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How to Manipulate Type Layers

Lesson 48 from: Learn How to Use Photoshop Elements

Khara Plicanic

How to Manipulate Type Layers

Lesson 48 from: Learn How to Use Photoshop Elements

Khara Plicanic

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Lesson Info

48. How to Manipulate Type Layers

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Class Introduction

02:57
2

Understand How Elements Works

05:53
3

Importing Images

11:31
4

Workspace Basics: Organizer

14:47
5

Workspace Basics: Editor

16:12
6

Tonal Adjustments in Quick Fix

09:59
7

Color Adjustments in Quick Fix

07:58
8

Apply Black & White Filters

04:01
9

Sharpen an Image

03:33
10

Fix Red Eye & Pet Eye

03:05
11

Straighten an Image in Quick Fix

03:01
12

Explanation of Photoshop Elements

08:23
13

Basic Cropping in Quick Fix

14:13
14

Guided Edit Overview

02:46
15

Guided Edit: Tilt Shift

04:07
16

Ways to Save Files

14:37
17

Layers & Simple Selections

20:47
18

Combine Images with Layers

15:34
19

How to Use Layer Styles

15:11
20

Make Selections with Layers

11:05
21

Make Selection with Lasso

10:43
22

Compositing with Multiple Images

17:11
23

Refine Edge Selection on Image

19:52
24

Use Refine Edge on Images

12:40
25

Create Gradient in Image

02:35
26

Gradient Map Differences

42:38
27

Options for Saving

11:40
28

Brushes Overview

15:12
29

Creatively Use Brushes

07:19
30

How to Change Brush Settings

07:17
31

Use Shape Tool with Brushes

08:22
32

Work with Multiple Shape Layers

08:53
33

Finish Image with Custom Shape Tool

03:21
34

How to Load Brushes into Elements

04:59
35

Add Layer Style to Image

04:46
36

Clip Image to Shape & Use as Template

05:49
37

Retouching Overview

04:11
38

How to Use Content-Aware Fill

05:47
39

How to Use Content-Aware Move Tool

09:38
40

Spot Healing Brush on Blemishes

08:53
41

Remove Frown Lines with Retouching

05:51
42

How to Remove Tattoos

20:32
43

Remove a Gap in Teeth

03:52
44

How to Whiten Teeth

07:17
45

Adjust Facial Features

03:29
46

Working with Type Overview

23:17
47

Match Type for Image

12:11
48

How to Manipulate Type Layers

08:02
49

Create Postcard with Type

16:08
50

Add Type on a Path

16:59
51

Organizing Images in Elements

16:03
52

Add Keywords to Images

19:49
53

Smart Tags Overview

07:51
54

Using Albums in Elements

24:52
55

Places Workspace Overview

06:20
56

Use Event Tags on Images

04:56
57

Timeline for Image Organization

02:45
58

Recommended Workflow

07:26

Lesson Info

How to Manipulate Type Layers

So we're gonna use the type tool again and this time I'm gonna click, we're gonna make a total of two type layers and I'm not gonna put them in boxes because we're just gonna write one word across the front of this image. And I'm separating the word because we're gonna write, refocus, and we're gonna use the lens that's here as the letter O in the word, refocus. So rather than hitting the space bar a bunch to create a gap for the O, we're just gonna split the word into two parts. So on the left, I'm just gonna click and I'm gonna write re. And I think we'll put this in all caps. So I'm gonna turn on my caps lock and write the word re, or the prefix I guess. We'll go ahead and commit that. And I happen to know what font I want to use so I'm gonna actually change that right now. We're gonna use again that phosphate, phosphate solid. Oh, the size is even already good so I think I'll just keep the size. So I've got that and now rather than create a new type layer, I'm just gonna grab my mo...

