Creative Text in Photoshop

Cynthia Beth Rubin

1. Open an Image in Adobe Photoshop

• Immediately Give it a New Name
  
• Go to FILE, down to SAVE AS
  
• Save it as a .psd (leave the suffix in the title: bark.psd)
  

Give your image a nice easy SHORT name, without fancy symbols and NO slashes (/)

2. Type the Text

• Select the basic TYPE tool in the menu
• Click in the image area where you want text
  
  
• The menu at the top of the page will change to give you Text options
  
  
• Choose font, size, and color here, and then click on the
  
  
• This Puts TEXT on your image as a separate layer.
  
  
• You may move the text with the MOVE icon.
  
  
• Modify the text or change the color by clicking on the text layer, which will bring up the text menu once again.
  
  
• The text will be rendered once you merge down or flatten the layer.
  You will not be able to make changes in the text once it is merged down!
  
• 
  
• FLATTEN when you are ready
  

  SAVE any time!

3. Gradient Filled Text

• Select the TYPE tool in the menu
  
  
• Click in the image area where you want text, and follow steps above (basic text)
  
  
• Choose the icon for typing the text
  
  
• Choose a gradient (foreground to background color) and FILL the image area. Only the TEXT will fill! .
  
  
• FLATTEN when you are ready
  

  SAVE any time!

4. Image Filled Text or Negative Text

• OPEN an existing image.
  
  
• Select the dotted TYPE tool in the menu, as described above.
  
  
• Click in the image area where you want text, and begin to type.
  You will see your image covered by a red mask - this is OK!
  
  
• After you click on the , you will see an outlined text and the mask will disappear.
  You now have your text as a selection.
  
  
• CUT the area of the TEXT.
  Or select inverse
  or paste the text on a blank background.
  
  
• This text cannot be edited. It is already rendered.
  
  
  

SAVE

5. Layer Effects with Text

• Follow the steps above to cut out text and paste it on a separate layer.
  
  
• You may want to add a layer of solid color below the text.
  
  
• Double click on the layer with the text in the layers menu.
  This will bring up dialogue box for experimenting with layer effects.
  
  
• Effects are not rendered until you merge down.
  
  
  

SAVE

6. Artistic Modifications of Basic Text

• CREATE a layer with text as described above. This should be a second Photoshop Layer and not a Background Layer.
  
  
• DUPLICATE the Layer
  
  
• Use FILTERS on one of the TEXT Layers (it is usually easier to turn off the EYE on the layer that you are not working on). Gaussian Blur is a nice effect, changing Brightness and Contrast, or Color, is also interesting.
  
  
• Change the hierarchy of the layers, so that the clean layer is on top, and turn the eye back on.
  
  
• Modify the Colors or levels of the underlying layer, or add a layer of "transparent" color
  
  
• Experiment with opacity changes and layer effects between the layers.
  
  
• FLATTEN and Save
  
  
  

7. Combining Layers of Image Filled Text

• Once you have Mastered the steps above, you can begin to DUPLICATE LAYERS of text and image for interesting combinations