This tutorial is going to show you how to create smudged text, like this:

1. Open up a poster, or a new canvas that is 250 (width) x 100 (height).
2. Click on the text tool and type the poster title or whatever you want to say. Make sure the text is as ‘normal’ as possible. Position the text in the center of the new blank canvas, or wherever you want it on your poster. Just make sure you have enough space around the text so you can smudge it.
3. Click on the smudge tool (its the hand that is using its index finger to point). Make sure you have the circle fuzzy brush pack installed, you can click here to download it. Make sure you have a circle fuzzy brush selected to use for the smudge effect otherwise it isn’t going to look right.
4. Locate one of the circle fuzzy brushes and click on it, I’m using Circle Fuzzy (13) for this tutorial. Also, lower the opacity of the brush to around 80-85%. Here is the settings I had used in my tool options box:

5. Make sure your text layer is still selected in the layer palette. Now start dragging the brush around. Make sure your text is still legible so try not to drag the smudger through the text. Try not to over do the smudging. I normally just smudge through the corners of the text and slightly in the center of the text. Play around and experiment and find what you’re most comfortable with.

Viola! Now you have smudged text.