Orange Cream Text

Create the Basic Text

1. Create a new RGB document which is 1000 pixels by 500 pixels and 72 pixels/inch (white background).
2. Select the Horizontal Type Tool in the Tools panel

Horizontal Type Tool

3. Up in the Control panel, set these text styles:
   1. Select a font which is straight up and down, and has thick strokes and a pointy serifs (serifs are those little bits that jut out from the tops and bottoms of letter strokes.) I chose Lady Copra Narrow.
   2. Change the font size in the Control panel to something large like 200pt. Just delete the current size with and type in “200″.
   3. Click on the Center text icon.
   4. Click on the Set the Text Color color swatch to open the Color Picker.

Type Control panel

4. Select a bright orange color. I chose R: 255, G: 165, B: 0. Click OK to save the text color.

Bright orange text color

5. Click in the center of the upper half of the image window with the Type tool.
6. Type the words “Orange Cream”. Make sure to use capital letters at the beginning of each word, and lower case for the rest.

Orange Cream text

7. Click the Commit any current edits check mark icon in the Control panel.

Commit any current edits

8. Open the Character panel (Windows > Character).
9. Click on the Small Caps icon. This makes all your letters upper case but keeps the first letter of each word a little larger.

Small Caps

Add Some Dimension

1. Ctrl+J (Mac: Cmd+J) to duplicate the text layer.
2. With the Type tool still active, change the text color for this duplicated layer to white (use the color swatch in the Control panel again; R: 255, G: 255, B: 255).

Change duplicated text color to white

3. Press V to select the Move tool.
4. Use your arrow keys to move the white text down and to the right slightly. I pressed the down arrow twice and the right arrow twice.

Move white text down and to the right

5. View the Layers panel (Window > Layers if it is not visible).
6. Click on the top-most “Orange Cream” layer and drag it underneath the second “Orange Cream” layer. Your white text will seem to disappear in the image window.

Move top Orange Cream copy layer down

7. With the now-bottom “Orange Cream” layer still selected, press Ctrl+J (Mac: Cmd+J) again.
8. Select the Type tool and change the text color for this duplicated layer to a brownish-orange (from the Control panel again). I chose R: 180, G: 11, B: 20.

Change text to brownish-orange

9. Again press V to select the Move tool, and use the arrow keys to move this brownish text down and to the right. I pressed the down arrow twice and the right arrow twice.
10. In the Layers panel, drag this layer below the other two “Orange Cream” layers.

Move the brownish text over

Next: Add Some Yellow Zest

Frosted Glass

See Related Posts at the end to click through to the other built-in action sets.

Playing Built-In Actions

To open a non-Default set of built-in actions:

1. Window > Actions
2. Click on the menu icon at the top-right corner of the Actions panel.
3. Look near the bottom of the menu where there is a list of seven sets (such as “Image Effects”).
4. Select a set. It will added below the Default Actions set.

Actions Panel Menu

5. Click the gray triangle to the left of the action set you just added, to open the list.
6. Select an action, and click the Play selection button at the bottom of the Actions panel.

Play Action

You can find more ready-made actions at the Photoshop Exchange.

Text Effects

Most of these actions work best on a single line of type.

Thin Outline (type)

Thin Outline

This effect rasterizes the type, creates a 1 px stroke around it with the current foreground color on a new layer, and deletes the original text.

Medium Outline (type)

Medium Outline

This effect rasterizes the type, creates a 3 px stroke around it with the current foreground color on a new layer, and deletes the original text.

Bold Outline (type)

Bold Outline

This effect rasterizes the type, creates a 8 px stroke around it with the current foreground color on a new layer, and deletes the original text.

Brushed Metal (type)

Brushed Metal

This one rasterizes your text and applies a really convincing metallic effect using Curves and Color Balance. It also employs a multitude of filters, including Gaussian blur, Clouds and Motion Blur.

Cast Shadow (type)

Cast Shadow

This effect rasterizes your text and places a shadow below it which gives the illusion of a light source somewhere behind it.

Chrome (photo & type)

Chrome

With this effect, you select a photo layer first and add type later. You will see a warning about this; click Continue. When you see a message to Edit the text, clcik Stop. Add you text and place it where you want it (Photoshop starts you off with a new text layer in black 12pt Helvetica.) Then press Play in the Actions panel again. A wavy copy of the photo is created, but this will only appear within the letters when the action is completed. The close-up image shows how the chrome effect is applied at the edges of the text.

