Photoshop Alternative for Text Effects

Photoshop is a raster graphics editing software for macOS, Windows, iOS, and iPadOS, developed and published by Adobe Inc., and first released in 1988. Since then, Photoshop has become the standard for a wide variety of digital graphic projects, such as photo editing and retouching, poster and desktop publishing design, creation of various visual art effects and much more.

Photoshop is more prevalent among professional designers due to its wide application and myriad tools that help achieve the most creative ideas they can come up with. The biggest downfall of Photoshop is actually what makes it so good─the range of tools and features. Many users fear its complexity, so they use just a few tools from the hundreds offered in Photoshop, not to mention the multitude of Photoshop plug-ins.

One of the main applications Photoshop is famous for is its ability to create the most realistic text effects and any typography that graphics designers can think of. But, what are the alternatives if you don’t have time to learn every feature of Photoshop?

Art Text is a graphic design app that focuses on one single task: creating stunning text effects and typography-based graphics. Thanks to a wide range of typography and design tools, various presets and text effect templates for a quick start, it provides highly realistic and professional text effects. Now let us skim through some of the most popular and eye-catching text effects users create, and demonstrate how they can be created in the Art Text app.

3D text focus blur effect.

Text on Fire

Fire has a magical appeal, and it attracts and hypnotizes people in a good way. That’s the main reason for the popularity of the text-on-fire effect. If you don’t want to slog through lengthy Photoshop tutorials, you can grab a fire text template in Art Text to create your own text-on-fire typography.

True fire text effect.

You can also watch the Fire Text Effect tutorial to learn how to create similar flaming text effects using Art Text tools.

LEGO Bricks Typography

Typography graphics with a LEGO theme are popular in educational, creative and children-related areas. In Photoshop, you can design a LEGO board or even LEGO pieces that form a word. But, what about a pile of LEGO bricks that form a letter or text? The Spray Fill feature of Art Text lets you spread out individual photo objects to compose text.

Lego typography made with Lego bricks.

Check out this LEGO Bricks Text Effect tutorial and start designing your own LEGO typography graphics.

Text on Sand

Summer is probably our favorite season as it is associated with lots of sun, holidays, travels and relaxing on a sandy coast. Drawing and writing short texts on sand is what many of us do while spending time on a beach. Imagine how cool it would be if you could easily design a holiday postcard, Valentine’s greeting, travel flyer or an advert with your message written on sand.

Writing on sand text effeсt.

Shading materials and text distortions offered by Art Text will help create a true-to-life sand-written text. Watch this Sand Text Effect tutorial to learn how.

3D Text

3D computer graphics have been constantly evolving since the advent of the computer, and 3D typography is following its pace. Creating a realistic 3D text with all the necessary textures and light effects is no trivial task. But, thanks to the unique 3D text engine, Art Text immediately creates a 3D text object based on the font and the text that the user enters. Furthermore, applying and working with 3D materials has been simplified thanks to various presets.

3D text typography.

Creating a 3D Text tutorial has been split into three main parts for simplicity:

  1. Creating a 3D Text
  2. 3D Materials and Light
  3. Reflection Mask

Coffee Text Effect

The coffee text effect in Art Text is easily achieved with the Spray Fill feature that lets users spread coffee beans, leaves and other objects in a way that forms the text of a chosen font. Users are free to use the collection of supplied coffee beans, leaves and other objects and set up their own spray fill, or they can use the coffee spray preset under the Spray tab of the Fill section.

Coffee typography graphics.

Using the Spray Fill tutorial teaches the basics of the Spray Fill feature, and you will learn how to create a coffee text effect with Art Text in under 5 minutes.

Watercolor Text Effect

Watercolor typography is the best way to replicate brush lettering in digital graphics. Art Text is the best alternative to Photoshop to design watercolor text effects and graphics. The app offers many watercolor text templates and texture presets to quickly and easily create watercolor typography. Or, you can simply watch the Watercolor Text Effect tutorial to learn how to create your watercolor typography in Art Text.

Watercolor text effect sample.

Text Effect Templates

What makes Art Text truly stand out from Adobe Photoshop in the text effect field is the range of templates that can be used to get professional text effects in minutes. Art Text has over 400 text effects and typography templates that cover most text effect types you can think of. Templates have a hidden purpose of educating users to create any type of text effect.

You can also watch the Working with Templates tutorial to get started with the Art Text app fast.

Text effect samples preview.
Published in August 2022
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