One of the most versatile tools in Photoshop Elements is the Type Tool. Once you learn to harness its power, you’ll discover a whole new world of creative possibilities.
When you click on the Type tool (see the tool bar on the left of your workspace), the Tool Options will appear. In the far left panel, you’ll find icons for the Horizontal Type tool (the one you’ll use most often), Vertical Type tool, Horizontal Type Mask, Vertical Type Mask, and the Text on Selection, Text on Shape, and Text on Custom Path tools.
To the right of the text tools are the font tools, where you can choose your font, the font style available for that font family, font size, color, and leading (the amount of space between lines of type). The next section lets you add a faux font style (for fonts that don’t come with options for bold, italic, etc.) and choose your text alignment (left, center, right).
The section on the far right allows you to apply layer styles to your type, warp, or change the direction of your type. Check the Anti-aliasing box to make your type appear smoother.
Now, on to the tips!
Change the size or configuration of your text box
Click on the Type tool, then click the text in the box to bring up the bounding box around the text. If you see a dotted line marking out your text box, adjust the size by using the top, side, or corner handles to change the text box while the text remains in proportion. But if the bounding box is a solid line, changing the size will stretch the type out of proportion, so make sure you have that dotted line around your text box.
To the right of the text tools are the font tools, where you can choose your font, the font style available for that font family, font size, color, and leading (the amount of space between lines of type). The next section lets you add a faux font style (for fonts that don’t come with options for bold, italic, etc.) and choose your text alignment (left, center, right).
The section on the far right allows you to apply layer styles to your type, warp, or change the direction of your type. Check the Anti-aliasing box to make your type appear smoother.
Now, on to the tips!
Get a good look at your fonts
Not a fan of the dinky preview size for fonts? Get a larger preview by clicking Edit > Preferences > Type. That brings up a dialog box where you can choose your font preview size from a drop-down menu. (I always choose Huge!)
Grab your text for editing
Ever had trouble selecting text so you can edit it? Presuming you haven’t simplified your text (and you’d know if you had), here’s a sure-fire way to select text: Double-click on the text layer’s thumbnail to automatically select it, then make your changes.
An easy way to choose a font
When deciding which font to use, here’s a simple way to preview several at a time, rather than one by one. Click the Text tool, make sure your text layer is highlighted in the Layers panel, then in the Tool Options, highlight the name of the default font. Use the up and down arrow keys to run through your fonts for a quick preview.
Fill your text with an image
Let’s say you want to create word art for a page about a sunset. You’ve chosen a sunset image to use on the type and a nice, wide font that will reveal the image. In the Toolbar, click the tiny arrow in the upper right corner of the Type tool to bring up the tool options, then click the Horizontal Type Mask tool.
Next, click the image, and you’ll see a red mask appear over the entire image. Type the words you want to use. If your text extends off the end of the photo or if you want to capture a specific portion of your image, hold down the Ctrl key (Mac: Cmd) and move your text around. Once you’re satisfied with the fill of the text, click the green arrow to accept it.
That will take away the mask and leave your text surrounded by “marching ants.” To separate the text from your image, press Ctrl+J (Mac: Cmd+J) to place it on a separate layer. Click the eye icon next to the original image in the background layer to see your new creation, then drag it onto your layout.
I’ve added a couple of words to my sunset text to complete the word art…
Text on a custom path
Open the image or layout you want to work with, then click the Type tool. In the Type tool Options panel, click Text on Custom Path tool. Your cursor will turn into a tiny pen. Draw out the path you want to type on. Click the green check to accept the path. Click the path wherever you want your text to begin, and your cursor will turn into a little I-bar. Type your text. Adjust the size or font as needed. If some letters look a little wonky or you want to refine your path, go back to the Type tool Options panel to click on Modify, then tweak the transform handles (tiny boxes along the path).
Text on a custom shape
Open the image or layout you want to work with and click on the Type tool. In the Type tool Options panel, click the Text on Shape tool. In the panel to the right of the Type tools, choose the shape you want to type on. I chose the ellipse so I could place my text around the flash reflector on the vintage camera in my image. To get a perfectly round path, I centered my cursor in the middle of the reflector, then held down Shift+Alt (Mac: Shift+Opt) while gently dragging out the circle. Once satisfied with the path, click the green check, then click the path and begin typing. Make any adjustments or refinements necessary in the same way.
Text on a selection
This works in much the same manner as text on a custom shape, except you use the Text on Selection tool to create a selection from something in your image. Once you’ve made your selection, click the green check mark, begin typing on the selection, and the text will wrap around the selection.
Text inside a shape
Sometimes it’s fun to fill a shape with text. Any of the shape tools work well, though some custom shapes will not work for this. Choose a shape and a color for that shape. Click and drag out your shape, then click on the Text tool and you’ll notice that your cursor changes from an I-beam surrounded by a box to an I-beam surrounded by a circle. When you see the circle, start typing your text and it will fill the shape. Choose a contrasting color for your text so it will be visible against the shape. Once you’ve filled your shape, click the green check. If you want only the text to be visible, click the eye icon next to the shape layer to turn it off.
Wrapped text
This is one of my favorite ways to use type on those text-heavy pages where you have a story to tell, like a Christmas letter or wordy layout where you want to wrap your text around a photo.
Tutorial written by Jan Walker