How to Create an Underwater Text Effect in Photoshop

What You’ll Be Creating
Water can make for such beautiful, inspiring visuals! In this water typography tutorial, we’ll take some text and visually “place it” underwater—creating a wavy text effect, looking down and into the water, with the text visuall…


This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Daisy Ein

Final product imageFinal product imageFinal product image
What You'll Be Creating

Water can make for such beautiful, inspiring visuals! In this water typography tutorial, we'll take some text and visually "place it" underwater—creating a wavy text effect, looking down and into the water, with the text visually beneath. 

By the way, if you just want to create awesome Photoshop text effects at the click of a button, have a look at this cool water text effect, or scroll down after this tutorial to find more!

Get cool this cool water text effect for Photoshop from Envato Elements.Get cool this cool water text effect for Photoshop from Envato Elements.Get cool this cool water text effect for Photoshop from Envato Elements.
Get this cool water text effect for Photoshop from Envato Elements.

Do you prefer watching how to make water text in Photoshop? We've got this cool water typography tutorial from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel for you:

What You'll Learn in This Underwater Effect Photoshop Tutorial

  • How to add text and texture to a document
  • How to create an underwater effect
  • How to add the finishing touches

What You'll Need

The followings assets are used in this water typography tutorial:

Now, let's dig right in and start experimenting with some type and cool underwater effects! 

1. How to Add Text and Texture to a Document

Step 1

Start with a New Document—any size here will do! 

Keep the scope of your project in mind: are you hoping to create something print-ready or something for use online? I'm going to work at 850 x 650 for this example, but you might want to work at a higher resolution if you'd like to print your work.

Once you're happy with your settings, click OK.

New Document Example New Document Example New Document Example

Step 2

Next, Paste your watery background image into your document. In this case, we'll be using this Water Stock Photo from Envato Elements, but you could use any image you like!

This is going to be the water that we'll base our text on. 

Example of Stock Water Imagery - underwater texture PhotoshopExample of Stock Water Imagery - underwater texture PhotoshopExample of Stock Water Imagery - underwater texture Photoshop

Step 3

Now, let's add the text to create a water text effect. Simply type out whatever text you'd like, using the Text Tool, in your font of choice. In the case of this example, I'll be using the Fibre Vintage font. 

Don't worry about effects, positioning, or anything else at this point—just put down the text you'd like first!

I decided to make two different Text Layers. You can make as many as you like. Make the text a dark gray color. 

Example Text water text effect tutorialExample Text water text effect tutorialExample Text water text effect tutorial

Step 4

Next, make your Text Layer (or Layers) into a Smart Object

To do so, select the applicable Layers, Right-Click (on PC) or Control-Click (on Mac), and select Create Smart Object from the drop-down menu.

We'll be applying effects to this Smart Object. We'll be able to more easily preserve and alter the original text this way, if needed.

Creating a Smart Object water text effectCreating a Smart Object water text effectCreating a Smart Object water text effect

Step 5

Rotate and position the text however you'd like it, against the water. I opted to rotate it a little, so the shot feels a little more natural. 

Rotating and Position the Text underwater overlayRotating and Position the Text underwater overlayRotating and Position the Text underwater overlay

Step 6

Now, set this layer's Blending Mode to Overlay. You'll notice that this changes the text's appearance on the water. 

Setting the Blending Mode to Overlay - underwater overlay tutorialSetting the Blending Mode to Overlay - underwater overlay tutorialSetting the Blending Mode to Overlay - underwater overlay tutorial

2. How to Create an Underwater Effect

Step 1

One of the major goals here is to have the text appear to be affected by the water. We could do this in a number of ways—like using the Warp Tools, Distort Filters... there are plenty of options! However, in this case, let's try out the Displace Filter

First, select the layer with the water background in it. Click on the thumbnail on the layer to select the content (or press Command-A (on Mac) or Control-A (on PC). 

Now, Create a New Document. Paste this image and Save this document. I called my document "displace.psd", but you are welcome to call yours whatever you prefer. 

Displace Imagery underwater texture Photoshop tutorialDisplace Imagery underwater texture Photoshop tutorialDisplace Imagery underwater texture Photoshop tutorial

Step 2

Now, let's go back to our original document. Select the layer with our Smart Object. Then, select Filter > Distort > Displace

Displace Filter underwater texture Photoshop tutorialDisplace Filter underwater texture Photoshop tutorialDisplace Filter underwater texture Photoshop tutorial

Step 3

Then, you'll see this popup dialog box. I went with a Horizontal and Vertical Scale of 10, but I would encourage you to experiment with this! I also chose Stretch to Fit, as I'd like the area to be similar to the original background image we've used here. 

When you're happy with your settings, click OK. Remember, if you don't like the result, you can always Undo (Control-Z on PC, Command-Z on Mac) and try out different values. I often like to experiment a few times.

Select your displace.psd file created earlier as the file that the Displace Filter will use to create this effect. 

Displace Pop Up Dialog BoxDisplace Pop Up Dialog BoxDisplace Pop Up Dialog Box

Step 4

And here's what the text looks like with this effect applied. It's getting closer to what we want, but it still looks kind of clear, doesn't it? We'd expect to see some blur here, as the water is between us and the water on the ground.

