Photoshop Tutorials

Archive for the ‘Photoshop Text’ Category

I have had quite a few requests to do a more in depth tutorial on the outline text so here it is.

Enjoy

Step 1:

To begin, we are going to start with a New Document. I started with a new canvas shaped 275×150. The background doesn’t matter at this point, but I added a red & gray gradient.

Start off with typing out your text. I choose white text, but the font-color is something that can be changed at anytime.

Step 2:

To add a customized outline to your text, We are first going to create a new layer. Move this newly created layer, behind your text layer.

Now that we have created a new layer, we are now going to make a selection around your text layer. To do this, we are going to hold down Ctrl, and click on the text-layer icon. (the little image on the left side of your layer.) At this point, your text should be selected. Go Select Modify Expand. Enter 2px.

You should now see the selection around the text expand outwards by 2px. Next, pick a color you would like to outline your text with, and fill in the new layer. I choose #BE1919.

Step 3:

Ok. So, you should have three layers – bg, Text-Layer & Outline layer.

The last step of the the Outline tutorial, is to repeat the step you just completed. Except this time, we are going to create a 1px black outline around the newly created layer (red).

So, that’s it! Thats how you create a customized Stroke Outline Text Effect in Photoshop. This outline effect also works with other colors and gradients. Different Fonts. It will also work for your logos and buttons. There are many things you can use this photoshop text effect for. I probably use this outline effect more than any other photoshop effect.

A free tutorial from http://www.msiphotoshop.com

Make a new document, 400 wide by 200 high. Then select the type tool, and write what you want. Make the colour of this text white. Then right click on the text layer and select Blending Options. Don’t close this window until all steps are complete.

Click on drop shadow. Setup the variables as follows:
Opacity : 75%
Distance : 5px
Spread : 0%
Size : 5px

The text should now have a nice shadow

Now click inner glow. Set the colour to 0034A9 and other variables as follows:
In the Structure heading: Opacity : 75%
Noise : 0%

In the Elements heading: Technique : Softer
Source : Edge
Choke : 0%
Size : 10px

In the Quality heading: Range : 50%
Jitter : 0%

Now select inner shadow and set up the options as below:

# In the Structure heading: Blend Mode : Normal
# Colour : FFFFFF (white)
# Opacity : 75%
# Distance : 4px
# Choke : 0%
# Size : 1px

Next move on to the gradient overlay options.
# In the Gradient heading: Blend Mode : Normal
# Opacity : 100%
# Gradient : Left click on the gradient image. Select a colour to transparent option. Set the colour to 3B8DC7. To see a screenshot of this window click here
# Style : linear
# Scale : 100

Last Step! Select the stroke option. Set the colour to 0E208F
# In the Structure heading: Size : 2px
# Position : outside
# Blend mode : normal
# Opacity : 100%
You can now click ok on the layer style window, because the effect is finished.

Although this effect requires alot of editing of variables, it is great. It can be applied to any layer, and you now have the chance to fiddle with all these variables!
The colours can also be changed. If you like a darker effect in step 1 use a medium/dark blue for the text. Or if you want to change the colours of the whole effect then you need to change colour settings in steps 1, 3, 5 and 6.

Visit www.msiphotoshop for more great tutorials.
Tutorial Supplied by 80 Four

Micro buttons are a popular addition to many websites nowadays, and are very useful for sprucing up search engines, navigation systems, etc. Thankfully for us, they are also simplicity itself to create, and can be easily customized to individual requirements. Here’s how you make your own:

Step 1: Create a new document around 200px by 200px in size with a white background. Create a new transparent layer on top and make it active. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and use it to make a rectangle 60px wide and 11px tall. Select Edit > Fill from the menu and fill it with a nice light grey – I used #F2F2F2.

Step 2: Choose

Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow from the menu and enter in the settings on the left. Don’t press OK until the end of step 5.

NB. All settings that are not shown should be left at their defaults – I just cropped them out to save space.

Step 3: Go to the Inner Shadow subsection and enter these settings. Seems easy? I told you they were simplicity itself to create!

