In this recipe, we are going to create text and make it look like it is made of a plastic material.
We can create shining plastic text by carrying out the following steps:
In a new file, create a new layer. Use the Text Tool to create the text you want. Pick a bright color, and place the text around the middle of the canvas.
Select Layer | Merge Down from the menu or by right-clicking on the layer's name in the Layers dialog:
Then, choose Alpha to Selection to select everything on the layer that is not transparent. Now, click Select | Save to Channel:
Choose Select | Shrink from the menu and shrink the selection by around 10 pixels. Be careful how much you shrink the selection. 10 pixels worked for my example, but if you are using a small font size or if the font is too narrow, you will have to use a different number; experiment!
Create a new layer, and fill it with a solid white using the Bucket Fill Tool:
Go to Filters | Blur | Gaussian Blur from the...