Text Reflection

Here’s a very simple tutorial to add a reflection to text. Its very simple but very important for stuff like headers and banners.

Step 1: Create/Open your document and type in something. White background, Black font (I used Ethnocentric). 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.

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.

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