Home>Chapters>Graphics>Glass Text

Requirement

All Fireworks versions

You will need to install the 'Loki Cola' font before doing this tutorial, (but you may use any font you like). You can get it free at Dafont Loki Cola

Tutorial

Final Product What You'll Be Creating



Step 1

1. Install the Loki Cola font,
2. Create a new document 500x500 pixels, canvas colour white, resolution 72,
3. Create the text Coca-Cola with these settings:
• Font size: 96
• Anti-Alias: smooth
• Colour: #FF0000



Step 2

With the font selected, make a copy by pressing Ctrl+C followed by Ctrl+V. Now move the pasted font up by holding down the Shift key and using your arrow key to move the font upwards as shown below. Note: holding the Shift key and moving by using the arrow keys moves the selected object by 10 pixels in any direction as opposed to 1 pixel by just pressing the arrow keys.



We will be working with the 'copy' for now.

Step 3

We now need to convert this text to paths by doing the following. Select the sub-selection arrow tool.



• Select your text (the copied text).
• Then go to Text > Convert to Paths (as shown below), or use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P
• Select you text and Modify > Ungroup. Your text is now converted to Paths (vectors) and is ready for the punching step.



Step 4

Now we're going to create a linear effect across the text. With the text still selected Group your text and ... change the Fill Category to a Linear gradient. We could have applied the Linear Gradient earlier in Step 4 before converting the text to Paths.



Step 5

Select the subselection arrow again and click on your text. Now select thePen Tool.



As we only need the top half of the text to produce the glass effect, we're going to use the Pen Tool to cut away the lower half of the gradient text. Create the following shape with the pen tool. To do this,

• Select the pen tool,
• Click once on the workspace (point 1),
• Continue by clicking once at the points shown below.

Don't worry about the gradient fill for this shape as we will be removing this shape in the next step (as you get familiar with this technique you will notice that Point 7 wasn't needed to complete the shape).

• Select text,
• Hold down the Shift key,
• Select the shape.

Both objects should now be selected. You should have an image identical to the one below.



Step 6

Now we need to use the Punch feature to eliminate the lower half of our shape. To do this select Modify > Combine Paths > Punch

To produce the following...





Step 7

Move this selection over your original Coca-Cola text.

All that's left is to apply a Drop Shadow to the original text. Select the original text and add the following settings:

• Distance 2,
• Opacity 65,
• Softness 2
• Angle 315

That's it! You can modify the gradient and shading to whatever you prefer but your image should be similar to the one below. I added the red ribbon effect using the Pen Tool.

The completed tutorial.



Coca-Cola® is a registered trademark of Coca-Cola® Company.