Introduction to Creating Text in Photoshop CS5 VECTOR VS. RASTER Graphics
Vector Graphics: Created by using mathematical equations to define the shapes and points of the image. If the image is increased in size, the equation is recalculated accordingly resulting in the image increasing in size with no loss of data or detail.
Raster Graphics: Created from Pixels. Handles the subtleties of photographs well, but if the image is increased in size, it will not retain crisp detail.
Vector vs. Raster image
Why we would want to use Photoshop for text Convenience
Familiarity
Can support vector type
Why we would not want to set type in Photoshop
No suited for extended type (lots of text or multi-pages)
There are control limitations. If we wanted to take complete control over our text, we would move to a program like Adobe Illustrator
Before working with text, change your Photoshop Preferences Photoshop Preferences Units and Rulers
Set “Type” to “Pixels”. Pixels are good to use because they are an absolute measurement. “Points”, on the other hand, are always relative to the resolution of your Photoshop document. To practice, create new file and save as a PSD
Locate the horizontal type tool on the tool bar
Note the tools options
Type tool preset picker You can store presets here Text orientation
Can change to Horizontal or Vertical after text is added Font Family
At the heart of typography lies the glyph, a unique graphical representation of a letter, number, punctuation mark, or pictographic symbol.
In the digital realm, a collection of glyphs is called a typeface or font.
Technically, a typeface is the overall shape or design of the glyphs and a font is the specific size, style, and weight, but people use the terms interchangeably.
Lists every font currently installed on your machine, and includes a preview of what each font looks like.
In the font family menu, youʼll spot a symbol to the left of each font name denoting its format. A lowercase a means itʼs a postscript font, TT stand for TrueType, and an O indicates Open Type.
Font Categories 1.Serif-
these fonts have little lines (serifs) extending from the main stroke that resemble tiny feet. The main strokes vary from thick to thin, and the serifs help lead the eye from one character to the next. Serifs are great for large bodies of text like books, newspapers, or magazines where legibility is paramount.
Ex: Times New Roman, Garamond, and Minion 2.Sans serif-
Fonts lacking the aforementioned feet are called sans serif (“sans” means “without”). Theyʼre perfect for headlines, subheads, and surprisingly enough, online body copy. Because their main strokes are uniform- they donʼt vary from thick to thin, they display well at small sizes, so theyʼre ideal for Web use. Examples: Arial, Helvetica, and Futura
3.Slab serif-
These have uniform main strokes, thick serifs, and often appear bolded. Use them when you want to attract attention, or when printing body copy under less than optimal conditions.
Examples include Bookman, Courier, and Rockwell 4.Decorative, Display-
This group includes all kinds of distinctive, eye catching fonts, from the big and bold, to the swirly, to letters made out of bunnies. Though gloriously unusal, theyʼre harder to read due to the extra ornamentation or stroke thickness. Use them sparingly and on small block of text
Examples include Impact, Party, and Stencil 5.Scripts-
designed to look as though they were drawn by hand. Formal scripts have carefully crafted strokes that actualy join the letters together, like cursive handwriting. These can be hard to read. Use casual scripts for small blocks of text and reserve formal scripts for fancy announcements.
Examples include Brush script, Freestyle, and Edwardian Font Styles
This is where where you can choose a native style for the font you selected
Most fonts contain several styles like bold, semi-bold, italic, condensed, and so on. When these styles are included in the font itself (meaning they were designed by the fontʼs creator), theyʼre called native or built in styles. To view all native styles of a particular font, use the font styles pop up menu in the Options bar or in the Character panel.
If the font doesnʼt contain a bold or italic version, Photoshop can fake it for you. Just select a font from the font family menu and then head over to the Character panel and click the bold or italic button.
Ex: Bernard MT Condensed Selecting Font Size
Either a pixel size for your text or hover above the fieldʼs label and use the scrubby cursor to change the size.
Anti-aliasing
A method for smoothing the edges of a selection. The option can also smooth text, helping you avoid the dreaded jagged edges so common when printing to an inkjet printer or posting on the Web.
Your choices are None, sharp, crisp, strong, and smooth. Each setting has a different effect on various text sizes, so you might have to do a little experimenting. Use none on extremely small text to make it clean and sharp, and strong or smooth for larger text to keep it from looking jagged when itʼs printed.
Left/Center/Right Use to align paragraphs Text Color
Click the swatch to change text color Warp
Can be used to warp text
Paragraph/Character Panel Toggle
Use to quickly activate paragraph or character panel
There are two different ways to add text in Photoshop: Point type and paragraph type Entering and selecting point type
Select the horizontal type tool from the tool panel Set font, style, size, anti-aliasing, and color
When you click once on the canvas, you create an insertion point. You can now type to add text. While you remain in this area of type, double click to select a word, triple click to select the whole line.
When finished typing, press Enter on your computerʼs numeric keypad or click the black check mark at the far right of the Options bar to let Photoshop know youʼre done.
When you use the type tool you create a type layer. The first few characters will be the name of that layer. You can rename the layer as normal.
To reedit type, you have to click inside of the text. If you click outside of the text, Photoshop will create a new text layer.
