How to Create a Newspaper Ransom Note Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Want to create stunning and realistic ransom lettering? This tutorial will show you how to use a bunch of fonts, shapes, textures, and a brush tip to create a newspaper lettering ransom note text effect in Adobe Photoshop.

This ransom note letters effect was inspired by the many Photoshop text effects available on Envato Elements. Elements offers tons of text effects like this sticky note paper text effect below, which will transform your favorite fonts into something special with a few clicks.

What You’ll Learn

• How to create the background and text layers
• How to add shapes and text blocks
• How to add layer masks
• How to add a basic paper texture
• How to add a crumpled paper texture
• How to add torn edges
• How to add a drop shadow
• How to add a simple background texture

What You’ll Need

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:

• Bodoni MT font
• OldSansBlack font
• Yeseva One font
• Roboto font
• Aldo font
• Typography Times font
• Riot Squad NF font
• The Bold Font font
• MonoSpatial font
• Fette Bauersche Antiqua font
• Porter Sans Block font
• Droid Serif font
• Built Titling font
• Paper Grain Texture
• Paper Texture (1)
• Paper Texture (2)

1. How to Create the Background and Text Layers

Step 1

Create a new 1000 x 1000 px document, click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, choose Solid Color, and use the color fill #f6f6f6.

Step 2

Create the text, each letter in a separate layer, and use as many different fonts and font sizes as you like, but make sure to set the Color to #565656.

Place each letter in a group that has its name, and put each word’s letters in a group with the word’s name.

Step 3

After that, you’ll need to add some letters, before and/or after each of the letters you have, to make the effect look more realistic, since letters are not usually found separately in newspapers.

2. How to Add Shapes and Dummy Text Blocks

Step 1

Pick the Rectangle Tool, and create lines below some of the letters you have.

If you make any additions to any text you have, put the letter’s layer along with those additions’ layer(s) in a new group inside the original letter’s group.

This will help keep things organized and easier to work with.

Step 2

To add dummy text to any of the letters you have, pick the Type Tool, click-drag a box below the letters you want to add the dummy text to, and go to Type > Paste Lorem Ipsum.

Change the font and font size to whatever values you like.

Step 3

You can remove parts of the dummy text if you add it to multiple letters, to avoid having repeated blocks of text.

Step 4

Another thing you can do is use the Rectangle Tool to add boxes behind the letters. If you do so, set the box’s fill color to #565656 and the text color to #ececec.

3. How to Add Layer Masks

Step 1

Pick the Lasso Tool, select a letter group, and draw a selection around the letter you need to show, which is the letter in the group’s name.

Try to shape the selection like a torn piece of paper.

Here is where adding the random letters to the original comes in handy, as you can include parts of them to make the effect look more realistic.

Step 2

After creating the selection, click the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.

Step 3

Repeat that to mask the rest of the letter groups. You can adjust the mask whenever needed, so don’t worry about making it perfect now.

4. How to Add a Basic Paper Texture

Step 1

Place the Paper Grain Texture image at the bottom of the first letter’s group, and resize it as needed.

Step 2

Change the Blend Mode of the layer or group on top of the Paper Grain Texture‘s layer to Linear Burn.

Step 3

Duplicate the Paper Grain Texture layer, and repeat the steps to add it to the remaining letters.

Step 4

If you need to move a group’s mask after adding the texture, you can unlink the mask from the group by clicking the link icon between their thumbnails, and then move the mask and relink it to the group once again.

5. How to Add a Crumpled Paper Texture

Step 1

Place the Paper Texture (1) at the top of the first letter’s group, resize it as needed, and change its layer’s Blend Mode to Multiply.

Step 2

Duplicate the texture and add it to the rest of the letter groups.

6. How to Create a Torn Edges Brush Tip

Pick the Brush Tool and open the Brush panel.

Choose the Chalk 23 pixels tip, and use these settings:

Brush Tip Shape

Shape Dynamics

7. How to Create a Work Path From a Selection

Step 1

Command-click the first letter group’s mask thumbnail to create a selection.

Step 2

Open the Paths panel, and click the Make work path from selection icon at the bottom of the panel.

