Chapter goal: Learn different ways you can alter your text with various warps.
While it’s fun to transform layers, whether the layers are smart objects, a normal layer, or vector shapes, you can use what you learned in Chapter 4 about transformation on type layers as well.
In this chapter, we will be exploring how to use the Horizontal and Vertical Type tools along with their related panels for additional options to warp text and then look at how to create a path for text to flow on.
You can find the projects for this chapter in the Chapter 5 folder.
Working with Type Tools to Create a Text Warp
Project: The Circus Tent Poster
However, other than an Edit ➤ Free Transform of Scale, no other distortion has been applied to these smart objects, so you can keep these folders collapsed for now.
Make sure at this point none of your layers are selected.
While the default text is selected and highlighted, let’s use the Options panel to alter it.
Horizontal Type and Vertical Type Tool Options
Vertical type is often more common with Asian characters and writing where the text must flow up and down and right to left. Nevertheless, if you need text to flow downward on a vertical path, it can be a useful tool.
While the Vertical Type tool is selected, refer to the Properties panel for East Asian Features and Middle Eastern Features options if you need to make additional text adjustments. Refer to Figure 5-16.
Return to the horizonal type orientation if you clicked on this toggle.
I left the setting at the default of Sharp, but you may prefer another setting if you need your text to blend into the background more smoothly.
In this case, let’s leave the text at the default black color.
To create graduated multicolored or patterned text, you can add a layer style, such as Gradient Overlay or Pattern Overlay, after you have committed your setting or converted the text to a smart object layer before applying the layer styles. We’ll look at this later in the chapter.
Warps can be used with the Horizontal and Vertical Type tools.
For more details on working with Character and Paragraph panels as well as type styles, go to https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/formatting-characters.html and
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/formatting-paragraphs.html .
However, in book you will not be creating any 3D objects.
However, they will only take on the current base color and not full color when a warp is applied. We’ll look at a work-around for this in a moment. So, for now, if you want to use the color font, keep the warp at None.
Rosewood Std, I find, gives a carnival circus-like feel to the poster.
The text is a bit hard to read at this moment, but we will fix that later. For now, you can see the text has more movement, almost like a flag waving in the wind.
This will cause the text to appear as though it is slightly bending around the ring.
Another Way to Warp Text
Because it is not a smart object layer, the Distort and Perspective Transforms are grayed for type layers.
As well with text, you can hold down the Shift key to scale disproportionately.
To cancel the warp, click the Cancel button in the Options panel to exit the dialog box for now.
Click OK to exit the Layer Styles dialog box and you can see how the stroke bends around the warped text.
File ➤ Save your work at this point.
Warping Text Continued
So, what do you need to do create a custom warp for text or have access to all the transformation settings, including distort and perspective?
There are several ways to can do this, which I will discuss next. They are not part of this circus poster project.
Converting Text to a Path or Shape Layer
These kinds of paths can prove useful later when you want to use render filters, as you will see in Chapter 8. Paths, as noted in Chapter 4, can use the Free Transform Path options, including Distort and Perspective.
However, because it is no longer a type layer , the text is no longer editable and could be an issue if the client wants to change the lettering later.
Project: Bottle Label Warp
While the shape layer option was helpful for some type projects, there are situations where being able to warp the actual type is a much better solution. In that case, turning your text into a smart object layer and being able to edit it is a better option.
File ➤ Open the file named AppleCider_Label_pattern.psd and make an Image ➤ Duplicate to use for practice.
Take a moment to review the file and study the layers and their blending modes.
Convert Text to Smart Object
During this process you may notice a slight color shift that happened with the layer style for the group folder apple. This can sometime happen to layer styles when they are packaged into a smart object; a gradient can shift or reset. This is a good reason to work on a copy of your original image while making adjustments. To correct this, double-click the smart object thumbnail to enter it and access the .psb file.
When done, click OK in the dialog box to commit the changes. Now File ➤ Save your .psb file, File ➤ Close the file, and then return to the .psd file and it should be updated.
Use your Move tool if you need to move the label down a bit to the area where you roughly want the label to sit. Now it’s time to Free Transform and Warp.
Now that the type is part of a smart object, you can use all of the Free Transformation features as seen in Chapter 4.
Remember, because this is a smart object layer, Scale settings and Warp settings are saved so that you can edit and correct as required.
Remember to hold down the Shift key while scaling. In this case, it will correct letters that now appear stretched and disproportionate vertically.
Because this bottle was not perfectly cylindrical, we could not use the new preset warp of Cylinder, so we had to create a custom warp instead. Keep this in mind when you need to apply labels or type to different botte shapes. (See file AppleCider_Bottle_Cylinder.psd). Refer to Figure 5-84 and the following link for more details on how to use this new warp and its controls: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/warp-images-shapes-paths.html (see Transform Warp: Cylinder).
Do not worry about the transparent pixels on the edge of the image as this will not be noticeable in the warp.
If required, you can then further edit the warp using my Edit ➤ Free Transform Tools and commands.
You can then rename the layer, if required, but this will not affect the file name of the .psb file within the smart object.
File ➤ Save your document at this point and you can close the apple cider project files.
Adding Additional Layer Styles and Color to Warped Text
As you have seen, layer styles can be applied to text whether you have added a text warp to them or not. This can improve the design, such as adding a drop shadow or even a gradient or texture pattern within the lettering. For example, Pattern Overlay blends can be set to Blend Mode of Normal.
Use Edit Transform ➤ Warp and you will see that you can easily warp the text and texture or patterns at the same time. And you can enter the smart object layer any time, as you saw in the earlier example, and make edits. Then you save the .psb, close it, and the edits will update in the .psd file.
Making text into a smart object is also useful when you want to apply certain smart filters, as you will see in Chapters 6, 7, and 8.
With smart objects you can alter text or shapes in Illustrator smart objects as well. For information on working with text in Illustrator, refer to Volume 2. However, you can follow the steps mentioned in this chapter and Chapter 4 if you need to edit your Illustrator smart object text.
Converting Text to Frames
To get more detail about how to work with frames , you can check out the following link: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/place-image-frame-tool.html .
You can see that a certain order in steps must be followed to achieve the look you want.
In addition, for your smart object layer you could further use your Properties panel to fade, add layer masks, or even use your Layers panel blending modes to improve the look of the text on the layer.
Project: The Circus Clown
Type on a Curved Path
This spreads the text farther apart so that it match up with the balls.
Set the Dark Blending Options Underling Layer slider to 104, Inner Shadow Structure Blend Mode to Normal, Black, Opacity 51%, Angle 90, Use Global Light enabled, Distance: 0 px, Choke: 0%, Size of 4 px, Quality: Half round contour, Anti-alias disabled, and leave Noise at 0%. Click OK to exit the Layer Style dialog box.
Type on a Closed Path
Remember to reset your Character and Paragraph panels using their menus for your next project before you start, or you might include a previous warp setting.
To transform the Text path for the text to reflow on, use Edit ➤ Free Transform Path or Edit ➤ Transform Path ➤ Warp.
While not required for this book, if you would like to know how to use text paths in Illustrator, refer to Volume 2.
Summary
In this chapter, you looked at how to lay out some text and then warp it. You can also see that text by itself has some limitations, but you can add layer styles or convert it to smart objects or frames. Text within a smart object layer can use all the Free Transform commands, and specifically the custom warp command, when you want the patterns or images within the text to appear more realistic. In the next chapter, you will explore another tool in the Edit menu that is also a smart filter. It is known as Puppet Warp .
For recent updates on the change of EmojiOne to Noto Color Emoji SVG font refer to this link:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/fonts.html#support-emoji-glyphs