Changing Fonts with the Tool Options Bar
Select the type in the layers panel and change the font in the tool options bar. You can insert your cursor in the font field and use up and down arrows to scroll through the fonts. Sizing Type with the Tool Options Bar
We are working with pixels, so type size is expressed as an absolute number. Select the type and use the menu on the tool options bar to change the size. You can also “scrub” the size of text.
You can also use free transform to scale your type (be sure to hold shift to constrain proportions)
Text Color with the Tool Options Bar
Select your text in layers panel and then click the colored swatch. Copying Text
Copy a text layer by dragging it down to the new layer icon Editing multiple Layers of Text
Select multiple layers in the layers panel, and then make your adjustments Warping Text
The “create warped text” button appears in the options bar when a type tool is active. To warp text, you have to create text first and then click on the warp button.
Changing to Vertical Text
Can use the option in the Tools option bar or you can create the text vertically with the vertical type tool
To delete Text layer
Drag to trashcan in the layers panel The Character Panel
Character Panel
Tracking type
Adjusts the space across a range of type
Select type, and change tracking options in character panel….positive number makes the space bigger, negative number makes the space tighter between the characters.
Kerning type
Adjustment of space between letter pairs Automatic or custom
Automatic- choose word and go to character panel…”Metrics”- uses the kerning metrics that are built into this font, what the designer decided. The metrics kerning is probably the best way to go.
“Optical”- disregards the values and just looks at the character shapes…will give you a slightly tighter result.
To add custom kerning…place your cursor between the letter pair…now you can scrub from the character panel or instead use option and left/right arrows
Will stretch your text horizontally or vertically Baseline Shift
The Baseline is an invisible line on which letters sit. Changing it can make a character appear higher or lower than other characters on the same line.
Select the text you want to change and then scrub
(This comes in handy when you are working with type on a path) Faux Bold and Italics
Only use when this is the only option All Caps/Small Caps
Superscript
Example: 1st Subscript
Example: H20
Strikethrough and Underline
Rasterizing text
If you want to use certain filters or features in Adobe Photoshop CS5, it may be necessary to rasterize your vector text.
To rasterize text, go to Layer Rasterize Type Paragraph Text
Chances are, most of the text youʼll create in Photoshop will be point text, which starts at a certain spot (or point) and continues along a single line.
If you want Photoshop to automatically wrap text to the next line, or if you want to confine your text to a specific width, youʼll need to create paragraph text instead.
Paragraph text is text that lives inside a box. To create, you can drag with the type tool to draw a box.
Photoshop places a dashed box in your document, with the upper-left corner in the spot where you originally clicked. If the box isnʼt the right size, press Escape and have another go at it, or simply adjust the boxʼs size by dragging the tiny white resizing handles strategically placed around its edges.
When the text box is all set, just start typing. When your text hits the edge of the box, Photoshop adds line breaks- and hyphenates words. You can still resize the text box after you type in it- just make sure the type layer is selected in the Layer panel. Then click in the text box and drag any of the resulting handles. The size of the text doesnʼt change, but the size of the text box does and the text reflows automatically to fit inside the newly sized box.
You can always change the size of the paragraph box. Select text tool, click within the text and then manipulate.
Aligning Paragraph Text in the Tools options bar Three buttons on the tools option bar.
Changing the Leading with the Character Panel
Controls the amount of blank space between lines of type This is a character on the character panel
To change leading for entire paragraph, select type…option + up arrow, down arrow…this move in 2 pt. increments
To change leading for a single paragraph (apple of my eye example) select the last line…option + up arrow
The Paragraph Panel
Aligning Paragraphs with the paragraph panel
If you want justified type, you have to go to the paragraph panel. Select type, go to paragraph panel
Justify with last line left if probably what we want. Hyphenation on check is on the bottom
Considering the Text as a Layer
Change opacity and blending modes of text
You can treat your text layers just as you would any other layer. You may change opacity and blending modes in the layers panel.
San Francisco Example- Change Opacity
Experiment with blending modes Using the “FX menu” with text
Fx Menu Bevel and Emboss
(use pillow emboss for san Francisco image) Applying a gradient to text
First, choose two colors for your gradient Fx Menu gradient overlay
Masking type
The best way to mask type is to create a clipping mask. Create text. Place the type layer underneath picture layer.
Select picture layer. Control + click on the layer to add clipping mask.
You can move the image around inside the type…you can move type around over the image
Using the path shape tool to create text around a path
Select a shape tool
Select “paths” in the tool options bar Draw your path
Place the text tool over where you would like to being typing. Wait for this symbol to appear:
Click. An insertion point will appear on your path. Enter the type. You can use the path selection tool to manipulate the text on the path
Filling a shape with text
Create a closed path. Hover your cursor inside the path and, when it turns into an I beam surrounded by tiny dots, just click and type your text.
Ex: Bird shape.
Using a path to create text around a selection
Paths are vector-based drawings. This means you can stretch and re-shape a path and it will not lose detail.
2. Go to your Paths. Click on create work path from selection icon.
3. Place the text tool over where you would like to being typing. Wait for this symbol to appear:
4. Click. An insertion point will appear on your path. Enter the type.
To download custom fonts:
Make sure Photoshop is closed
Download the font of your choice from a website Drag to font file (s) to:
Go -- > Home -- > Library -- > Fonts
When you open Photoshop again your font should appear in the font list 1001 free fonts.com