8. How to Stroke a Work Path

Step 1

Make sure that the Brush Tool is active with the modified tip, and that the first letter group’s mask thumbnail is selected, and set the Foreground Color to Black.

Step 2

Hit the Return key to stroke the path with the brush tip, and add the torn edges effect to the mask.

Step 3

Repeat that for the rest of the letters you have.

Once you’re done, pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), and hit the Return key one last time to get rid of the work path.

9. How to Add White Torn Edges

Step 1

To make the effect more realistic, we are going to add some white edges to the torn ones we already have.

Start by adding the paper texture (2) image below the first letter’s group, and make sure it’s placed outside it.

Step 2

Press-hold the Option key, and click-drag the letter group’s mask to the paper texture (2) layer to duplicate it.

Step 3

Pick the Move Tool, and use the Right and Down Arrow Keys to slightly nudge the paper texture (2) image away from the letter’s paper.

Step 4

Again, repeat for the remaining letters.

10. How to Add a Drop Shadow

Step 1

Double-click the first latter’s paper texture (2) layer to apply a Drop Shadow effect with these settings:

• Opacity: 35%
• Distance: 3
• Size: 7

Step 2

Right-click the styled layer, choose Copy Layer Style, select all the other paper texture (2) layers, right-click any of them, and choose Paste Layer Style.

11. How to Create a Bleed-Through Effect

Step 1

To add a bleed-through effect, add some Lorem Ipsum text at the top of a letter’s group.

Step 2

Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal, and change the layer’s Opacity to 10%.

Repeat to add to any other letters.

12. How to Transform Groups of Elements

Step 1

Before making any changes, you can change some of the colors to red and blue. The values used here are #d66161 for the red, and #6a8ebc for the blue.

Step 2

Next, we are going to transform some of the letters to create a more dynamic result.

Select the letter’s group and its paper texture (2) layers, and press Command-T to enter Free Transform Mode.

If you try to make any changes right away, you might notice that they will happen in a slightly odd manner. This is because the paper textures are quite large, and the anchor/pivot point is not in the center of the letter itself.

To solve this issue, press-hold the Option key, and click-drag the anchor point to the center of the letter.

Step 3

Move, rotate, and resize the letter as needed. Hit the Return key to commit the changes.

Step 4

Repeat the same steps to transform any other letters you like.

13. How to Add a Simple Background Texture

Step 1

Add another copy of the paper texture (2) image on top of the Solid Color layer, resize it as needed, and change its layer’s Opacity to 50%.

Step 2

Keep in mind that you can adjust the fonts, sizes, and layer mask shapes anytime until you like the outcome.

Congratulations! You’re Done

In this tutorial, we created ransom lettering using a bunch of text layers with different fonts and font sizes, grouped them, and added a couple of paper texture images to them.

We also created shapes, added dummy text, and adjusted a torn edges brush tip to create the layer masks. Finally, we changed the coloring of some of the elements, and transformed a couple to achieve the final newspaper effect in Photoshop.

Top Photoshop Text Effects From Envato Elements

There’s another way to create ransom note text effects and other cool text effects in Photoshop quickly and easily. Use readymade actions and add-ons from Envato Elements. Here are just a few of the awesome effects you can find there. 

Holographic Text Effect Photoshop (PSD)

If you love that cool holographic look, you won’t be able to resist Holographic Text Effect Photoshop. The effect uses smart object layers to enable you to transform your fonts and logos with a single click.

Magazine Cutout Font Text Effects (PSD)

How amazing is Magazine Cutout Font Text Effects? This stunning add-on offers eight wonderful magazine cutout text styles to choose from. Select the one you like the most, and give your text or logo a new look with a few clicks.

Burned Wood Photoshop Text Effects Template (PSD)

Glitch text effects are eye-catching and wonderfully dystopic. Photoshop Glitch Text Effects offers a collection of 16 files which allow you to create a range of glitch effects. Try them all out to see what works for you.

Cool Text Effects Photoshop (PSD)

From newspaper letter cutouts to liquid text effects, Elements has it all. Use the 15 liquid text effects in Cool Text Effects Photoshop to create a range of trippy distortions to your fonts or logo.

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