431 ■ CR E AT I NG B U SI N E S S C A R D S A N D G R EET I N G C A R D S Making a Presentation Frame (Continued) I’ll add the name of the image on the left using a different type face; here I used Technical at 18 points. You can make all sorts of variations on this theme by changing colors, canvas sizes, and how much type you add. Play around to discover what you like. Creating Business Cards and Greeting Cards A great way to share your work with others is to create cards that feature your favor- ite images. You can create business cards to hand out or greeting cards for personal use or to sell. We’ve placed instructions for creating a greeting card on www.sybex.com/ go/photoshopnature . Creating a business card is in many ways similar to creating a greeting card. In some ways, it’s easier since you don’t have the issue of folding the final print and the related layout issues to contend with. First we’ll describe how to create a business card and then we’ll cover how to create the print layout. Creating a Business-Card Layout To create the card layout, start by making a new document for this purpose. Select File > New from the menu, and create a document that is 3.5″ wide and 2″ tall (the standard dimensions for business cards) at 300 dpi (see Figure 10.25). Be sure the Color Mode is set to RGB Color, and leave the bit depth at 8-bit. Use White for Back- ground Contents. Click OK to create your new document. Making a Presentation Frame (Continued) I’ll add the name of the image on the left using a different type face; here I used Technical at 18 points. You can make all sorts of variations on this theme by changing colors, canvas sizes, and how much type you add. Play around to discover what you like. 607343c10.indd 431 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 432 c h a p t e r 10: OUTPUT ■ Figure 10.25 Create a new document with the dimensions of your individual business card to get started. Note: If you prefer to make a vertical business card, simply switch the Width and Height settings when creating your new document for the business card layout. The next step is to add an image to the layout. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Open the image you want to include, and create a duplicate copy, flattening it in the process. 2. Resize it to fit the dimensions of your business card. 3. Use the Move tool to drag the image into the business-card layout, as shown in Figure 10.26. Figure 10.26 Use the Move tool to bring your image into the business card layout. You have these options: I• f you want to rotate the image, select Edit > Transform > Rotate from the menu, move the mouse outside the bounding box, and drag to rotate. When you’re happy with the rotation, press Enter/Return, or double-click inside the bounding box. Y• ou can also resize the image by selecting Edit > Transform > Scale, hold- ing the Shift key as you drag a corner to resize, and pressing Enter/Return or double-clicking inside the bounding box to apply. Use the Move tool to fine-tune the position of the image as needed. T• o include multiple images, simply repeat the process, making sure the cor- rect image layer is selected in the Layers panel when you rotate, resize, or move the image. 607343c10.indd 432 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 433 ■ CR E AT I NG B U SI N E S S C A R D S A N D G R EET I N G C A R D S For Photoshop Elements Users: Transforming Images In Elements, you will find the Transform commands under Image > Rotate and Image > Transform. Adding Text Although it may be tempting to consider the photograph the key component of the perfect business card, you’ll need text for it to actually serve the intended purpose! Creating text layers in Photoshop is quite easy, and you can exercise tremendous flex- ibility in the appearance of the text. To add a text layer, select the Text tool from the Tools panel, and click the image close to where you want the text to appear. You can reposition the text later, so don’t worry if it’s not in the precise position you want. A flashing cursor appears, allowing you to start typing immediately. Make sure the text is set to a reasonable size before you start typing so you’ll be able to see and manage the text. On the Options bar (shown in Figure 10.27), there is a drop-down list for text size with two Ts of different sizes to the left of it. We recommend starting with a point size of 12 initially. You can reselect the text and change the font size later, if necessary. Figure 10.27 The Options bar for the Text tool contains a number of settings related to the overall appearance of your text. As you type your initial text, don’t worry about the font attributes, because you’ll change those in a moment. Just type the text you want to appear. When you’ve finished, don’t press Enter/Return as you may be inclined to do if you want to create multiple lines of text. In terms of adjusting the final layout of your text, it’s much eas- ier if each text element, or line of text, is created as a separate text layer. When you’ve finished typing that block of text, simply switch to the Move tool, and get ready to fine-tune the position of the text. Note: When you create a text layer, the name of the layer automatically changes whenever you change the text itself, with the name reflecting the text. With the Move tool active, drag the text to the desired position, using the arrow keys on your keyboard to get the text into the perfect position. You’re then ready to adjust the attributes of the text. To do so, double-click the thumbnail icon for the text layer on the Layers panel. This selects the text associated with that layer so that any changes you make to the attributes affect all of the text. On the tool Options bar, the first setting to consider is the font type. The Font drop-down list provides a WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) sample For Photoshop Elements Users: Transforming Images In Elements, you will find the Transform commands under Image > Rotate and Image > Transform. 