: Applying a gradient to bloat/blur effects in Photoshop I am trying to recreate the effect demonstrated on the logo for the Tate galleries in the UK with Photoshop. Here are some of the logo

@Carla748

Looks like blur + tonal adjustment (curves, levels or similar). Here's a quick attempt at the effect.



The BLUR top group contains the purple text.

The BLUR shape layers are the text, with a mask feather applied (basically gaussian blurred text, which could be done many ways). Using a shape layer means you can scale the document while maintaining quality.

The curves adjustment layers above BLUR layers adjust the fatness and sharpness of the letters and are directly affected by the amount of shape mask feathering. Here's one of the curves adjustment layers.



The groups have bitmap masks that contain a gradient to build the final text from two differently blurred parts.

Here's the PSD: www.dropbox.com/s/py098x0assy2rhb/blur.psd

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@Cooney243

The short answer: Play.

Here's a very quick stab using a drop shadow in the same color as the type, no blending or transparency, with a high spread value applied.



From there distort, blur, print and distort in a copier, whatever does the trick.

You can also do this in Illustrator.

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