Clever Technique To Create FURRY TEXT In Photoshop!
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- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:30 Crete the Text Layer and Apply The Fur Layer
- 1:16 Create the Background
- 2:23 Find the Dune Grass Brush
- 3:28 Adjust the Brush to Make It Look Like Fur
- 4:53 Paint on the Mask To Reveal the Fur
- 5:58 Automate the Fur Masking with a Vector Path
- 7:23 Enhance the Effects with Layer Styles
- 8:46 Final Thoughts
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Furry text effect in Photoshop results come from a custom brush, a painted layer mask, and layer styles, with no 3D required.
Whether you’re a big fan of animals or you just want to create your own unique text. In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a furry text effect in Photoshop!
Although the results are extremely realistic, there is no Photoshop 3D used at all! Only clever techniques using Custom Brushes, Layer Masks, and Layer Styles!
You only need one photo of an animal’s fur and a letter typed in any font.
This tutorial was recorded in Photoshop 2020 (version 21.2), and every tool it uses still works the same way in the current version.
Key Takeaways
- A furry lettering effect in Photoshop comes from painting a layer mask by hand, not from a filter.
- The Dune Grass brush lives in Legacy Brushes, a set most people never turn on.
- Turning off Color Dynamics keeps the brush painting in one color instead of mixing random tones.
- A work path made from the text’s own outline lets Stroke Path paint an even mask automatically, so you don’t have to paint every edge by hand.
- Layer Styles like Bevel and Emboss add the depth that makes flat fur brushstrokes look three-dimensional.
- On Apple Silicon computers, Photoshop hides Legacy Extensions unless Rosetta is turned on. Windows and Intel-based macOS users see the option by default.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Furry Text Effect in Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
- Tutorial Image
- Create the Text Layer and Apply The Fur Layer
- Create the Background
- Find the Dune Grass Brush
- Adjust the Brush to Make It Look Like Fur
- Paint on the Mask To Reveal the Fur
- Automate the Fur Masking with a Vector Path
- Enhance the Effects with Layer Styles
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to set up a text layer with a fur photo clipped inside it
- How to restore Legacy Brushes and find the Dune Grass brush
- How to customize a brush’s angle, spacing, and direction to imitate fur
- How to paint a layer mask by hand to reveal fur along a letter’s edges
- How to automate that masking with a work path and Stroke Path
- How to finish the effect with Layer Styles
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2020 (version 21.2 or later) or the current version
Furry Text Effect in Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Free Transform (scale the letter) | Ctrl T | Command T |
| Duplicate the selected layer | Ctrl J | Command J |
| Create a clipping mask | Ctrl Alt G | Command Option G |
| Move the layer down the stack | Ctrl [ | Command [ |
| Move the layer up the stack | Ctrl ] | Command ] |
| Add a black, hide-all layer mask | Alt | Option |
| Load a layer’s contents as a selection | Ctrl | Command |
| Group the selected layers | Ctrl G | Command G |
Tutorial Image
You can use whatever image of a furry creature that you like to achieve this effect. I will use a stock photo to complete this Photoshop text effect.
Create the Text Layer and Apply The Fur Layer
Open an image of a fur in Photoshop.
With the fur image layer selected, click on the Horizontal Type tool from the Toolbar.
On the Options bar, set the Arial Rounded MT Bold as the font, and you can select your own.
Then, use the tool to type a letter. For this part, type “C.”
If you’d rather bend that same letter along a curve, see how to type text in a circle in Photoshop.
Select the Move tool and press CtrlT (Windows) or CommandT (macOS) to transform and scale up the letter by clicking-and-dragging on the corner handles.
On the Layers panel, move the fur image layer above the Text layer.
Then, duplicate it by pressing CtrlJ (Windows) or CommandJ (macOS). Disable the duplicated copy for now.
Select the original fur image layer and press CtrlAltG (Windows) or CommandOptionG (macOS) to create a clipping mask. This means the layer below controls the layer’s visibility on top.
Create the Background
Next, click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Solid Color.
On the Color Picker window, select any color, and press OK to exit the window.
Place the Color Fill layer at the bottom of the layer stack, or you can simply press Ctrl[ (Windows) or Command[ (macOS) to move the layer down the layer stack.
On the other hand, press Ctrl] (Windows) or Command] (macOS) to move the layer up the layer stack.
Enable the duplicated fur image layer and hide it by pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) as you press on the Layer Mask icon to create a black layer mask.
With that, everything on the layer is hidden. You can selectively paint on areas you want to reveal from the layer mask using a brush found in older versions of Photoshop.
This same idea, hiding part of a layer with a mask, is what lets you place text behind an object in Photoshop.
Find the Dune Grass Brush
To create a furry text in Photoshop, you’ll need to use the right brush that replicates the fur texture. If you’re using the latest version of Photoshop, select the Brush tool and click on the down-pointing arrow in the Options bar.
Click on the Gear icon > Legacy Brushes.
