My horrid attempt at getting to do normal tags. I was trying stuff such as smudging, messed around with the settings. I feel like I'm not improving in Photoshop at all. V1 V2 Plus, I'm not sure I smudged correctly to give the exact effect I wanted... CnC, seriously demanded.
Version one > version two. I personally love that render, but I always find that it works better if you erase that huge sword thing. Having a completely horizontal line or a completely vertical line breaks up the tag, which isn't what you were going for in here. I definitely like the effects on and near the render, and the blending is quite nice. Sadly the render is pushed right up towards the edge of the tag so it feels very cramped. Start following the rule of thirds. Text isn't horrible but it's nothing special either. I love the depth on the left side though.