Clear Emboss (type)

Clear Emboss

This effect works best with a photographic background, although a medium value works too. The clear emboss will not show up against solid white or black. A bevel and emboss layer effect is added to the rasterized text, and the fill opacity is set to 0%.

Die Cut (type)

Die Cut

Here, an illusion is created that you text is cut out of the paper. The text is rasterized and put through a series of changes such as Blur and Offset.

Frosted Glass (photo & type)

Frosted Glass

With this effect, you select a photo layer first and add type later. You will see a warning about this; click Continue. When you see a message to Edit the text, clcik Stop. Add you text and place it where you want it (Photoshop starts you off with a new text layer in black 12pt Helvetica.) Then press Play in the Actions panel again. This effect works best over an area with varying lights and darks.

Sprayed Stencil (type)

Sprayed Stencil

This effect “sprays” black 8 px around your text with a feathered edge, and clears the original text interior. It simulates a spray can effect around the edges of a stencil.

Text Panel (selection)

Text Panel

You’ll need to make a selection around your text first. Ctrl+click on the thumbnail (the big T) on the type layer. Then run the action. A new layer is created above your text which has a rasterized drop shadow down and to the left. A semi-transparent white is laid over your text. You can delete your original text layer and fill your background with a color to see the options with this effect.

Water Reflection (type)

Water Reflection

This effect is similar to Cast Shadow in that it rasterizes the text and puts a copy of it underneath and upside-down. However, it retains the original text color and looks like it is being seen over water ripples.

Wavy (type)

Wavy

Wood Paneling (type)

Wood paneling

Through a long series of filters and commands, this effect rasterizes your text, fills it with a paneled wood texture, and applies a Bevel & Emboss.

Warp Squeeze (type)

Warp Squeeze

Without rasterizing your text, this action applies text warp to it in the Squeeze style with 89% bend.

Confetti (type)

Confetti

Confetti makes a duplicate layer of your type and rasterizes the duplicate. Then it applies a Tie Dye pattern overlay to it, and finally runs the Pointillize filter on it. It achieves a rather convincing image of cut colored paper pieces.

Running Water

Running Water

Running Water makes a duplicate layer of your type, then warps and rasterizes the duplicate. Then it runs the Zigzag filter on it and applies a pattern overlay layer effect of the Bubbles pattern. You’ll need to shut off visibility of your original type layer to see just the new version.

Clipping Mask

We will also be working with Photoshop’s filters, patterns, custom shapes, text, and blend modes.

Your feedback is encouraged and much appreciated!

What You Should Know First

• The Photoshop CS4 Workspace
• The Photoshop Color Picker

Source File

We’ll start with a photo of yours truly, taken a few years ago (click on it to view and download the full size version):

Click this Image to Download the Source File

Part One: Clip an Image to a Shape using a Clipping Mask

1. Open the image clipmask-goofy-lady.jpg in Photoshop.
2. Save the file as a Photoshop file (File > Save As…). Remember to change the Format to Photoshop (*.PSD,*.PDD).

Save As Photoshop File

3. Open the Layers panel (Window > Layers).
4. Double-click on the Background layer and click OK so that we can move this layer around later.

Change Background to Regular Layer

5. Select the Custom Shape Tool from the Tools Panel. It is in the fly-out menu for the Rectangle Tool (not the Rectangular Marquee Tool.)

Custom Shape Tool

6. In the Control Panel, make sure that the Shape layers button is selected, not the Paths button next to it.

Shape Layers

7. Click on the Click to open Custom Shape picker arrow next to the current shape. From the Custom Shape picker that pops up, click on the right-facing arrow that opens the menu.
8. From the menu, select All.

Custom Shape Picker

9. When a dialog box asks you what you would like to do, click OK to replace the current set with all of the shapes.
10. Open the Custom Shape picker again, and find the Flower 6 shape. Double-click on it, which selects it and closes the picker.

Custom Shape picker

11. Draw the shape over my face. Hold the Shift key down to keep the shape in proportion. You can press the Spacebar while you are drawing to reposition the outline. Make the shape large enough to show my whole face.

Drawing the Shape