34. ADDING OVERLAYS TO YOUR SLIDESHOW

ADDING AN OVERLAY can be a good option if you want to make the slideshow a little bit more your own. I tend to not want to do this in the actual slideshow because I think it can take away from the message of the slideshow, but you may feel differently.

In the Overlay panel, you’ll see that you have an Identity Plate set up. If you click on the Identity Plate checkbox, your name will appear in the upper-left corner of the slideshow (Figure 34.1). You also have the option to move your name around the slideshow frame (Figure 34.2), and you can change the color of the text by checking the Override Color option and selecting a new color with the color swatch.

If you want to change the Identity Plate text, click on the down arrow in the lower-right corner of the box and select Edit (Figure 34.3). In the Identity Plate Editor dialog, you can type in new text and change the font style and size (Figure 34.4).

Figure 34.1 The Identity Plate—nice and big in the upper-left corner.

Figure 34.2 You can move the Identity Plate around the slideshow frame.

Figures 34.3–34.4 Changing the text in the Identity Plate.

Here’s the thing: I’m not a big fan of using text here because I think it looks a little cheap. Everybody has the same text and everybody has the same style. It doesn’t show personality. So, a lot of the time, I like using a graphical identity plate (Figure 34.5).

Open Photoshop and create a new document that’s about 1200 x 275 pixels. Create a new layer and add some form of a logo (Figure 34.6). I use my Wacom tablet to sign my name. You can also do this with a mouse, or you can sign your name on a blank piece of paper and scan it. The point is that you want a logo or something similar on a blank layer.

Now add a couple of text layers to this. You can control the spacing a little bit better here. In Figure 34.7, I used an Orator Std font and moved the spacing of the letters a little bit. After you’ve added your text layers, merge all of the layers into a single flat layer and remove the background layer (Figures 34.8 and 34.9). This leaves you with a single transparent layer.

Figure 34.5 You also have the option to use a graphical identity plate.

Figure 34.6 Using the Wacom tablet to make a signature here is pretty easy. If you don’t have one, you can always sign a blank piece of paper with a Sharpie and scan it.

Figures 34.7–34.9 I added additional text layers, merged all of the layers into one, and deleted the background layer.

I’ve created a folder on my hard drive called “Signatures Area,” and that’s where I save the file (Figure 34.10). I save it in a PNG format because that saves the transparency of the file.

All that’s left to do is open the Identity Plate Editor, select “Use a graphical identity plate,” click on Locate File, and browse to the new file you just created. Now you have something that looks a little bit more customized (Figure 34.11).

I’ll be honest, though, I don’t often use the identity plate in the Overlay panel. But I do use it in the Titles panel. Let me explain a little bit about why titles are important to me. When I create a slideshow, I want to control the experience that people have with my pictures. I don’t want to hit play on a slideshow and immediately show my first picture to everybody. I’d like to have a moment to introduce myself and allow people to get ready to watch the slideshow. An intro screen is something that helps with this quite a bit (Figure 34.12).

Figure 34.10 I like saving these PNG files in a specific folder because I’m able to find them easily when I need them. It also makes creating Actions in Photoshop a lot easier.

Figure 34.11 The finished identity plate

In the Titles panel, click on the Intro Screen checkbox, and then click on Add Identity Plate. You can now follow the same steps we used previously to insert your custom identity plate, or you can use the text that is already there. This puts your identity plate at the front of your slideshow. You also have the option to set an Ending Screen with the same information.

When you play the slideshow, it will start with the Intro Screen, and then proceed to your images. If you’re using your slideshow in a presentation, you can press the space bar to pause it when your Intro Screen appears, give your message, and then hit the spacebar again to continue with the slideshow.

While adding an overlay is not a great option for me, I think that they help in the title section greatly.

Figure 34.12 Using the Identity Plate as an Intro Screen.