607343c10.indd 433 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 434 c h a p t e r 10: OUTPUT ■ preview, showing you what the font actually looks like to the right of the font name. To the right of the font drop-down list is another drop-down list that allows you to select the style for the text. Your options are Regular, Italic, Bold, or Bold Italic. Keep in mind that some fonts do not support all of these style options directly. You specify the font size to the right of the font and font style drop-down lists. You’ll use the same point-size system you may be familiar with from using word pro- cessing software, with 12 points the standard for most documents, but 10 or even 8 points often necessary for the reduced real estate of a business card. To the right of the font size drop-down list is the anti-aliasing drop-down list. This controls how the lines within the text are refined to avoid a stair-step pattern along curved lines. Choose among the various settings to get a preview of the effect, but we generally find that the Sharp option provides excellent results. The next set of buttons allows you to control the text alignment, with the standard choices of left, center, and right represented by icons on the buttons. Since you’re not going to be creating paragraphs of text, the default setting of left alignment is probably adequate, but at times you may find it helpful to use a different option to help you align text properly. The colored box (white in Figure 10.27) to the right of the text-alignment but- tons defines the color of the text. It reflects the current color of the active text layer; click this colored box to open the Color Picker and select a new color. Note that the selected text appears inverted, so you don’t see the final result until you apply the change to your text (for example, by selecting the Move tool as discussed earlier). The Warp Text button brings up the Warp Text dialog box (shown in Fig- ure 10.28), where you can adjust the shape of the path upon which the text is written. Normally, the text simply flows across a straight line. However, you can have it move across a curved line or have the text itself warped into a particular shape. The Warp Text dialog box includes a Style drop-down list, where you can specify the particular shape you’d like to use, along with settings to adjust the particular style you’ve chosen. Figure 10.28 The Warp Text dialog box allows you to distort the text so it ows along a path that isn’t straight. Note: For advanced users, the last button on the Options bar for the Text tool opens the Charac- ter panel, which provides more options for fine-tuning the text appearance. 607343c10.indd 434 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 435 ■ CREATING BUSINESS CARDS AND GREETING CARDS Applying Layer Styles Once you’ve created the basic layout for your card, experiment with adding some layer styles to your text or image layers. These allow you to add dimension to the elements that compose your business-card design. To add a layer style, first select the desired layer on the Layers panel. Then click the Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers panel. A list of available layer styles pops up (see Figure 10.29). Let’s start with a simple drop shadow to add some depth to the current layer. When you select an option from the list, the Layer Style dialog box (shown in Figure 10.30) appears. Along the left side are the available styles, and in the center are the options for the currently selected style. You can add more than one style to the current layer by select- ing it from the left. Be sure to click the text rather than the check box so the option is activated and the options for that style are shown at the same time. Figure 10.29 When you click the Layer Style button, a pop-up list provides the available options for the eects you can apply to elements within your text or image layers. Figure 10.30 The Layer Style dialog box allows you to select the various eects to add to the current layer and adjust the settings for those eects. Adjust the settings in the center section of the dialog box as desired. Remember that a subtle effect is generally best because it provides the impression of depth with- out overwhelming the viewer. The best settings are usually those you feel are a little too subtle. To get you started, add a Drop Shadow layer style and a Bevel and Emboss layer style to your text layers. When you’ve added the desired settings, click OK to apply them to the current layer. 607343c10.indd 435 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 436 c h a p t e r 10: OU T P U T ■ Chances are you want to apply a consistent style to all the text elements in your business card layout. When you add a layer style to a layer, an icon that matches the button you clicked initially at the bottom of the Layers panel is added on the right side of that layer in the Layers panel. To copy the layer styles to other layers, hold down the Alt/Option key, and click and drag the Layer Style icon to the desired layers. You can copy the layer styles to as many layers as you need. To adjust the Layer Style settings later, simply double-click the icon on the right side of the layer on the Layers panel. The Layer Style dialog box appears, where you can select the style on the left and adjust the settings in the center. Click OK when you’ve finished