In this tutorial I will show you how to create a lovely floral style 3D text effect using only Photoshop and Illustrator. The idea is to add the elements we like while keeping the design subtle, pleasing to the eye, and having some fun along the way. We’ll be using Illustrator for the 3D effect because it’s more user friendly than other 3D programs like 3ds Max, and it can do an equally good job for what we require.

The premise for this photo manipulation and poster design was inspired by stories such as The Borrowers and Tom Thumb. The concepts used are not new, but I don’t think they’ve been explored nearly enough, especially digitally.

‘Tis the season for snow and ice in the northern hemisphere, so I decided to create some cool ice cubes (please excuse the pun). In this tutorial we will go through the steps needed to create realistic ice cubes inside 3ds Max and add some finishing touches in Photoshop.

I came up with the idea for creating a skyline made of text after some creative thinking and seeing this amazing stock photo. After a brief look around the web, I still can’t find a manipulation quite like it. In this tutorial, we will be creating the text ‘MIB’, in the night skyline of a Seattle cityscape.