- 1). Choose a groovy or retro font to start with. Groovy fonts can have thick, curvy swashes and often feature exaggeratedly thick and thin parts in each letter. They might have embellishments such as stylized "hippie" flowers, swirls or rows of dots or circles. If you don't have a suitable font, you can search for one under categories such as "groovy" or "retro" or "hippie" or "1960s" at one of the many font vendors or free font websites on the Internet.
- 2). Select the type tool in your image-editing software and type some words using the groovy or retro font. Make sure the options are set so the text is created as a vector layer, rather than a raster layer.
- 3). Set the "stroke" width of the font layer to something relatively thick and change the color. You may need to change to vector-editing mode, or use a vector-editing tool, to do this. The stroke width is the width of the line that goes around the edge of the letters. Select the words as a vector object and set a stroke width that gives you a nice thick line, but not so thick that it interferes with the readability of the words. The actual value will vary depending on how large your font size is. Set the color using the color editing options for the "stroke."
- 4). Choose a background, or "Fill," color for the font shape. The fill color is the main color of the letters, the area inside of the line that goes around the edges. Bright pinks and purples are a good color choice for grooved out fonts. Pick one nice dark shade for the stroke and a lighter shade for the fill (or vice-versa) and use other related colors for other colored areas in the graphic.
- 5). Create an outline around the font shapes and give it a different color. The easiest way to do this is to make a duplicate layer of the font layer. Convert the duplicate layer to a raster layer and make sure it is behind the original font's layer. Select the words on the raster layer using the magic wand tool, and fill the selection with one of the alternate colors you chose at the end of Step 4, a related color to those you used previously.
- 6). Add embellishments if desired. If the font outline contains flowers or other embellishments, you may want to just fill these areas with another color. If the font does not have embellishments, you can add them by using the "Stamp," "Tube" or "Brush" tool. Add another layer and put the embellishments on that layer so you can move, colorize or add an effect to them, separately from the font layer.
- 7). Create a groovy background. A pattern with curvy lines emanating from the center of the image is a good fit for a groovy font image. You may be able to do this with a brush or a mask, or find a premade background and add it as a separate layer. Choose colors that coordinate with the colors you've already used.
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