Hologram Text Effect in Photoshop

For this tutorial, we will use a Background image containing an electronic device and the font “Vintage Jack”.

1 - In Photoshop, open the image you chose as “Background”.

2 - Create a “New Document”, make it 1 x 10 Pixels @ 300 dpi, RGB “Color Mode” and choose “Transparent” as “Background Contents”. Switch “Foreground” and “Background” colors (X) (White foreground and Black background) and create another “Layer” by clicking on the button at the bottom of the Panel.

3 - Zoom in as much as you can (Command/Control +, select the “Brush Tool” (B) with a 1 px 100% “Hardness” brush and fill the 2 center “squares” with 100% “Opacity”. Lower the “Opacity” to 50% and fill the ones right on top and under the middle ones. Finally, set the “Opacity” to 20% and fill the ones right on top and under the them. Leave the 2 top and 2 bottom squares empty.

4 - Go to Edit > Define Pattern and name your newly created pattern “Holo Pattern”.

5 - Let’s head back to the “Background” image, we will need to make it a bit darker. In the “Adjustments Panel” create a new “Color Lookup Adjustment Layer” and choose “NightFrom Day.CUBE” as “3DLUT File”.

6 - Back in the “Adjustments Panel” create a “Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer”, check the “Colorize” box and adjust the “Hue”, “Saturation” and “Lightness” values until you get a bluish tone.

7 - Select both the “Adjustment” Layers thumbnails and “Group” them together by dragging them to the Small Folder icon on the bottom of the “Layers Panel”. Name the group “Background Effect.

8 - Select the “Type Tool” (T), choose your font and type your text. Use White as “Fill” color. The size will depend on the word you are typing.

9 - Change the “Fill” of the “Text” Layer to 0%.

10 - Double-click on top of the “Text” layer Thumbnail and apply the following “Layer Styles”:

Color Overlay: (#00213a)

Outer Glow: (#084563)

11 – Without closing the “Layer Style” Panel, click on the “New Style” button and name your Style “Effect 1”.

12 – Keep the Panel open, uncheck the “Outer Glow” box and change Styles to:

Color Overlay: (#4ea2ce)

Bevel & Emboss: (Gloss Contour: Ring - Double, Highlight Mode: #81a7c7, Shadow Mode: #91d0fc)

Inner Shadow: (#039bfc, Contour: Cone)

Pattern Overlay: (Holo Pattern)

Drop Shadow: (#01407b)

13 - Without closing the “Layer Style” Panel, click on the “New Style” button and name this Style “Effect 2”.

14 - Close the “Layer Style” Panel and name the layer “Text 1”. Right-click on top its thumbnail and choose “Convert to Smart Object”.

15 – Enter “Free Transform” (Command/Control + T) and uncheck the “Maintain Aspect Ratio” chain in the Top Menu. Move and/or Rotate the text depending on your “Background” image to fit it on top of the “Screen” of the device. Go to Edit > Transform > Distort to further adjust the text. Once you are done hit “Enter” or click the check mark on the Top Menu to “Commit” the changes.

16 – With the “Text” layer selected, head to the “Styles” Panel and apply the “Effect 1” Style.

17 - Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur, use a 20° “Angle” and a 65 Pixels “Distance”.

18 - Select the “Text” layer thumbnail and make a “Duplicate” (Command/Control + J). Name the Duplicate “Text 2” and place it on top the original “Text”

19 - With the “Text 2” layer selected, head to the “Styles” Panel and apply the “Effect 2” Style. Show the “Styles and Effects” in the Thumbnail by clicking the small arrow on the right side and double-click on the “Motion Blur” effect to open the panel. Change the “Angle” to 90° and the “Distance” to 45 Pixels.

20 - Select both “Text” Layers (“Shift” key), right-click on top their thumbnails and choose “Convert to Smart Object”.

21 - Double-click on top of the resulting “Smart Object” layer Thumbnail and apply the following “Layer Styles”:

Outer Glow: (#3858fe)

22 - Check out your work!

*The “Lines” in the effect will rotate with your text so it may be better to choose a “Background” image where the text stays horizontal.