How to Embed Text into a Circuit Board Using Photoshop?

At three-thirty in the morning, I stared at my computer screen, clutching half a can of cola. The “cyberpunk style logo” that the client wanted was still unfinished, and suddenly I thought: if I could make the text look like it was engraved into the circuit board, that would be really cool!

Today, we will be using layer styles and texture overlays, focusing on creating a realistic embedded effect for the text and the circuit board. The tools we will use include blending modes, bevel and emboss, and displacement filters, and we will also add some burnt details at the end.

Preparing the Circuit Board Material

Find a high-resolution image of a circuit board (just search for “circuit board close-up” on Baidu), and drag it directly into Photoshop. Use the shortcut Ctrl+J to duplicate the background layer; this step is crucial, as you can revert if something goes wrong.

// Pseudo code, don't take it seriously
circuit_board = find_image("circuit_board.jpg");
duplicate_layer(circuit_board);

Tip: Avoid using circuit board photos with reflections, as adding text later will reveal the flaws. It’s best to choose a classic green board with golden traces.

Text Base Layer

Use the text tool to type your desired content, and it’s recommended to choose a font with sharp edges (like Impact). Fill the color randomly for now; the key is to drag the text layer below the circuit board layer—this is counterintuitive, but we will use the displacement filter later to create a realistic indentation effect.

Carving the Indentation Effect

1. Hold Ctrl and click on the text layer thumbnail to load the selection
2. Select the circuit board layer, press Ctrl+X to cut, and Ctrl+V to paste
3. Add bevel and emboss to the newly pasted circuit board fragment layer: select the style “Pillow Emboss”, set the depth to 300%+, and size to about 5 pixels
4. Change the blending mode to multiply, and reduce the opacity to 70%

Common mistake: If the emboss parameters are set too low, it will look like a sticker; if set too high, it will look like the circuit board has been drilled through. Experiment a few times until it looks like it was carved out with a CNC machine.

Faking Copper Foil Texture

Create a new blank layer, hold Alt and click between the text layer and the blank layer (to create a clipping mask). Choose a rusty yellow foreground color and use a brush with 35% hardness to paint along the edges of the text.

brush.hardness = 35;
brush.color = "#c87d0d";  // Copper rust color
paint_area = text_edges;

After this step, the text will resemble oxidized copper circuits; remember to change the blending mode to color burn.

Burnt Details

1. Use the lasso tool to draw some irregular selections at the corners of the text
2. Add a hue/saturation adjustment layer, pull the hue to the right by 15, and reduce the lightness to -50
3. Use a soft black brush on the mask to create a gradient effect This technique will make the edges of the text look like they have been burned by a laser; be careful not to make it too symmetrical, as realism relies on random imperfections.

Environmental Integration

Change the initial text layer to a dark gray color, add a noise filter (amount 3%), and change the blending mode to soft light. Finally, hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E to stamp all layers, and apply USM sharpening to unify the texture of the text and the circuit board.

Make sure to save in PSD format! Yesterday, a colleague only saved as JPG, and when the client wanted to change eight characters, he cried while redoing it for three hours.

Bonus: Want to create a glowing circuit? Add an inner glow style to the text layer, change the color to fluorescent green, and then open the timeline to create a breathing light effect—this trick can make the client pay extra on the spot.

If you get stuck on a certain step, try adjusting the layer panel opacity to 50% to observe edge details. Playing with Photoshop is like repairing a watch; sometimes you need to squint to see the problem clearly.

(End)