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This tutorial will cover how to use layer style effects in Adobe Photoshop.
Set-up
Step one - Open Adobe Photoshop, create a new document, fill in the background black and add some text. 
Or download this set-up file.
Accessing The Layer Styles
There are a couple of ways to do this.
1. Right click on the layer and go to blending options.
2. Go to layer>layer style>blending options... 
All the features of the layer styles are pretty much self-explaining. Here are some tips to make things look better.
1 - When it says Use Global Lighting, that means use the same light angle for the entire document. If you uncheck this, it will only be for the specific layer.
2 - To remove the original layer's color, go to the blending options and set the fill to 0%.
3 - Layer styles are not affected by the color of the original layer. They're only affected by the transparency. Example: black text on a white background won't work, but if the black text is on a seperate layer with transparency, it will work.
4 - If you intend to import the PSD file into Maya or a similar application, the program may not be able to read the layer styles.
Example 1
In this part we'll cover how to make a simple chrome text effect.
Step one - Check bevel and emboss. 
Step two - Go down to shading and check anti-aliased (AA).
Step three - Double click on the gloss contour. 
Step four - In the contour editor window, we'll change how the gloss falls on the text.
Step five - To change the curve, click on the line to add an edit point which later you can move. To make a hard corner, check corner after selecting an edit point. 
Create this profile to get the chrome result. 
Step six - Check gradient. 
Step seven - Double click on the gradient to open the gradient editor.
Create a gradient like the one in the image below. 
Now you're done. 
Example 2
Step one - Check outer glow. 
Step two - Set the structure color from solid color to gradient. 
Step three - Double click on the gradient and use the simple black to white gradient preset. 
Step four - Set the blending mode to normal. Set the spread to 27, and size to 9.
Step five - Check gradient map.
Step six - Create the same gradient map that we created for the previous example.
Done. 
Saving A Layer Style
You can save a layer style so you can use it later. To save a layer style, click the "new style..." button in the layer style window.
Set the name to something that reflects what the layers results are.
To assign a preset layer style to a new layer, simply use the style's palette on the interface. Your saved layer styles will appear here. This will be here even after you restart Adobe Photoshop. 
Copy & Pasting Layer Styles
You can copy and paste a layer style from layer to layer or document to document.
Step one - Right click on the layer and go to copy layer style.
Step two - Right click on the layer you want to assign the layer to and hit paste layer style.
Hiding And Removing Layer Styles
To hide a layer style, click on the eye icon beside it listed in the layers editor beneath the layer. 
To hide all the layer styles in the document, go to layer>layer style>hide all effects. To redisplay them, go back and hit show all effects.
To remove a layer style from a layer, right click on the layer and click clear layer style.
To remove a layer style but keep the result it creates, create a new empty layer beside the layer with the layer style. Select both layers and go to layer>merge layers. Note: You will not be able to edit the layer style after this.
Conclusion
I hope this tutorial got you up to speed with layer styles in Adobe Photoshop.
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