making adjustments. You will have to drag the updated Layer Style icon to other layers using the same styles—they won’t automatically update otherwise. Note: If you create a combination of Layer Style settings that you particularly like, you can save them so you can easily use them on other projects. For example, you might create a combination of styles that you like for your business cards. To save them, click New Style while in the Layer Style dialog box. A new dialog will appear in which you can name the style and specify whether to include the Layer Effects and/or Blending Options. You could call it Business Card Styles. Then this new style will appear as the last icon in the Layer Style panel. When you want to create a new business card, click Styles, at the top left of the Layer Style dialog and choose the Business Card style icon. That style will immedi- ately be applied to the text. You can create customized styles for nearly any purpose. To remove a layer style, drag it to the trash can, or Alt/Option-click it, and use the little scissors that appear to click and remove the style. For Photoshop Elements Users: Layer Styles In Elements layer styles are effects and not layers that can be modified later. To apply a layer style, select Window > Effects, click the Layer Styles button , select the style you want, and click Apply. Saving the Layout Once you’ve added image and text layers to the layout, fine-tuned their settings and positions, and applied layer styles as desired, you should have a business card that you’re proud to distribute. Be sure to save this document as a TIFF or PSD file with all layers intact so you can make revisions as desired at a later date. This master file will be the basis of the print layout we’ll create in the next section. Try It! Open the image BizCard from www.sybex.com/go/photoshopnature, and create a business-card layout. For Photoshop Elements Users: Layer Styles In Elements layer styles are effects and not layers that can be modified later. To apply a layer style, select Window > Effects, click the Layer Styles button , select the style you want, and click Apply. 607343c10.indd 436 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 437 ■ CREATING BUSINESS CARDS AND GREETING CARDS Creating the Print Layout With the business-card layout created, the next step is to create a print layout that includes multiple business cards so you can print sheets of them at a time. Although prescored business-card papers are available, most of them that we’ve seen don’t pro- vide a material that is adequate for photo-quality printing. In addition, when you sepa- rate them along the scored edges, the result does not look very professional. Therefore, we recommend using a paper designed specifically for producing photo-quality output on your photo ink-jet printer for this purpose. In general, you’ll get the best results from coated matte papers. For this example, we’ll assume you’re printing to an 8.5 ″ × 11″ sheet of paper that produces good results on your photo ink-jet printer, but you could certainly use a larger paper size if you prefer. The first step is to create a new document with the dimensions of the paper. Select File > New from the menu, and in the New dialog box, enter dimensions of 8.5 ″ for Width, 11″ for Height, and 300 dpi for Resolution, and make sure the document is set to RGB with a bit depth of 8-bit. Click OK to create the new document. Add new vertical guides at 0.5 ″ and 4.5″ to mark the left edge of each business card by selecting View > New Guide from the menu (shown in Figure 10.31). Guides are nonprinting lines that you can place at any horizontal or vertical position within a document to provide layout guidance. Then add new horizontal guides at 0.5 ″, 3″, 5.5 ″, and 8″, marking the top of each business card (see Figure 10.32). This provides a framework for you to place each business card into this document. Figure 10.31 The New Guide dialog box allows you to place a guide at a specic position within your page layout document. If you don’t still have the business-card layout document open, open it now. Then create a working copy by selecting Image > Duplicate from the menu. Select the Duplicate Merged Layers Only check box to flatten the image in the process, and click OK. Then use the Move tool to drag this flattened duplicate into the new document you created for your print layout. Drag this business card layer to the top-left position defined by the guides you added to the document. By default, the layer snaps into the corner identified by the guides you added as you get close; if it doesn’t, choose View > Snap to turn on this feature. At this point, it’s a good idea to add a Stroke layer style to this image layer, which makes it easier to cut out the individual business cards after printing. To do so, click the Add Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layers panel, and select Stroke from the pop-up menu. Set the size to about 2 pixels, with Position set to Outside (see Figure 10.33). Click the Color box to bring up the Color Picker and set a color for this stroke. (We recommend using black and cutting this area out of the final business cards, but you could also set a color you like and keep it as a frame for the cards.) 607343c10.indd 437 4/12/10 11:53:32 PM 438 c h a p t e r 10: OUTPUT ■ Figure 10.32 Add guides to the page layout for your business cards to provide a reference for where each individual card should be placed. Then move the rst business card into the print layout in the rst position at the top left of the document. Figure 10.33 Add a stroke to the individual business card layer so you have a reference for cutting each card out later. 