Photoshop Tips - Get your Image To Work

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by: DavidPeters
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Sometimes, when it comes to getting a picture to convey a particular emotion, or augmenting the theme of the background you juxtapose it against, nothing works quite as well as a few choice words. These could either be in the form of a quirky caption, or an insightful banner, or just about anything that adds to the significance of the picture in terms of the context you want to present it in. However, many photographers and editors have shied away from 'tagging' their images for years, for fear of their pieces of art turning into tacky caricatures, by merely adding a not-so-impressive effect that detracts from their image's artistic value. In recent times, the revolution called Photoshop has literally swept these cynics of their feet, offering an array of features that would have otherwise been considered impossible to attain with more conventional digital photo-editing softwares.

Photoshop not only allows you to caption your image, but also blend the text in, so that instead of standing out as a jarring addition to your photograph, it merges in as an integral part of the frame. To do this, Photoshop uses a technique called Anti-Aliasing, which smoothes the edges of the text you type, by partially filling in the pixels along the edges. What's more, you can even choose the extent to which your text is smoothened from 'strong' to make your text appear heavier, to 'sharp' which makes the letters more prominent, but not crude.

If you are working with very small text that is below the font size of 10 or 12 points, then as Photoshop specialists recommend, steer away from using Anti-Aliasing by setting the preference to 'None'. This keeps the text from being modified inconsistently, a factor that comes into play when working with images of a very small size, or of a low resolution. The 'smooth' and the 'sharp' alternatives live up to their name with the effects they bring about, but if you are looking for something in between, try the 'Crisp' option which, as the name suggests, makes your text appear decisive. To work with Anti-Aliasing, choose the option you intend to work with from the menu, which you will find in the 'Type' layer segment of the Layer Palette. You can move to this menu either by selecting it from the 'Options' bar, or from the 'Character Palette'.

A swift way to reach for the Type tool is with the letter 'T'. This brings the Type Tool options to the Options bar, from where you can use the ones you want to work with. The first two buttons let you choose between creating a Type Mask, or a Type Layer, which you can, depending on what you're more comfortable with. If you have a large amount of text you want to fit into your image, the best way to go about it is to create a Type Layer, click and drag a rectangle or square to size your text and fit it in the section of the image where you want the text to be featured. If you plan to type directly onto the document, you can save on a lot of time and effort by referring to the I-beam that appears on the image. The small horizontal line that cuts across the beam indicates the baseline, which you can use to align your text with the image, even as you're working on it!

With Photoshop, you always have the option of previewing your text to check for font and style compatibility, even before you actually begin to type in the content. However, if you think you need to see the final effect to make your decision, you also have the alternative of typing your text in, highlighting it and then modifying the finer nuances. Coloring your text is another ballgame altogether. With Photoshop, you can not only fine-tune your color choice with every individual character, but also multi-hue your text while using only a single layer. While the Color-Picker is bound to spoil you for choice, you can also pick colors off your image by moving your cursor to the color you want to emulate, while keeping the Color Picker window open.

Once you are satisfied with the text you have added, you can exit the typing mode by hitting the 'Enter' key on your 'Numeric Keypad', click on any other tool in the toolbox or simply click on the checkmark in the Options bar. For last minute touch-ups, look for the 'T' in the thumbnail area of the Layer's Palette and double click it, which will bring the text back into the editing mode. You can also move your text around, after you have added it, or even scale it to size. Only remember to hold down the 'Shift' key when you are doing so, to retain the text proportions. If you choose to make your text taller or wider, you can still use the 'Free Transform' mode and not use the 'Shift' key.

Photoshop has endless avenues for both amateur enthusiasts and professionals to explore. Although the learning curve can be steep and hard to grapple with, take your time with the software and be as creative as you can when using it. With a little practice and loads of determination, turning everyday plain-Jane images to digital masterpieces will be a forte you have firmly etched out for yourself!

