Chapter 18: Working with Text 611 6. Right-click the newly saved path in the image, and select Define Custom Shape from the pop-up menu. Name the shape, and the shape is added to the Shapes list. You can use the shape just as any other custom shape. 7. Press T to select the Type tool from the Toolbox. 8. Use the Type tool to pick a point inside the newly created shape. As you move the cursor into the newly created shape, the I-beam cursor displays a circle around it indicating that it will use the shape as a bounding box. A new vector text layer is added to the Layers panel, and another path to support the bounding box for the vec- tor text layer is added to the Paths panel, as shown in Figure 18.24. 9. Add the text to the image. The text flows inside the newly created shape, shown in Figure 18.24, and you can edit it as you normally would. Cross-Ref For more information about creating vector shapes, see Chapter 17. n Note In case you are wondering, the text placed inside the image is Lorem Ipsum, which is just dummy text that is fre- quently used by graphics designers as filler text when demonstrating their work. Using the dummy text keeps viewers from being distracted by the content of the text and not focusing on the overall design elements. n Adding text in a Smart Object Working with vector layers can be a big problem when you’re adding text to images. Several layer options are not available for vector layers, including vector text layers. The solution to this problem is to convert the vector text layer to a Smart Layer. Because the content of a Smart Object is raster- ized before applying it to the image, you can use all the raster editing functionality associated with layers. Tip Remember that the content of the Smart Object is rasterized when applied to the image. If you create your text larger than it is used in the actual document, Photoshop doesn’t need to increase the size of the rasterized text, which reduces the amount of pixelization that occurs. There is still pixelization, but it is minimized. n In this example, we convert a text layer to a Smart Object so we can use the warp to apply the text to a surface in the image. Following these steps: 1. Open the image in Photoshop. 2. Add text to the image, as shown in Figure 18.25. Notice that the text sits flatly on the surface of the image and really sticks out. We are about to change that. 26_584743-ch18.indd 61126_584743-ch18.indd 611 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 612 FIGURE 18.25 The text in the image appears flat and intrusive to the photograph. 3. Right-click the vector text layer in the Layers panel, and select Convert to Smart Object from the pop-up menu. This converts the vector text layer to a Smart Object layer. 4. Select the new Smart Object layer in the Layers panel if it is not already selected. 5. Press Ctrl/Ô+T to activate the Free Transform tool. 6. Use the Free Transform tool to position the text, now encased in a Smart Object layer, on the hood of the Jeep. 7. Ctrl-drag the corner handles of the Free Transform tool to match the general shape of the hood. 8. Right-click the text and select Warp from the pop-up menu to bring up the Warp tool. Then use the Warp tool to warp the text to the surface of the Jeep, as shown in Figure 18.26. 9. Press Ctrl/Ô+Enter to accept the changes. The results are shown in Figure 18.27. Notice that the text is much less intrusive to the picture and almost appears as though it was originally part of the image. 26_584743-ch18.indd 61226_584743-ch18.indd 612 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Chapter 18: Working with Text 613 FIGURE 18.26 Warping the Smart Object layer allows the text to appear as though it is part of the Jeep hood. FIGURE 18.27 With the text warped, it is much less intrusive to the picture. 10. Double-click the new Smart Object layer in the Layers panel to bring up the docu- ment for the Smart Object. Notice in Figure 18.28 that the Layers panel for the Smart Object document contains the vector text layer, and you can still edit it just as you would any other vector text layer. Saving the document applies the changes to the original image. 26_584743-ch18.indd 61326_584743-ch18.indd 613 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 614 FIGURE 18.28 You can still edit the vector text layer by double-clicking the Smart Object layer to load the Smart Object document. On the Web Site You can find the project used in this example on the book’s Web site as Figure 18-28.psd. You can open the file in Photoshop and play around with the Smart Object layer. n Applying text as a mask You can use the Type Mask tools to create a selection that looks exactly like text. The selection you create can be used just like any other selection to create as many different effects as you can think of. There are two Type Mask tools: the Horizontal Type Mask tool and the Vertical Type Mask tool. These tools work in exactly the same way that the Type tools work; after you have created text on your screen, you can change the font, resize it, warp it, change the direction, or any one of the other options that are available to you with the regular Text tool—as long as it is selected. After you accept the type by clicking the check mark in the Options bar or choose any other layer or tool, the text becomes a selection and can be altered at that point only by the selection tools and menus. Let me show you an example of how it works. Create a selection mask with the Type Mask tools by following these steps: 1. Click either Type Mask tool in the Toolbox nested with the other Type tools, or press T repeatedly until the tool you want is activated. 2. Click your image (preferably on a second, duplicated layer) in the area where you want to begin typing. 26_584743-ch18.indd 61426_584743-ch18.indd 614 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Chapter 18: Working with Text 615 3. Type your text. 4. Highlight your text, and adjust the font, size, text warp, and so on until you are sat- isfied with the results. You can move the text by grabbing outside of the selection highlight and dragging, as shown in Figure 18.29. FIGURE 18.29 As long as the text you type with the Type Mask tools is selected, you can use the Character panel and text options bar to edit it. 5. Press Ctrl/Ô+Enter to accept the changes. Your text transforms into a selection, as shown in Figure 18.30. From here you have several options: You can invert the selection, so everything but the text is selected; you can apply a fill or adjustment layer or a filter; or you can turn the selection into a layer mask by clicking the Add Vector Mask button in the Layers panel. In short, you can do any- thing to this selection that you can do with any other selection you make. Figure 18.31 shows the result of my selection after I clicked the Add Vector Mask button. 26_584743-ch18.indd 61526_584743-ch18.indd 615 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 616 FIGURE 18.30 After you accept the text, it becomes a selection. FIGURE 18.31 The selection created with your text can be edited just like any other selection. In this case, I created a mask with it. Cross-Ref You can create a clipping mask with text that achieves the exact same results demonstrated in Figure 18.31. Review clipping masks in Chapter 10. n 26_584743-ch18.indd 61626_584743-ch18.indd 616 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Chapter 18: Working with Text 617 Summary This chapter discussed using the Type tools to add text to images, the Character panel to format the text, and the Paragraph panel to control the flow of paragraphs. We also discussed some of the advanced features available in Photoshop that allow you to make text visual elements as well as just textual elements. In this chapter, you learned these concepts: l How to add text in a bounding box. l You can constrain text to fit inside a vector shape. l How to apply layer styles to text. l Putting a vector text layer inside a Smart Object allows you to use raster tools such as the Warp tool. l You can apply text to a vector path, and the text flow follows the path even if you edit the anchor points. l Using the Warp option, you can create some creative textual elements. l Using text as a mask allows you to apply text as a visual element. 26_584743-ch18.indd 61726_584743-ch18.indd 617 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM . dummy text that is fre- quently used by graphics designers as filler text when demonstrating their work. Using the dummy text keeps viewers from being distracted by the content of the text and not. 61326_584743-ch18.indd 613 5/3/10 10:39 AM5/3/10 10:39 AM Part V: Painting, Paths, Shapes, and Text 614 FIGURE 18.28 You can still edit the vector text layer by double-clicking the Smart Object layer to. you accept the type by clicking the check mark in the Options bar or choose any other layer or tool, the text becomes a selection and can be altered at that point only by the selection tools