Image Burned in Wood in Photoshop

Today, we will learn how to create an engraved wood burn effect in Photoshop. You can use it on any logo, SVG, font, vector shape, etc. You can also replace the wood with any other surface or texture. This works great on mock-ups or just to showcase some SVGs or quotes.

For this tutorial, we chose a wooden sign mockup and a wood round stock photo to apply the wood burn effect onto.

Step 1 - Import the Quote Image Onto Your Background Image

First, we are going to bring in the image we want to burn into our wood piece and adjust it to fit our background image.

In Photoshop, open the image you chose as the background. Then, import the image you want to burn into the wood.

Resize the image you want to burn into the wood. Click Enter or the small checkbox on the top menu to commit the changes. We will refer to this layer as the Quote layer going forward.

Depending on your background image, you may even need to distort your quote to fit it better.

Step 2 - Create the Scorched Base Layer Using Filters and Blending Modes

Now, it’s time to start creating the feel of burned wood. The base layer will look as if it’s lightly scorched onto the wood.

Create a New Layer

Create a new layer on top of everything by clicking on the small button at the bottom of the Layers panel. Name this layer Burn.

Make an Expanded Selection of the Quote Layer

With your top layer still selected, click on top of the Quote layer thumbnail while holding the Command/Control key to make a selection of the text.

Go to Select > Modify > Expand and input a value of 15 pixels in the popup window.

You should see the selection is placed further away from the quote edges.

Fill Your Selection With Black

Make sure that you are working on the newly created layer (Burn layer) and fill your selection with black or the foreground color (Control/Alt + Delete). Then, deselect using Command/Control + D.

Hide the Quote layer for now by clicking on the eye icon on the left side of its thumbnail.

Apply a Gaussian Blur Filter to Your Layer

To smooth out the text edges a bit, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and input 5 pixels for the Radius value.

Apply a Wind Filter to Your Layer

To create the illusion that the burn reached the wood grain, we are going to use a filter. Go to Filter > Stylize > Wind. Choose Wind as the Method and From the Right as the Direction and click Ok.

Repeat the filter, but this time use From the Left.

Your resulting image should look similar to the one below.

Change the Layer’s Blending Mode 

To finish making our image look like it is burned on the wood, let’s change its Blending Mode to Overlay in the Layers panel.

Step 3 - Create the Top Burn Layer Using Layer Styles

Now, we are going to apply some Layer Styles to the Quote layer to finish our burned wood effect.

Make the Quote Layer Visible Again

Turn the Quote layer back on by clicking on the eye icon on the left side of its thumbnail.

Apply Some Layer Styles

Double-click on your new layer thumbnail to apply the following Layer Styles.

In the Blending Options tab, set the Fill Opacity to 40%.

In the Bevel & Emboss tab use:

• Style: Outer Bevel
• Noise: 0%
• Color: #873900
• Technique: Smooth
• Depth: 120%
• Direction: Down
• Size: 8 px
• Soften: 0 px
• Angle: 130º
• Use Global Light: unchecked
• Altitude: 45º
• Contour: Ring
• Anti-aliased: unchecked
• Highlight Mode: Screen
• Color: white (#ffffff)
• Opacity: 0%
• Shadow Mode: Linear Burn
• Color: black (#000000)
• Opacity: 30%

In the Inner Shadow tab, use:

• Blend Mode: Linear Burn
• Color: #370900
• Opacity: 10%
• Angle: 147º
• Use Global Light: unchecked
• Distance: 5 px
• Choke: 0%
• Size: 8 px
• Contour: Ring
• Anti-aliased: unchecked
• Noise: 10%

And finally, in the Outer Glow tab, use:

• Blend Mode: Linear Burn
• Opacity: 20%
• Noise: 0%
• Color: #873900
• Technique: Softer
• Spread: 0%
• Size: 10 px
• Contour: Linear
• Anti-aliased: unchecked
• Range: 45%
• Jitter: 0%

Your resulting image should be similar to the following one.

Step 4 - Add Depth With a Displacement Map

Since this wood has some evident texture and imperfections, the burned image needs to conform to them. We are going to achieve that with a displacement map.

Duplicate Your File

First, we need to make a copy of the background image file (the one with the wooden element). Open the duplicate and press Command/Control + Shift + U to remove the color.

Save the duplicate as a .PSD file and name it Displace.

Apply the Displacement Map Filter to Your Original File

Close the displacement map file and head back to your original document. Go to Filter > Distort > Displace and input the following values:

• Horizontal Scale: 5
• Vertical Scale: 5
• Displacement Map: Stretch to Fit
• Undefined Areas: Repeat Edge Pixels

Choose the Displace.psd file when prompted.

You will notice a subtle distortion of the burned image around the contours of the wood texture.

Well, that’s how you can create a wood burn effect in Photoshop. If you enjoyed following this tutorial, be sure to check out how to create a peeling sticker effect, make a flat character, and use perspective crop in Adobe Photoshop.