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<h1>Photoshop Tips - Get your Image To Work</h1> <p> Sometimes, when it comes to getting a picture to convey a particular emotion, or augmenting the theme of the background you juxtapose it against, nothing works quite as well as a few choice words. These could either be in the form of a quirky caption, or an insightful banner, or just about anything that adds to the significance of the picture in terms of the context you want to present it in. However, many photographers and editors have shied away from 'tagging' their images for years, for fear of their pieces of art turning into tacky caricatures, by merely adding a not-so-impressive effect that detracts from their image's artistic value. In recent times, the revolution called Photoshop has literally swept these cynics of their feet, offering an array of features that would have otherwise been considered impossible to attain with more conventional digital photo-editing softwares.<br /><br />Photoshop not only allows you to caption your image, but also blend the text in, so that instead of standing out as a jarring addition to your photograph, it merges in as an integral part of the frame. To do this, Photoshop uses a technique called Anti-Aliasing, which smoothes the edges of the text you type, by partially filling in the pixels along the edges. What's more, you can even choose the extent to which your text is smoothened from 'strong' to make your text appear heavier, to 'sharp' which makes the letters more prominent, but not crude.<br /><br />If you are working with very small text that is below the font size of 10 or 12 points, then as Photoshop specialists recommend, steer away from using Anti-Aliasing by setting the preference to 'None'. This keeps the text from being modified inconsistently, a factor that comes into play when working with images of a very small size, or of a low resolution. The 'smooth' and the 'sharp' alternatives live up to their name with the effects they bring about, but if you are looking for something in between, try the 'Crisp' option which, as the name suggests, makes your text appear decisive. To work with Anti-Aliasing, choose the option you intend to work with from the menu, which you will find in the 'Type' layer segment of the Layer Palette. You can move to this menu either by selecting it from the 'Options' bar, or from the 'Character Palette'.<br /><br />A swift way to reach for the Type tool is with the letter 'T'. This brings the Type Tool options to the Options bar, from where you can use the ones you want to work with. The first two buttons let you choose between creating a Type Mask, or a Type Layer, which you can, depending on what you're more comfortable with. If you have a large amount of text you want to fit into your image, the best way to go about it is to create a Type Layer, click and drag a rectangle or square to size your text and fit it in the section of the image where you want the text to be featured. If you plan to type directly onto the document, you can save on a lot of time and effort by referring to the I-beam that appears on the image. The small horizontal line that cuts across the beam indicates the baseline, which you can use to align your text with the image, even as you're working on it!<br /><br />With Photoshop, you always have the option of previewing your text to check for font and style compatibility, even before you actually begin to type in the content. However, if you think you need to see the final effect to make your decision, you also have the alternative of typing your text in, highlighting it and then modifying the finer nuances. Coloring your text is another ballgame altogether. With Photoshop, you can not only fine-tune your color choice with every individual character, but also multi-hue your text while using only a single layer. While the Color-Picker is bound to spoil you for choice, you can also pick colors off your image by moving your cursor to the color you want to emulate, while keeping the Color Picker window open.<br /><br />Once you are satisfied with the text you have added, you can exit the typing mode by hitting the 'Enter' key on your 'Numeric Keypad', click on any other tool in the toolbox or simply click on the checkmark in the Options bar. For last minute touch-ups, look for the 'T' in the thumbnail area of the Layer's Palette and double click it, which will bring the text back into the editing mode. You can also move your text around, after you have added it, or even scale it to size. Only remember to hold down the 'Shift' key when you are doing so, to retain the text proportions. If you choose to make your text taller or wider, you can still use the 'Free Transform' mode and not use the 'Shift' key.<br /><br />Photoshop has endless avenues for both amateur enthusiasts and professionals to explore. Although the learning curve can be steep and hard to grapple with, take your time with the software and be as creative as you can when using it. With a little practice and loads of determination, turning everyday plain-Jane images to digital masterpieces will be a forte you have firmly etched out for yourself! <h2>About the Author</h2> Did you enjoy this article? Interested in <a href="http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com/"> learning photoshop fast</a>? Well now you can by getting this <a href="http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com/blog/">free report</a>...what are you waiting for? </p>

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