Text

Graphic programs are not word processors and most text is usually letters (or shapes), words or at most a few paragraphs and there is more use of different fonts, colouring and effects.

Text is created on a separate layer as a vector and so is editable until it is “simplified” or rasterised

Text Tool “T”

(Vertical tools are used mainly for oriental text)

Horizontal           Normal text created as a vector – editable and resizable.  To apply effects the text must be simplified or rasterised and then is not editable.

Point                   Click and type. It doesn't warp

Paragraph           Click and drag a bounding box and get extra options like alignment and wrapping to the box boundaries

Text mask           For text shaped selection marque

Text tool options

1 Select a font

2 Select a font style

3 Font size

4 Antialiasing

5 Faux bold and italic, underline and strike through

6 Left, centre and right alignment.

7 Leading - distance between lines of text

8 Colour

9 Style Becomes available after typing the text.

10 Warped text Click after typing to start warping procedure. You can then choose a style as well.

11 Text orientation Click after typing to change horizontal / vertical orientation.

Text Effects

The sample is just of random fonts and effects.

Select the text tool and click in on image and then type.

Then select the Layer Style icon on tool bar and make a choice It doesn't matter what is chosen before typing.

OR

Type then select Effects palette. make a choice and “Apply”

And / OR

Use the Content Palette

Add “things”. Each object (similar to single vector “tubes”) is added on a new layer to an image

Apply a ready made image to the background layer.

Sorting of palette contents I find confusing.

Warped text

Type text then choose “Create warped text”

You can then choose a style or add content from Content palette eg an object and it goes on a separate layer or a background and it goes on the Background layer.

Filled text

Elements 7 does not have the ability to separate single letters in a word as separate vector objects so if you want eg a big drop capital and smaller lower case letters they must be created separately and then combined . For layout, draw a line on a disposable separate layer as a guide or View / Grid.

Three layers are needed for each image-filled piece of text.

Gradient, pattern or image layer as the top layer.

Text Layer under the image.

Background layer – White.\ or anything appropriate.

With “Fill” - (Gradient, image etc) layer selected

Ctrl + G to clip text layer with it

Or Alt+Click on junction of fill and text layer to clip together.

Use the Move tool to position what part of the image layer appears in the text cutout.

In this example, the background is a country scene. The big “W” is filled with the darker autumn trees and the “ood” is filled with the softer greener colours

Text on a path

Text on a path is not available in Elements 7 but you can warp and then position text.