Gradient text with reverse colored outline in Photoshop

Published on August 27, 2022

Gradient text with reverse colored outline

In this blog I’ll explain how to create a gradient text with a reverse colored outline in Adobe Photoshop.

Rather watch the video with instructions? Then click here or scroll down to the end of this page.

Step 1: Create file and text

Create a new file, it doesn’t matter what size your file is. Also pick a background color for your file while creating it.

Then select the horizontal type tool. Pick a font you like and type your text. It doesn’t matter what text color you use, because this will be covered by the gradient effect.

Press CTRL+A to select the entire text and increase the tracking (this way there’s more space between the letters, so there’s enough room for the outline).

Then select the move tool and press CTRL+T to activate free transform. You can now adjust the size and the position of your text.

Step 2: Gradient text

With the text layer selected, click on the fx icon below your layers and select ‘gradient overlay‘. Click on the gradient to adjust it.

Pick a random gradient with 2 colors. Double click on the color stop to adjust the color of that stop.

The location of the left stop should be 0%, the location of the right stop 100% and of the midpoint 50% (you can see this if you click on the stop or midpoint).

Name the gradient and click on ‘new’ to save it. We will use this same gradient for the outline in the next step.

You can find the settings I used in the image below. Copy these settings.

Step 3: Gradient outline

Then select ‘stroke‘. Select ‘gradient‘ for the fill type and click on the gradient to adjust it. Look for the gradient you’ve just created and select it (it should be below all the other gradient presets).

If you select ‘reverse‘, you’ll see the effect! Again you can copy the settings I used (see image below). To make the outline thicker or thinner, adjust the size.

Once you’re done, click OK. If you want to make adjustments to the gradient overlay or the stroke, double click on the effect in your layer panel. The window above will open again and you can make your adjustments.

And that’s how you create a gradient text with a reverse colored outline in Adobe Photoshop! You can see the result in the image below.