(figure 1) Click on the Snake Oil image to view the full size version.

There may be a bit of manual labor required to set up the Dried Snake Skin Action, it depends on the font you use.  As you can see from my original in figure 2, I used a font that is already a bit distressed looking.  If you use a different font, such as the one in figure 3, you can use steps one two and three to distress your type before running the action.  This will enhance the dried, curled look.  If you click on figure 1, you can view the full size version.  There is always a touch of detail lost when I resize these for the Web, so I like to include the original.  I created this on a 10in x 10in 72dpi document with plenty of white space around it.

(figure 2) Click on the original above to view and download a full size version. Run the action on first file first and compare your results to the finished image in figure 1.

(figure 3) Step One
Add your type to a new Photoshop document in black and flatten the image. (Layer>Flatten Image)

(figure 4) Step Two
Distress your type by using the Crystallize Filter with a cell size of 5. (Filter>Pixelate>Crystallize)

(figure 5) Step Three
Reset your foreground and background colors using 'D' on your keyboard and run the Stamp Filter using a Light/Dark Balance of 10 and a Smoothness of 5. (Filter>Sketch>Stamp)

(figure 6) Step Four
Run the Snake Skin Action and you are done.

Be sure to look back through the history palette and see all of the different filters used to create the texture (set you History steps to at least 100).  Also look back to see how layer effects were used to create the 'crispy' edges, and lighting effects and channels were used to create the dried 'Curled' appearance.

Experiment with different words, different sizes, different shapes and see how it works.  We hope you enjoy these actions.  Email Us or sign our Guest Book and let us know what you think.  Send us some of your final images.  Have Fun!!

The Usual Disclaimer
These actions are created for 72dpi images only and are only guaranteed to work in Photoshop 5.5.  They were also created on a PC, not a MAC. (Please, no more hate mail from MAC users, I like PCs, I'm sorry!)  If you wish to create these effects for a higher resolution, you will need to tear the action apart and redo the steps.