin with a blank template. Then duplicate it by

going to the ‘Layers’ toolbar at the left side, then clicking

this icon at the bottom,

Click here to

duplicate layer.

This is

where you

change

‘Mode’

So, now you will see 2 layers, I need 2 layers to create the

type of background I want, you can skip this step if you

already have a background which you’re satisfied with.

Back to the layers thingy, select the top layer, change the

‘Mode’ to ‘Multiply’, select the Gradient tool, select you

desired background color, at the ‘Gradient’, select ‘FG to

BG (RGB)’.

Using the ‘Gradient’ tool, click on top of the top layer and

drag to the middle.

Select the second layer,

using the ‘Gradient’ tool, click at the bottom of the second

layer and drag to the middle.

Select ‘Gradient’

tool.

Select desired color

Select ‘FG to BG

(RGB)’, or any

background you

want.

Hint: holding ‘Ctrl’ while dragging the ‘Gradient’ enable

straight line when dragging.

Right click the top layer, and select ‘Merge Down’.

This will combine the selected layer with the layer just

below it.

Then, select the ‘Text’ tool at the right side tool bar,

click on your background, and write any word.

Select ‘Text’ tool.

Select desired Font style,

I selected ‘Berlin Sans FB

Bold’

Adjust Font

size

Font color.

For this tutorial, we

start with black.

Where do you want

your text to be?

I select ‘Centered’.

You should get something like this,

At the ‘Layers’ tool box at the left side, select the text

layer.

At the top toolbar, select: Layer > Layer to Image Size

This will render the text layer becoming same size as the

background layer.

After that, go to:

Filters > Distorts > IWarp

Hint:

• Don’t move too much the bottom part of the text,

else it will give you trouble when you want to

combine the ‘reflection’ (mirror image).

Click on the text to shape

‘Move’ the sides to give it a

‘blocky’ feel.

Select ‘Move’

At the ‘Layers’ tool box at the left side, select the text

layer again.

Right click the text layer, select ‘Alpha to Selection’, at the

‘Lock:’, check (tick) the box to lock alpha channel.

Tick box to lock

alpha channel.

Right click text

layer,

Select ‘Alpha to

Selection’.

Then, go to:

Filters > Render > Clouds > Solid Noise

Then click ‘OK’.

Set

‘Detail’ to

3

Select

‘Randomize’

X size: 16

Y size: 16

Unselect (uncheck) the ‘Lock:’ box.

Press: Ctrl Shift A to unselect the alpha selection.

Caution:

Be careful when pressing ‘Ctrl Shift’, it might change your

keyboard keys, if that happens, just press ‘Ctrl Shift’

again.

You will get something like this.

Duplicate the text layer.

Select the bottom text layer, go to:

Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Then set the blur radius to 2.0 or 3.0, whichever you

deem more suitable. Don’t make it too blur.

Select the top text layer, set the ‘Mode’ to ‘Overlay’.

Right click the top text layer, select ‘Merge Down’.

Then, Duplicate the merged text layer 2 times. Rename

the top layer.

Double click to change

the name.

Purpose: To avoid

confusions due to too

many layers.

The ‘Eye’ , will

mention it later.

This means ‘Open’

Eye.

( The Repeat )

Click at the ‘Eye’ of the top most text layer, middle text

layer and the background layer to shut their ‘Eye’s.

Then, click at the bottom most text layer (this layer’s ‘Eye’

is open, so you can still see it), go to:

Colors > Level

Adjust bar here to

darken the text

color.

Why? Because this

layer will be the

side part of the

text, which is

darker.

You will know

what I mean later.

Darken until you see something like this.

Then, click on the ‘Eye’ of the middle text layer (the one

below the top most text layer) to open it’s ‘Eye’.

Then, make sure you select the bottom most text layer, go

to:

Filters > Blur > Motion Blur

Duplicate multiple times the layer which you have done

‘Motion Blur’, until you see a blocky shape.

Select ‘Zoom’.

Unselect ‘Blur

outward’.

Set length at

12.

Or some lower

value if you feel

it’s too blur.

Like this,

So now you can see, by duplicating the ‘Motion Blur’ layer,

you create the ‘sides’ for your text, which is why you need

to set it at darker color just now, to give it a more realistic

‘3D’ feel.

Now, right click on any of the duplicated ‘Motion Blur’

layer, select: Merge Visible Layers

Then click ‘Merge’.

Click on that merged layer, duplicate it. Then, follow this,

Select any of the

‘Motion Blur’

layer, then select

‘Merge Visible

Layers’.

The purpose of this step is to make your text look more

solid. ( The End of Repeat )

After duplicate,

click at the upper

layer (meaning this

layer), change the

mode to ‘Overlay’.

Then, right click

this layer and select

‘Merge Down’.

This is the top most

text layer. Will

mention it later.

Now, open the ‘Eye’s of both the background layer and

also the top most text layer, this layer will be the

reflection.

Select the top most text layer, at the top toolbar, select:

Layer > Transform > Flip Vertically

Move this layer until it looks like a reflection of the text

layer. Like this,

Then, you will have to repeat to this layer, the steps from

where I marked: ( The Repeat ) until ( The End of Repeat )

Then you will get something like this:

Hang on, it’s almost done.

Select the reflection layer, right click it, select

‘Add Layer Mask’ > White (full opacity) > Add

Then, choose:

Gradient tool > FG to BG (RGB)

Make sure the default color is at Black .

Then,

Drag the gradient from the bottom till the point

where reflection connects, as shown by the red

arrow.

Hint:

You might want to hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key when

dragging the gradient.

So, to get a floor, what we need to do is, first, select the

background layer, because it is at the bottom most.

Then, at the top tool bar, select:

Layer > New Layer > Transparency

Then click ‘OK’.

Make sure you have selected the new transparent layer.

Then fill it in with any color or pattern you want your

‘floor’ to be.

I use the ‘Bucket Fill’ tool and choose pattern fill.

Select Pattern Fill to

use ‘Patterns’

Choose from existing

patterns. I chose ‘Blue

Web”.

Scale tool

Bucket Fill tool

After that, use the ‘Scale’ tool to scale this layer until it

covers only a little bit of the bottom part of the text, as

shown here,

Then click ‘Scale’.

Then go to the Top tool bar, select:

Layer > layer to Image Size

The floor layer looks too fake. To make it look nicer, right

click this ‘floor’ layer, then choose ‘Add Layer Mask’.

Repeat the gradient thingy just now.

To make it look more realistic, click on the ‘reflection’

layer just now, at the ‘Layer’ tool box, you can see the

‘Opacity’ slide bar at the top, reduce the opacity.

This is my end result, hope you catch what I meant ☺

Adjust the

opacity of the

layers with ‘Layer

Mask’ to make

the reflection

look more

realistic.