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Filling
text with an image - Working with
layers
Back to main Photoshop page. All photographs
& tutorials © Jon Davison 2003
This tutorial offers
a way of having a layer of text, with the integrity of the image beneath
it. This is the
first tutorial that I have made in the new Mac OS X interface, yes I finally
gave in. As Mac and PC have a
couple of different keys for the same function, I will always place the
Apple or Command key first followed
by the PC Control key. For instance 'Copy' (Command/Control -
C). Or simply (Co - J) to make
a layer of
any selection. |
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The
Method
1. Download the 'nightswimming'
pic above
and open it in Photoshop. It does not matter
which version you use (4 to 7).
2. Hit your Text tool (T) and key the word
Nightswimming, in say 130pt Arial, or until
it fills the frame as so.
By default, this text will create a new layer,
so you should now have two layers.
3. Click the new text layer (above) in the palette,
and hit Command/Control key at the same time.
You should now have the text surrounded by a
selection?
4. Now click the background layer in the layer palette,
to select it (below).
5. We are now
going to copy (Co - C) and paste
(Co - V), or simply 'Co - J' to make
a layer of this
selection, and see what happens. With the text
attribute in memory (because it is still selected,
above) as we copied and pasted, what do you
think we will get? it will be a new layer but of
what? Jump to top of page to continue.
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6. Now click the eye icon next to the text layer (above).
You can't see the new layer you have just pasted, but
we know it's there by looking at the layer palette. Low
and behold we now have a new layer! It is the text
Nightswimming but copied out of the background image,
which is why we can't see it. If you turn the background
eye icon off, you will see it. But for now we won't do this...
The only way to see this new layer is to make it visibly
different from the background layer. Why? because the
new layer is an EXACT copy of the image itself, but in
the shape of the text 'Nightswimming'. Have you got it
yet? this is crucial and is an important step in grasping
how layers actually work..
7. Click the new layer (1), then go to Layer -
Layer
Styles - Bevel and Emboss.
8. Now here comes the magic! we are going to
give this new layer an attribute that will enable us
to see it stand out from the background.
I have chosen 'Outside Bevel' plus a few more effects
(see the left hand side of this Layer Style window). You
can choose whatever you want, the point here is to show
you just how cool this technique is.
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