 Learn to make a nice abstract curve around your text using the pen tool. This tutorial is a good example of using the pen tool, one of the most difficult tools in Photoshop.
Here is the effect we will make to our image: For this tutorial, I used a nice background in my "A Dreamy World" collection. You can download this high resolution image at: http://img.flash-screen.com/uploads/200609/imgs/1157986785.jpg or use the image below, which is in lower resolution but enough for this tutorial. Step 1: Open the image above or the one you downloaded by Photoshop. It will become your background (if you crop it from original image, it will become your Layer 1. In this case, press Ctrl-E to merge it down with your background). At this time, your Layers tab will look like this: Press D, X to reset your foreground and background colors. Step 2: Select the Pen Tool(P). Make sure to choose "Path", "Pen Tool" and "Exclude overlapping path areas" options as described below   Step 3: Click (not drag) on the "1st point" and "2nd point" to place anchors there. You will see a line connecting 2 anchor points (you can hold down Shift key while clicking on the 2nd point to make a perfect vertical line). Step 4: Right click on the Pen tool and choose Add Anchor Point Tool. Now click on the "3rd point" and "4th point" to add 2 new anchor points for your line (they should lie at 2/4 and 3/4 points of your line)  Step 5: Hold down the Ctrl key and drag your "3rd point" a bit to the left to create a curve. Similarly, hold down the Ctrl key and drag your "4th point" a bit to the right You have already created a curve using the pen tool! This is one of the most common ways to create a nice curve. Step 6: Create the 5th, 6th and 7th anchor points as following: (you should press Shift key to create the 5th point) Step 7: Using the same method of creating 3rd and 4th anchor points, create your 8th, 9th and 10th points and move them a bit while holding down Ctrl key. Notice that you should adjust the 6th point to have a good curved corner (by pressing Ctrl and drag). Step 8: Before making our curve glow, you have to set a suitable brush. So select the Brush Tool(B) and click on the arrow near the brush size, use these settings: Step 9: Click on the Brushes icon (on the right side toolbar) and tick on the Shape Dynamics checkbox. This step makes sure you will get the Simulate Pressure effect in the next step, which causes many issues for the readers not achieve the desired result. Close the Brushes dialog box. Step 10: Create a new layer (by pressing the sixth button on the Layers tab). Select the Pen Tool(P) again and right click on your curve, choose Stroke Path The Stroke Path dialog box appears. Make sure to choose Brush mode and tick on the Simulate Pressure checkbox.  Click OK and you will get Step 11: Press Delete key several times to delete the path (the black line at the middle of your curve). Maybe you will press Delete twice! Step 12: Double click on the Layer 1, which is the layer with our curve, to open up the Layer Style dialog box. I just use Outer Glow effect to keep this tutorial simple. Finished! This is the final result:
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