607343c10.indd 438 4/12/10 11:53:33 PM 439 ■ CR E AT I NG B U SI N E S S C A R D S A N D G R EET I N G C A R D S Once you have positioned the first business-card layer, select the Move tool, then hold down the Alt/Option key and drag a copy of your card to the next position on the page. Repeat this process to place a business-card layer at every position you defined with the guides you added to the document. You can opt to use several ver- sions of your card on one large sheet, as shown in Figure 10.34. Figure 10.34 When you have placed a business card at each position within your page layout, save the le and use it as the source for printing your cards. When you have finished creating a complete page layout, save it as a TIFF or PSD file so you can always refine the layout later if desired. You’re then ready to print this document as you would any other and then cut out the individual business cards. For Photoshop Elements Users: Creating a Page of Business Cards Creating a page of business cards is slightly harder in Elements, because Elements doesn’t have guides. Here are the steps we recommend: 1. Create a new, blank 8.5″ × 11″ document at 300 dpi with a white background. 2. Flatten your business card document and, using the Move tool, drag it onto the blank document. Continues For Photoshop Elements Users: Creating a Page of Business Cards Creating a page of business cards is slightly harder in Elements, because Elements doesn’t have guides. Here are the steps we recommend: 1. Create a new, blank 8.5 ″ × 11 ″ document at 300 dpi with a white background. 2. Flatten your business card document and, using the Move tool, drag it onto the blank document. Continues 607343c10.indd 439 4/12/10 11:53:33 PM 440 c h a p t e r 10: OU T P U T ■ For Photoshop Elements Users: Creating a Page of Business Cards (Continued) 3. Drag the layer Elements created in Step 2 onto the Create New Layer button to duplicate it, and repeat until you have five layers worth of business card images. 4. Select one layer and move it to where you want the top card to be (both on the top and left). 5. Select another layer and move it to where you want the bottom of the bottom card to be. 6. In the Layers panel, select all of the layers you created in Steps 2 and 3. 7. From the workspace buttons area, click Distribute > Vertical Centers. Elements will spread the layers out vertically. 8. In the workspace buttons area, click Align > Left Edges. Elements will align the left edge of the layers, as shown in the following graphic. 9. With all of the layers still selected, choose Layer > Duplicate Layer and just click OK in the dialog window that appears with duplicate options. 10. Select the Move tool, and use the right arrow key on your keyboard to nudge these layers to the right to form the right column (use Shift+Right Arrow to nudge the layers faster). By using the Distribute and Align commands, Elements will spread your images out over the page, aligned nicely so that you can make a straight cut against each edge. By using the key- board in Step 10 rather than the mouse to create the second column of images, you ensure that the top and bottom of the second column stay aligned with the first column, thus making it easier to cut out your business cards. Using Adobe Output Module Adobe Output Module is part of Bridge CS5 that enables you to create various types of PDFs (including contact sheets as well as slide shows) and Web output (including web galleries, slide shows, and journals). The interface takes a little getting used to, but it’s pretty intuitive once you get accustomed to it. For Photoshop Elements Users: Creating a Page of Business Cards (Continued) 3. Drag the layer Elements created in Step 2 onto the Create New Layer button to duplicate it, and repeat until you have five layers worth of business card images. 4. Select one layer and move it to where you want the top card to be (both on the top and left). 5. Select another layer and move it to where you want the bottom of the bottom card to be. 6. In the Layers panel, select all of the layers you created in Steps 2 and 3. 7. From the workspace buttons area, click Distribute > Vertical Centers. Elements will spread the layers out vertically. 8. In the workspace buttons area, click Align > Left Edges. Elements will align the left edge of the layers, as shown in the following graphic. 9. With all of the layers still selected, choose Layer > Duplicate Layer and just click OK in the dialog window that appears with duplicate options. 10. Select the Move tool, and use the right arrow key on your keyboard to nudge these layers to the right to form the right column (use Shift+Right Arrow to nudge the layers faster). By using the Distribute and Align commands, Elements will spread your images out over the page, aligned nicely so that you can make a straight cut against each edge. By using the key - board in Step 10 rather than the mouse to create the second column of images, you ensure that the top and bottom of the second column stay aligned with the first column, thus making it easier to cut out your business cards. 607343c10.indd 440 4/12/10 11:53:33 PM . warped into a particular shape. The Warp Text dialog box includes a Style drop-down list, where you can specify the particular shape you’d like to use, along with settings to adjust the particular. next section. Try It! Open the image BizCard from www.sybex.com/go/photoshopnature, and create a business-card layout. For Photoshop Elements Users: Layer Styles In Elements layer styles are. easier to cut out your business cards. Using Adobe Output Module Adobe Output Module is part of Bridge CS5 that enables you to create various types of PDFs (including contact sheets as well