Note: On Apple Silicon computers, Photoshop hides the Legacy Extensions toggle needed to reach Legacy Brushes unless you run Photoshop under Rosetta. Windows users and Intel-based macOS users see this option normally.
When a dialog box pops up, asking you if you want to restore the Legacy Brushes Brush Set to the list of Brush Presets, select OK.
Now, you’ll have the Legacy Brushes on the Brush folders list.
Open the Default Brushes folder and find the Brush Style called Dune Grass. Then, close the panel.
Create a New Layer to see how the brush paints on your canvas.
Click-and-drag along the canvas to see how the Dune Grass brush works and notice that it also looks
similar to fur despite its name.
The brush color takes from the current Foreground and Background color and then mixes them and you can easily choose a different color of your preference.
Adjust the Brush to Make It Look Like Fur
If you want to use only a single color, click on the Brush Settings icon and uncheck Color Dynamics from the list.
After this, you can paint with only one color using the brush and whichever Foreground color you set.
You can now delete that layer as it was for demonstration purposes.
Zoom into the text and click on the Layer Mask thumbnail.
Set the Foreground color to white (#ffffff) to reveal the rest of the fur from the Layer Mask.
Go back to the Brush Settings and rotate the brush to follow the letter’s direction or the fur itself.
You can also flip the X and Y axes just by checking and unchecking the corresponding boxes.
You can also adjust the Spacing slider to widen or shorten the space between each brushstroke and achieve a more realistic fur.
Paint on the Mask To Reveal the Fur
Start painting along the edges of the letter to reveal the fur beneath the Layer Mask.
If you’re doing everything by hand, start with small sections instead of painting long strokes.
Through this method, there are fewer mistakes and more room for adjustments.
In some cases, you will need to uncheck the Flip X-axis or the Flip Y-axis. Then, rotate the angle of the brush to match the edge or the curvature of the letter.
You can make the process easier by making sure the brush angle matches the edge or curvature of the letter.
Check the box for Shape Dynamics.
Under Angle Jitter, set the Control to Direction. When you start painting, the brush strokes will automatically match your painting’s direction. You no longer need to keep on flipping the X or Y axis or adjusting the Brush angle.
Automate the Fur Masking with a Vector Path
Before preceding, delete the current Layer Mask as you create a New Layer Mask for automation.
You can start automating the process by holding Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) as you click on the Layer Mask icon.
As you hover over the Text layer thumbnail, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and click to make a selection out of the text character.
From the Layers panel, switch to the Path panel.
Click on the Path icon at the bottom to create a new work path.
Go back to the Layers panel and make sure that your Layer Mask is selected.
With the Brush tool active, make sure you keep the same brush settings as you create a stroke that follows the work path.
Go back to the Paths panel.
Right-click > Stroke Path.
When the Stroke Path dialog box pops up, set the Tool to Brush.
Then, press OK.
Now, you see how Photoshop creates a smooth line of brushstroke as it followed the work path.
Enhance the Effects with Layer Styles
Select the topmost layer, hold the Shift key as you click the Text layer below. Remember, do not include the Color Fill layer.
Then, press CtrlG (Windows) or CommandG (macOS) to merge all the layers into a group.
Layer Styles can texture type in plenty of other ways too, like the stitched look in the Baseball Jersey Text Style tutorial.
From this point, you can add Layer Styles to this group to make the furry text look more realistic.
Start by clicking on the Group’s side to bring out the Layer Style window and explore the different kinds of Layer Style such as Bevel & Emboss or Drop Shadow. Anything that you can apply on the furry text to add more dimension or unique character to it!
Now that’s the technique for a furry lettering effect in Photoshop. If you’d rather build the fur from a real photo with a hand-cut brush, try the Hair or Fur Text Effect tutorial for a different approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Type a letter and clip a photo of fur onto it with a Clipping Mask. Then paint a Layer Mask with a Legacy Brush called Dune Grass to reveal the fur along the edges, and finish with Layer Styles for depth.
Open the Brush picker, click the gear icon, and choose Legacy Brushes. Restore the set, then open the Default Brushes folder to find Dune Grass.
The brush is using Color Dynamics. Open Brush Settings and uncheck Color Dynamics to paint with only your current Foreground color.
Yes. Load the text layer as a selection, switch to the Paths panel, and turn that selection into a work path. Right-click the path and choose Stroke Path with the Brush tool active to paint an even mask automatically.
No. This technique only uses Custom Brushes, Layer Masks, and Layer Styles. No 3D workspace is involved.
On Apple Silicon computers, Photoshop hides Legacy Extensions by default. Run Photoshop under Rosetta to see the Legacy Brushes option again.
This tutorial was recorded in Photoshop 2020 (version 21.2). Every step still works the same way in the current version of Photoshop.
Conclusion
A furry lettering effect in Photoshop only takes a custom brush, a painted layer mask, and a few layer styles.
You can apply the same steps to any animal photo or any letter, so experiment with different fur textures once you’re comfortable with the technique.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question.
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Next, learn how to paint a mask that follows a photo’s own texture in the Rock Text Effect Tutorial.
