Following on from the last Photoshop tutorial here is another small tutorial. This time we're going to take a wee look at the "Text Tool" and some of the things you can do with text in PhotoShop. This doesn't cover everything to do with the "Text Tool" ... to do that I would have to write a book. This tutorial is intended for users who are familiar with Photoshop.

Open a new file in Photoshop at 72dpi, a white background and I'll let you decide on the width and the height. I'm going to walk through the steps I took to create the image below, which, believe it or not, was mostly created using "layer styles" and the "Text Tool". Yeah baby ... lets head on back to the 60's ... Groovy!

 

We need to create those two black circles. Create a new layer by clicking on the "new layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette and name it "circle". Select the "Elliptical Marquee Tool" from the "Tool Palette" and draw a large circle in the middle of your blank canvas. Type the letter "d" to take the colour palette back to the default (black and white). Select the "Paint Bucket Tool" and fill the circle with black. Select "Select", "Modify", "Contract" from the drop down menu and contract the circle selection 40 pixels. Type the letter "x" to swap the foreground and background colours. Select the "Paint Bucket Tool" and fill the circle with white. Create a new layer and name it "inner circle". Select "Select", "Modify", "Contract" and contract the circle 60 pixels. Type the letter "x" to swap the colours and fill the circle with black. Contract the Selection another 30 pixels, type "x" and fill the circle with white and you should have something like the image to the right.

Lets put that text into the outer circle. Click on the "circle" layer in the "Layers Palette" (I know you named it that ... because I told you to). Select the "Magic Wand Tool" and click on the canvas anywhere within the white area inside the first black circle. Select "Select", "Modify", "Expand" and expand the circle selection 12 pixels. This should put our circle selection square in the middle of the black circle. We want to make this a "path" for our text to follow, so select the "Paths Palette". If it isn't open select "Window" then "Paths" and it will display. At the bottom of the "Paths Palette" select "Make Work Path from Selection". Just a word about fonts here ... I will name the fonts I have used ... I have collected all of them either as freeware from the internet or from my library of images and fonts. What I mean is that you may be able to locate a freeware font similar to the one I have used if you don't have a similar one available. Lets get back to typing on a path. Select the "Type Tool" and hold it over the path we have just created. You will notice the "Text Tool" icon changes when it connects with the path and if you click your mouse at this point the text will anchor onto the path. I used the regular old "Verdana" font for this text and the lyrics of that 60's song "The Rhythm of Life" for my circle text ... I'll let you decide what to put in there. Notice as you type the text follows the circle path.

Just a point here about text on a path. If you have trouble getting the text into the right position on the path, you can use the "Path Selection Tool" to move the text around the path. A little bit of experimentation and a quick check of the HELP menu will have you orientated in no time.

Next we'll create the large heading. I used the font "Ultraworld" at 48pt size in Black. Hold the CTRL key down and select the "circle" layer in the "Layers Palette". Expand the selection 4 pixels and make the selection a work path. Select the "Text Tool" and select the path to the right-hand side of the canvas. Key in "The Rhythm of Life" ... it should follow the circle path. I noticed at this point I wasn't happy with the "tracking", the characters were too close together. Open the "Character Palette". If its not open select "Window" then "Character". Double Click the text layer you just created in the "Layers Palette" to highlight the text then put the "tracking" to "50" in the "Character Palette". I liked the look of this much better. To get the "groovy" psychadelic pattern I used a "pattern overlay" layer style. I collect Photoshop patterns from wherever I can find them, there are loads of freeware ones on the internet. Patterns aren't that hard to make if you can't find one that is just right ... make one for yourself. I also used a "Stroke" layer style in black to make the heading stand out more.

I used a couple of "pattern overlay" layer styles on the "background" and "circle" layers. Lets do that now. Select the "background" layer in the "Layers Palette". To add a layer style to this layer you need to double click the "layer thumbnail" ... name it "background". Then add a "pattern overlay" layer style and select a "groovy" pattern. I put the opacity down to 35 so the pattern didn't overpower the image. Select the "circle" layer in the "Layers Palette" then use the "Magic Wand Tool" to click on the canvas in the white area inside the circle. Hold the CTRL key down and type the letter "J" to create a duplicate layer, name it "circle pattern". Add a "pattern overlay" layer style to this new layer and select a different pattern to the previous one. Again, I put the opacity right down to try to blend the pattern in.

Now for the "Groovy Man" text at the bottom of the image. Select the "background" layer in the "Layers Palette". Select the "Freeform Pen Tool" tool from the "Tools Palette". In the top menu select the "Paths" icon as per the image here. Draw a wavy line across the bottom left of the canvas. Select the "Text Tool" and click on the path you just created. I used the font "Stencil" at 40 pt and I added a "gradient overlay" pattern style to keep in with the 60's theme.

Now for those snowflakes and the dancing skeletons. I used the two fonts "Spunkflakes" and "MrSkelloFunk" which are available as freeware from the internet. I used text on a path and added both "pattern overlay" and "stroke" layer styles to the skeleton font and just a "pattern overlay" to the snowflakes to make them stand out more against all the other patterns in the image.

And there you have it ... a trip back to the 60's and a whole wealth of new knowledge about the "Text Tool" ... Yeah baby! Writing this set of tutorials has reinforced the fact that the more you learn about PhotoShop the more there is to learn. I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial and all homework will be accepted for grading before the next issue of the WBB appears in your inbox.