Step 4: Progress onto the Bevel And Emboss subsection and duplicate these settings – you’ll notice that your button now looks almost complete in the background. Only one final step to go…

Step 5: Go to the often-neglected Stroke subsection and enter in the settings on the left. The fill colour is best left at a dark grey because black is far too strong. I chose #616161. Now press OK and look at the neat little button you have made!

Step 6: Default windows fonts often have problems with writing this small, so download a pixel font from one of the internet’s many font websites and enter some text onto your buttons. Deleting the edge pixels from your buttons can give them a rounded appearance, or you can go that bit further and create little jigsaw pieces. Just experiment and have fun!

This tutorial is to help you learn how to combine text with a photo so you can actually put any image inside a word of text. There are many techniques to accomplishing this same effect but this one seems to be the easiest and most effective. Ok, once you have your picture open in photoshop:

1. Create a New Document (File>New), In order to achieve desired results you should probably make sure the new document has the same dimensions as the photo you are going to use to fill the text. Then use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill the background with the color Black.

2. Then use the Horizontal Type Tool (T) and create a word or words that you want that span the whole new document. Then make the letters the color white.

3. Then copy and paste the photo you would like to use into the document with the text you just created. To select the photo (Select>All). To copy the photo (Edit>Copy). Then select the other document and paste the photo into it (Edit>Paste). Your layers menu should look like the example shown to the left.

4. Then change the top layer to be a clipping mask. With the top layer selected (Layer>Create Clipping Mask)

5. Now you should be pretty much done, but you may want to move the text or photo around to change whats showing through, to do this use the Move Tool (V).

This is a great technique for creating posters or brochures. It is also very commonly used to make certain kinds of advertisements.

Summary:

You are likely to come across many situations where you will have a selected areas that has crooked turns or corners in them. One of the best ways to get rid of these corners is to use the Smooth feature. The Smooth feature also works great with the Polygonal lasso tool when it comes to make very quick shapes that you would otherwise not want to spend a lot of time creating with other tools, such as the Pen Tool. In this tutorial, we’ll work with the Polygonal Lasso and the Smooth feature to create a simple smooth selection.

Step-By-Step Instructions:
1. Goto File > New. Open a New Document in Photoshop.
2. When the “New” pop-up appears, set the Width/Height dimensions to 400×400.
3. Select the Polygonal Lasso tool.

4. Create a selection shape by clicking around on the canvas. For the purpose of this tutorial, I’ll simply create the letter “E”.

5. Goto Select > Modify > Smooth.
6. Choose a pixel amount for the Sample Radius, then click OK.

7. You should now have your smoothed out selection.

8. Below, I used the Paint Bucket tool to fill the selection with a simple color.

This tutorial enables you to create a 3D logo from a 2D logo, then allows you to create a stack of the new 3D logos.

I’m going to be taking the Food and Drug Administration logo and turn it 3d, then stack it up. Like a stack of … logos.

Make sure that your logo has no white surrounding it on its layer, or has an entirely transparent background.

Our first step is to use the perspective and skew tools to get the logo in a more interesting angle for 3d-ation. To access perspective, do free transform (Ctrl + T) and right click on the image and choose perspective. The same for skew. I just wanted to make the angle a little more stackable.

Now, select all the pixels in the layer (Ctrl + Click on the thumbnail in the layers window). Choose Select, Modify –> Expand –> 3px. Make a new layer (Ctrl + Shift + N).

Put this new layer behind your logo layer, and choose a foreground color different from that of your logo. Fill the selection (Alt + Backspace).

Now, with the new layer selected and the Move Tool (V) in hand, hold the Alt key and use the arrow key on your keyboard. Tap the down arrow key about 20 times while holding Alt. VOILA! Wannabe-3d. I’d organize the layers and just merge those 20-something layer copies (Select them all using shift, then Ctrl + E).

Now to make a stack. Select all layers (except background, if you have one), right click them and choose Duplicate layers. With these new layers selected, hold shift and use the Move Tool to move them directly above the older layer. Continue until you have a high enough stack for your stackalicious stacking desires. Of stacking, of course.