ve tool and I'm gonna hold down alt or option on my keyboard. So I'm holding alt or option with the move tool and as I just drag over, I'm dragging a copy. And if we look in the layers panel, we see that that's exactly what happened. So we just took this and duplicated it on the fly to get over here. Oh and you know what? Here is a real world example. The F should be on this side, obviously. So to get back in there, I'm gonna put my cursor in here, I press T to get the type tool and I put my cursor right where I need it and I'm gonna add the F. There we go. Now the second part over here, we need to change this type. So I need to enter my cursor into this type layer two so I'll press T to switch back to my type tool. I'll click to get inside the box or not the box, but just the layer. And now we'll spell out the rest of this. C-U-S, and I'll click the check mark to commit it and move it into place. This is a little bit too big now so I'm gonna resize both of these at the same time by shift clicking the other layer, the other type layer in the layers panel. So now that they're both selected, I can transform them together. So to do that, I'll press again, command or control T. Are you seeing how useful command or control T is? It's so handy. Use it just, I don't even know how many times a day. So I think something, I think something like that looks pretty good. When I'm happy with it, I'll press the check mark and I'm digging that. I think the size works and I think the spacing is working pretty nicely. I can nudge it as much as I want, just continue to fiddle with it using those arrow keys until I like it. All right, so now we've got these two type layers and I want to create another effect, but the effect is again, only going to run on pixels. So again, like the gaussium blur, it's only gonna work on pixels, not on type layers. So what we're gonna do is duplicate both of these layers. So I'll just select it and press command or control J and come down here. Command or control J. And then I'm gonna rearrange the layers in the layer panel so that the copies are side by side. It's not gonna change anything here. I'm just changing the stacking order. So nothing in the image will change because what I'm doing by just rearranging the layers panel, it's like the equivalent of if you make a sandwich and you put the bread on the bottom and then you put the bologna and the cheese, it's like just restacking it so you put the cheese and then the bologna. Okay, so it's not gonna affect the taste of your sandwich, for example. The same way that that's not gonna affect the image right here. So I've got the two copies side by side and I'm gonna select both of them and we're gonna rastrize them. So with them selected I can right click and say simplify. So they're both simplified and so that I don't have to blur them separately, I can blur them together, I'm gonna now merge those two layers. And again, because they're side by side, I can just right click and say merge layers and it will basically just melt those two separate layers into one. And in this case that's going to be a very handy thing. Sometimes you wanna separate layers, sometimes you wanna merge them together. So that's how you merge. Now that they're merged we can create the blur that I'm looking for. So that is gonna be under the filter menu. And we're gonna come down to again, blur, but this time we're going to add a radial blur is what we want. And we're going to change this. In the radial blur settings you have two choices for how you apply this blur. You can use a spin method or you can use a zoom method. And if I drag the amount slider to the right, you can see sort of an illustration of what's going to be happening. We're not gonna do it this extreme, but we could. The zoom method then, if I click on that, you get as the name implies, more of a zoom look. So we'll go ahead and do that. I'm gonna leave the amount set pretty low. And then you can adjust the quality down here, but honestly, I think we're fine to just leave it in the defaults. I'll go ahead and click okay. And it's gonna render that blur. And I think maybe that was, I don't know. We have to assess this and think, is that enough, not enough, too much? I don't know, let's hide the actual type layer to see. So you can see a little bit better what's happening. So because we used that zoom effect the inside of the type here, like the left side of the letter side is not as affected as the outside letters are gonna be. And that's just the nature of how this works. So you know, it's a little bit of trial and error. If you decide, if you run the filter once and you decide, I don't think I used quite enough, you can just press command or control Z to undo it and go back up to the filter blur, radial blur and then try it again with maybe a higher setting. Let's see how that's gonna affect it. In this case, I want it to be subtle, like I like that. I like how that looks. It's important though, that I'm keep this type layer turned on because if I hide the original type layer, that might be harder to read. Maybe in that case I'd say, I think we blurred it too much. So it's a lot of experimentation. Maybe I want the blur to be on top. Does it look any different when we drag it back? Not in this case, but in other cases it might. So you always wanna be aware of your layers panel and the stacking order because that can affect, affect your design as well. So there's another example of playing off the image with your text and adding a special effect.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Resource Guide
Class Images
Project Mockups

Ratings and Reviews

Patricia
 

Just watching this class live. It's my first class with Khara; she is a wonderful teacher, moving at a steady speed but always being careful to let us know what she's doing in the moment. I would classify myself as intermediate in terms of PSE but I've learned lots of little things that will make further use even easier and more fun. I really appreciated her descriptions of the difference between PS and PSE and her encouragement in using Photoshop Elements and all that it can do.

Lilygram
 

I have only been able to watch portions of this class but every single part that I have watched has been technically clear and inspiring to me. Based on this experience and the thorough, 58 item list of lessons, I will surely be buying this class soon! Thank you Khara and Creativelive for making a class on this topic and making it be super!!

Ven S
 

Great course. You can tell she knows the programme inside out.

Student Work

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