Create a beautiful origami text effect in Photoshop

Create a beautiful origami text effect in Photoshop

Origami art inspires unique design possibilities, and this tutorial explores how to bring that aesthetic into digital typography. Creating the illusion of folded paper can add a distinctive, handcrafted feel to your graphic projects.

Viewers will learn to transform standard text into a compelling origami-style logo using specific Photoshop tools and techniques. This process enhances design skills by focusing on precise shading and texture application, unlocking creative potential for unique branding and visual elements.

Watch the Video

Video by Blue Lightning. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Achieving Realistic Paper Folds in Digital Typography

Digital design often seeks to replicate real-world textures and forms, and simulating origami folds in text involves a nuanced understanding of light and shadow to create depth and dimension. The illusion of folded paper relies heavily on precise shading, where each crease and overlap must be carefully defined.

This process transforms flat text into a three-dimensional object, similar to how traditional artists use chiaroscuro to define form. The strategic application of darker tones suggests the hidden areas and overlaps inherent in folded structures, giving the text a tangible quality.

The choice of font is also crucial; a typeface like "Origram," specifically designed with an angular, segmented structure, provides an ideal foundation. Its inherent geometry naturally lends itself to the folded aesthetic, making the subsequent shading work more effective and realistic.

Practical Tips for Creating Origami Text Effects

  • Select a suitable font, such as "Origram," which is designed to mimic folded paper, as a foundation for the effect.
  • Rasterize your text layer to enable direct manipulation and application of shading effects.
  • Use provided sample characters as a visual guide for accurately placing and shaping shadows.
  • Apply the Burn Tool with a "Midtones" range and 100% exposure to create realistic shadow depth.
  • Feather selections before inverting them to create soft, gradient backgrounds that complement the logo.

More Tutorials about Logo and Text Effects

Explore additional resources to enhance your design skills and create diverse visual effects.

How to add a logo or pattern to a shirt in Photoshop
In his Photoshop tutorial, author Colin Smith guides viewers through the process of adding a logo, graphic, pattern, or texture onto clothing. This technique allows for quick and easy customization of apparel, enabling users to swap out designs in a matter of seconds. Smith's step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to seamlessly incorporate the desired visual element onto a shirt or other garment. By leveraging the power of Photoshop's layers and blending modes, users can achieve a profession
Create a Knitted Text Effect in Photoshop
This tutorial guides the reader through the process of using Filter Forge to create the knitted argyle effect, which can then be applied to text in Photoshop. This approach allows for a unique and visually appealing result that can be incorporated into various design projects. This technique can be useful for those looking to enhance their holiday illustrations. Photoshop plugins are powerful tools that can help save time and improve the quality of one's work. By utilizing the capabilities of
Learn how to create the Stranger Things tv show logo in Photoshop
Netflix’s Stranger Things is a hit. So is the 80’s culture revival. Horror movies from that time were scary and fun at the same time and that’s something this show was able to capture with success. But for those who aren’t designers, there was something that helped to set that ambiance: the awesome 80’s styled logo. If you think you saw it before, but don’t remember where, just go to your bookshelf and grab some of your old Stephen King books. And if you still have them, then check your Choose
How to Make a Bauhaus Inspired Graphic Design in Photoshop
This tutorial offers an engaging approach to creating a Bauhaus-inspired graphic design using Photoshop CS6. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned designers, it guides you through the process of designing a vibrant, modernist piece that features a name. You will learn to incorporate fundamental elements of the Bauhaus style, including bold color palettes and geometric shapes. The tutorial breaks down each step, ensuring you understand how to manipulate various tools and layers within Photosho

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

How to Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Photoshop

Many essential Photoshop functions surprisingly lack default keyboard shortcuts, forcing you to navigate through menus repeatedly for common tasks like creating smart objects or layer masks. Learning to create custom shortcuts transforms your workflow by giving you instant access to the tools you use most. This comprehensive guide walks you...

How to Convert a Portrait Photo into a Black and White Logo Design

Portrait photos can be transformed into bold, graphic logos with the right combination of filters and adjustments. This technique uses Gaussian blur and threshold adjustments to convert photographs into high-contrast black and white designs suitable for branding, badges, or stamps. The process involves subject isolation, smart filtering, and precise path...

How to Create Sharp Halftone Effects in Photoshop

Traditional halftone effects in print media created depth through visible dot patterns that gave images character and texture. While Photoshop's built-in Filter Gallery offers a quick halftone option, it produces blurry results that lack the crisp definition of professional halftone work. This technique uses the Color Halftone filter...

Create a Sci-Fi Hologram Effect in Photoshop

Transform ordinary portraits into futuristic holographic projections with this sci-fi effect technique. The process combines motion blur, gradient mapping, and scan line patterns to create the distinctive translucent appearance of holographic displays. This method keeps your subject vibrant and colorful while converting the background to black and white, emphasizing the...

How to Use Reference Images with Generative Fill in Photoshop

Generative Fill transforms when you replace text prompts with actual images. Instead of describing what you want, you show the AI exactly what to create using reference photos. This feature works for adding objects like toys and electronics, or swapping clothing items with precise visual control. The AI automatically matches...

Photoshop's Generative Fill Gets Major Upgrade: New Model Comparison and Quality Test

Adobe's latest Generative Fill update brings the new Firefly Fill and Expand model with double the resolution and dramatically improved quality for generating people, hands, and complex objects. The upgrade moves from 1024x1024 to 2048x2048 pixel output, allowing for larger selections without quality loss. This comprehensive comparison tests...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.