Post by Tom on Oct 19, 2021 20:27:35 GMT -8
I apologize for posting this a day early, but I am going out of town on a three-day family outing this morning.
PSA: All the challenges and contests are hosted by one or more generous members. Recently one of the Creative Effects Challenge hosts needed to step away, leaving us with just 4 hosts, so we are hoping someone (or two!) of you will step forward and become a Creative Effects Challenge host. Because it is offered once every two weeks, your turn would come around once every 10-12 weeks. Enticement: We have a board visible only to CEC hosts which contains a large number of tutorials that you will gain access to. Please consider this request to join the CEC team; if you decide to do it or have any questions before deciding please let me know!
In my last Creative Effects Challenge I presented a technique for creating a text box of arbitrary shape. In this challenge I wish to share a technique for incorporating text into your image that is minimally intrusive (and therefore maximally harmonious!). To top it off this effect is very quick and easy: add a text layer and some effects, move a copy of your image to the top, and with one additional twist you are done!
(Excellent quick tip: To make your font sample preview much more useful, select Edit | Preferences | Type... and then set the Font Preview Size to Huge)
Let's suppose you are done processing a stellar image, but you would like to add a bit of text to complete it (a location or date or person's name). The usual method of dropping a layer of text on top will obstruct some of your masterpiece. Making the text small reduces this, but that is just to opposite of what you want, a big bold declaration! The technique offered here allows your text to be whatever size works best, and yet hides almost none of the image!
- Select the Horizontal Type Tool (shortcut 'T')
- Select a nice fat font and a large size (I used Cooper Black Regular and 140 pt)
- The color doesn't matter, so just use black or white for now
- Click in your image and enter your text; commit by clicking the green check-mark
- Move and resize your text as needed
- Make your image layer active and duplicate it (shortcut Ctrl-J)
- Move this new layer to the top of the layer stack
- Clip this layer to the text layer (Layer | Create Clipping Mask)
At this point you can not see the text; to reveal it make the text layer active and add a style (Layer | Layer Style | Style Settings...)
In my image below, I added a bevel and a drop shadow to the text, then rotated the drop shadow so the text appears illuminated from below.
