Heated Metal Text

Heated steel or metal tends to have a color to it like oil. Also it can have a rough damaged surface. That's what we're going to make. These filter settings are really meant to be
played with to your taste but I'll give you my best choice and then you can experiment later
on your own.

1.) Select the Type Mask tool.

Click in the center of the image to bring up the Text dialog box. Make a big letter and click OK. Center that selection in the middle of the image. Now make a new layer.

2.) Fill the selection with the White to Black gradient in the direction like I have

3.) Contract selection about 3 (Select> Modify> Contract). Press "M" and move the selection up one pixel and to the left 1 pixel with the arrow keys on the keyboard.

Fill the selection with White to Black gradient in the opposite direction we did the first time.

Note: When you use the gradient tool, try and go past the bottom of the letter when you fill it, this way its not so black.

4.) Now go to Filter>Texture>Grain. Select "Contrast" under grain type. For Intensity enter 23 and Contrast 59 and click OK.

Now go to Filter>Noise>Add noise. For amount enter 11, Select Gaussian and leave Monochromatic un-checked.

Alrighty, now go to Filter> Sharpen> Unsharp Mask. For amount enter 340, Radius 1.4, Threshold 45 and click OK. Deselect Ctrl.-D.

5.) For the final effect, Go to Layer>Effects>Drop Shadow and watch your steel pop out from the background!

Here's Mine :-))