Create Stranger Things effect in Photoshop SIMPLY with SaDesign

Stranger Things  is a very popular American science fiction and horror series. If you are a fan of this series, you should not miss how to create the Stranger Things effect in Photoshop. Just by combining a few tools, you can create an extremely unique effect. Let's   refer to the implementation method with SaDesign right below.

1. Create a text background for the Stranger Things effect in Photoshop

To get Stranger Things in Photoshop we first need a unique text background.

Step 1: Create a new PSD document with size 1280 x 720px and fill the Background with color code #0c0101.

Step 2: On the toolbar select Type Tools, then create the desired text. Here we have the text Stranger Things with white color and Indira K font.

The original font used is Benguiat, but you can use Indira K, which is similar and free and you can use it instead.

Set the Size to around 141 pt and check the Faux Bold and All Caps icons in the Character panel (Window => Character).

Step 3: Change the Tracking value to -100.

Step 4: Change the Vertical Scale to 115. This will stretch the text vertically.

2. Edit the text

Basically we have the background and text, now we will proceed to edit the text.

Step 1: Select (highlight) the first letter of the text and change its Size to a value of around 212 pt.

Step 2: Next, you will need to change the Baseline Shift value to move the large letter down, until its top is level with the tops of the remaining letters.

To do that, you can either enter numeric values ​​or drag the Set the baseline shift icon to the left.

Step 3: Do the same with the last letter of the first line of text or any letter you like.

Step 4: Place the text cursor between the first two letters you have and change the Kerning to a value that you think looks good.

Step 5: Depending on your text, adjust the Kerning for the remaining letters you have. Not all letters need to be adjusted, just the ones you think need adjusting.

Step 6: When done, change the Fill value of the text layer to 0.

3. Create Stranger Things Effect in Photoshop with Layer Style

Now it's time to add the Stranger Things text effect! Double-click the text layer to apply a Layer Style like this:

Step 1: Add Bevel and Emboss which will give us the popular Stranger Things neon glow effect. Just add the following settings:

Style: Stroke Emboss

Depth: 220

Size: 3

Uncheck Use Global Light box

Angle: 156

Altitude: 37

Gloss Contour: Cone - Inverted

Check the Anti-aliased box

Highlight Mode - Opacity: 35%

Shadow Mode - Opacity: 50%

Step 2: Add Contour with the following settings:

Contour: Cove - Deep

Tick ​​the Anti-aliased box.

Step 3: Add Stroke with the following parameters:

Size: 3

Position: Inside

Color: #ce1725

Step 4: Add an Inner Glow with the following settings:

Opacity: 50%

Noise: 5%

Color: #ea0f0f

Size: 17

Step 5: Add an Outer Glow with the following settings:

Opacity: 50%

Noise: 5%

Color: #ea2314

Size: 12

Range: 60%

Step 6: This will format the text. Right-click on the formatted text layer and select Copy Layer Style.

4. Create a rectangle for the Stranger Things effect in Photoshop

Add some rectangular lines for effect.

Step 1: The rectangle is an essential part of creating the Stranger Things effect in Photoshop. Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool and set the Radius in the options bar to 2. Click and drag to create a rectangle above the text, with a Height value of around 7px.

Then, click and drag to create more rectangles at the beginning and end of the second line of text, or wherever else you want to add them. Just make sure to keep the same Height for all the rectangles you create.

Step 3: Change the Fill value of all rectangle layers to 0.

5. Add Layer Style to the Rectangles

Right click on any rectangle layer you have and select Paste Layer Style. This will apply the same layer style copied from the text layer.

Then double click on the styled rectangle layer to adjust some values:

Step 1: Add Bevel and Emboss with size set to 2.

Step 2: Add Stroke with the following settings:

Size: 2

Position: Outside

Step 3: Add an Inner Glow with a size setting of 5.

Step 4: Add an Outer Glow with a size setting of 17.

Step 5: Right click on the rectangle layer with added Layer style and select Copy Layer Style.

Step 6: Select the other rectangle layers you have, right-click on any of them and select Paste Layer Style.

Step 7: Place the text and rectangle layers into a group and call it Text Effect.

6. Add Layer Style to Text Effect group

Now double click on the Text Effect group to apply the following Layer Style:

Step 1: Add Gradient Overlay and set the following parameters:

Tick ​​Dither 

Blend Mode: Soft Light

Style: Reflected

Angle: 135

Create a Gradient fill using the colors #fbe7c2 on the left and #e69f99 on the right

Step 2: Add another Gradient Overlay and set it to the following settings:

Tick ​​Dither 

Blend Mode: Overlay

Style: Reflected

Angle: 135

Download the  gradient set  then use gradient fill faucet 10 in the downloaded section.

Step 3: Add Outer Glow and set it according to the following parameters:

Opacity: 20%

Color: #de1b22

Size: 34

Range: 60%

Now the result will be as shown in the following image:

7. Add some highlights to the Stranger Things effect in Photoshop

Let's add some highlight effects to our Stranger Things design to give it some extra flair.

Step 1: First, set the Foreground Color to #451d08, then create a new layer on top of all layers, call it Light, and change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge.

Step 2: Select the Brush Tool and choose a large, soft, round tip. Then start clicking on some of the letters to brighten them.

You can change the size of the pen tip and adjust the Opacity value on the options bar to control the intensity of the highlights you're adding.

Step 3: Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon in the Layers panel and select Hue/Saturation.

Step 4: Change the Saturation value to 35 and the Lightness to 15 or any other value you like.

Step 5: Let's add another Stranger Things text effect. Add a Gradient adjustment layer above the Text Effect group.

Create a gradient fill using the colors #5c456e to the right, #b26b73 in the middle, and #fda982 to the left. Change the Style to Reflected, the Angle to 155, and the Scale to 55%.

Step 6: Change the Gradient layer's Blend Mode to Color and Opacity to 35%. Finally, simply export your Stranger Things PSD file to your desired file extension and you're done!

We get a piece of text that is exactly like the Stranger Things effect in the movie. The design is unique, impressive and full of mystery.

Above is a summary of information about the steps to create the Stranger Things effect in Photoshop. The implementation is not difficult, but requires many combined steps, so you need to be patient and meticulous in doing it many times to get the most satisfactory results.