Let's apply a Gaussian Blur to this Smart Object. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

Gaussian  blur - underwater overlay tutorialGaussian  blur - underwater overlay tutorialGaussian  blur - underwater overlay tutorial

Step 5

I went with 2.0 on the radius here, but you may prefer more or less. I'd recommend something that gives it a little bit of a blur, but also stays legible. A lot of blur might look good, but if we can't read the text well, that might defeat our purpose.

Click OK when you're happy with the value you've chosen. Remember, you can also undo and try again, if you change your mind.

Gaussian Blur OptionsGaussian Blur OptionsGaussian Blur Options

3. How to Add the Finishing Touches

Step 1

So, we've got the beginnings of what we'd like to do here—but let's push it forward and do some more with this water text effect design. 

Personally, I'd like the text to be darker. We have a few options here. 

I Duplicated the Smart Object Layer twice, leaving the Blending Mode on each set to Overlay. The result was just what I was looking for.

Duplicating Text Layers underwater overlay tutorialDuplicating Text Layers underwater overlay tutorialDuplicating Text Layers underwater overlay tutorial

Step 2

However, because we put this type into a Smart Object, we can go back and change it any time we like. Double-click on the thumbnail to open up the Smart Object.

You'll notice that it contains the text as we originally had it in our document. You can make changes here—like the text color or the text itself. Then, when you save it, this will be reflected in our document.

Inside the Smart Object water text effectInside the Smart Object water text effectInside the Smart Object water text effect

Step 3

On a side note, keep in mind that these changes might have to be accounted for! For example, changing the color might affect the blending modes—if I make the text light pink, I need to adjust for that (since we worked with a color with a dark value originally). 

In that scenario, I'd just drop my extra Overlay layers and set the Smart Object Layer to Color Burn, Opacity 75%. Voila, we have a similar effect. 

Altering the Smart Object underwater effect tutorialAltering the Smart Object underwater effect tutorialAltering the Smart Object underwater effect tutorial

Step 4

Made any changes that you don't want to keep? Simply undo! Within the Smart Object, make sure to save any changes. 

To wrap up, I'm going back to the original color and Blending Modes we were working with earlier. 

Original Blending Modes and Color Choices underwater overlay tutorialOriginal Blending Modes and Color Choices underwater overlay tutorialOriginal Blending Modes and Color Choices underwater overlay tutorial

Step 5

Finally, I wanted to do a little adjustment here. I copied the water Background Layer and brought it to the front of my Layers. Then, I set the Blending Mode to Screen, Opacity 20%. I just wanted to lighten things up a little.

However, I recommend experimenting with Blending Modes—check out how it looks with Color Dodge or Color Burn! Experimenting with Blending Modes is a great way to get more familiar with them. 

Duplicated Water Background Set to ScreenDuplicated Water Background Set to ScreenDuplicated Water Background Set to Screen

And Now Our Text Is Underwater!

I hope you enjoyed walking through this underwater effect with me—and I hope you have a lot of fun experimenting with it and making your own underwater texture Photoshop creations! Again, there are a lot of different ways to distort your text—want to know how to warp text in Photoshop even further? If you'd like to make even more adjustments, I'd recommend taking a look at Edit > Transform > Warp

Now you know how to make water text in Photoshop! Thanks for following along with me, and good luck with your creative projects!

underwater text effect photoshopunderwater text effect photoshopunderwater text effect photoshop

5 Top Photoshop Text Effects From Envato Elements

Love text effects and want to check out more you can experiment with—right now? Check out these other Photoshop text effects that are ready-made and ready to go.

1. Vintage Text Effects Vol.3 (PSD)

Check out this collection of Vintage Text Effects! There are so many colorful, whimsical, and interesting options to choose from here, perfect for a variety of potential projects. 

Vintage Text EffectsVintage Text EffectsVintage Text Effects

2. 80s Text Effects Vol.1 (PSD)

I don't know about you, but I love the 80s—and I love these awesome 80s text effects! Check out all the saturated colors, the glam, and the sleek, retro style! I'm already thinking about all the cool things I'd love to try out with these. 

80s Text Effects80s Text Effects80s Text Effects

3. Metal Layer Styles: Photoshop Gold Text Effect (PSD)

These text effects are awesome—and they don't just come in gold. There's chrome, bronze, steel... plenty to choose from in these easy-to-use Layer Styles. 

Metal Text EffectMetal Text EffectMetal Text Effect

4. 3D Text Effects Vol.3 (PSD)

There are so many fun effects to choose from in this third volume of 3D Text Effects! Easily replace the text with Smart Objects—a snap, right? Check out Volume 1 and Volume 2 for even more effects to try out!

3D Text Effects3D Text Effects3D Text Effects

5. 100 Photoshop Layer Styles Bundle: Text Effect (PSD)

This is a giant collection of Photoshop text effects—plenty to play and experiment with! From textured effects and slimy text effects to fire text effects, this one contains a little bit of everything! What an awesome addition to any collection!

100 Text Effects Bundle100 Text Effects Bundle100 Text Effects Bundle

Explore More Photoshop Text Effect Tutorials and Resources

If you enjoyed this Photoshop text effect tutorial, check out these others! Happy creating!

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Maria Villanueva. Maria is the Associate Editor of the Tuts+ Design channel.


This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Daisy Ein


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