You could easily go to DAFont.com and get a cool, broken font. However breaking the text manually is way more rewarding and you get to make it exactly how you want.
This tutorial will teach you how to create some text, manipulate it and break it up. After that we will make it look fresh!
Final Image Preview
Start out by creating a new Photoshop document. Make the size 800 x 600 pixels.
Using the Horizontal Type Tool, type the word metropolis.
Now you will need to break the text up. To do this you must rasterize the layer. Choose Layer > Rasterize > Type
Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool and select the top portion of the metropolis text layer. When you are going over the the middle of the text, make slight spikes by going up an down. When you are done connect back to the beginning to make it a selection.
Go to Menu and choose Edit > Free Transform to bring up the transformation box.
Hold down the CTRL/CMD key and move the top right of the box over to the right and then release Control key.
While the top portion is still selected, move the text up and over to the right with your arrow keys. This will break the text up.
Now Deselect the selection by pressing CTRL/CMD + D
Use the Marquee Selection Tool and select a small part of the bottom of the p and go to Edit > Free Transform
Drag the Middle-Bottom box downwards, all the way to the bottom. This will extend the p.
Do the same with the l letter except drag it upwards. You should end up with this:
Now deselect everything and go to Edit > Free Transform. In the Options toolbar, change the rotation to -30 degrees and click on the check mark to confirm.
Create a New Layer and name it gradient. With the Gradient Tool selected change the gradient to Copper and make it a Radial Gradient
Now drag across the screen to make a gradient like this:
With the Gradient layer selected, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask. Now set the layer mode to Lighten.
Create a New Layer and name it bg gradient. Put it just above the background layer. Set the Opacity to 19%. Fill this layer with a black to white Linear Gradient
Double click on the metropolis text layer to bring up the Layer Styles. Check the Drop Shadow and enter the settings as follows:
Opacity: 86% | Angle: 120 Global Light | Distance: 5px | Spread 58% | Size: 5px | Contour: Ring – Anti Aliased | Noise 0%
With the Marquee Select Tool, select everything just above where the l line ends. Now go to Image > Crop.
Step 18I used a spraypaint image from Media Militia’s Freebie section. Download it here.
Once you downloaded the Zip file, open 4.jpg inside of Photoshop.
Using the Magic Wand Tool change the Options to the following:
Tolerance: 10 | Anti-Alias:Checked | Contiguous: Unchecked
Click on any white part of this image to select all the white. Now go to Select > Inverse. This will select everything but the white.
Go to Edit > Copy and go back to our main document and Edit > Paste this into the document. Name this new layer Spray paint.
Go to Edit > Transform > Scale. Bring it down to 15% and Rotate it like this:
Now double click on the spray paint layer, to bring up the Layer Styles. Check Color Overlay and change the color to #8b756b
Go back to the spray paint image and copy and paste it again into your main document. Keep it at 100% scale and put it where you feel fit. Now put a Color Overlay with the same color as in the last step (#8b756b). Your done!