Reflective Text (Photoshop Tutorial for Absolute Newbies)

Here’s a very simple tutorial to add a reflection to text. Its very simple but very important.

Step 1: Create/Open your document and type in something. White background and Ethnocentric Font, Black. Once you have gotten the basic concept, you can do this with other types of backgrounds.

Step 2: Duplicate the Text Layer (Ctrl+J).

Step 3: Rasterize the type by Right-clicking on the text in layer in the layers palette or go to Layer > Rasterize > Layer

Step 4: Go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T to transform your text.

Step 5: Drag the top anchor downwards to have the text peel off downwards into a reflection. Drag it to about 80% of the size of the original text.
*img182.echo.cx/img182/9969/reflection10up.jpg
Step 6: Tap the down arrow key 1 or 2 times to separate the bases of the two text layers.

Step 7: Reduce the Opacity of the reflection layer to about 40%

Step 8: Ctrl+Click the reflection layer to select the text. Then, using your gradient tool, add a Black to White gradient. Drag from the top to bottom of the text in the reflection layer.
*img89.echo.cx/img89/8134/reflection20dn.jpg

I know I really made a simple process complicated, but what the hell.