The use of photographs as a way of expression has traversed a long and creative route. From scintillating images that were once considered the forte of niche artists, to using images as a captivating means to bring everyday necessities like calendars, e-cards and even online albums to share with the rest of the world, the modern-day perception of this art is indeed multifarious. When it comes to the more unconventional applications of photography, you may often find that a few words of wisdom, or humor as the case may be, often packs in a lot more punch than simply using the images themselves. In the days of yore, this option was considered a veritable taboo, in light of the tacky effect a caption or a tagline brought about. With Photoshop, however, this qualm is wiped away with the plethora of alternatives which have literally revolutionized the way the world views digital image editing.
With Photoshop, captioning your images is no longer restricted to plastering a few lines of text across them. Instead, you can blend the text in and have it merge with the image, so that what you have as a final product is a harmonious confluence of text and image, and not two separate entities. Photoshop uses a ground-breaking technique called Anti-Aliasing, to attain this effect. Anti-Aliasing works with the pixels of the text you type in, partially filling in the edges to keep them from standing out. You can also choose how sharp or smooth your image appears, by selecting the most appropriate alternative from the array that Photoshop allows you. 'Strong', for instance would make the text appear heavier than the rest of the image while 'Sharp' would define the edges, while also making sure that they are in-sync with the background.
If you are working with very small text that is below the font size of 10 or 12 points, then as Photoshop specialists recommend, steer away from using Anti-Aliasing by setting the preference to 'None'. This keeps the text from being modified inconsistently, a factor that comes into play when working with images of a very small size, or of a low resolution. The 'smooth' and the 'sharp' alternatives live up to their name with the effects they bring about, but if you are looking for something in between, try the 'Crisp' option which, as the name suggests, makes your text appear decisive. To work with Anti-Aliasing, choose the option you intend to work with from the menu, which you will find in the 'Type' layer segment of the Layer Palette. You can move to this menu either by selecting it from the 'Options' bar, or from the 'Character Palette'.
A swift way to reach for the Type tool is with the letter 'T'. This brings the Type Tool options to the Options bar, from where you can use the ones you want to work with. The first two buttons let you choose between creating a Type Mask, or a Type Layer, which you can, depending on what you're more comfortable with. If you have a large amount of text you want to fit into your image, the best way to go about it is to create a Type Layer, click and drag a rectangle or square to size your text and fit it in the section of the image where you want the text to be featured. If you plan to type directly onto the document, you can save on a lot of time and effort by referring to the I-beam that appears on the image. The small horizontal line that cuts across the beam indicates the baseline, which you can use to align your text with the image, even as you're working on it!
If you aren't very certain about the font you want to use for your image, you can simply type it up and then highlight the text to switch between fonts and styles. To format individual segments of the text, you can drag them to the preview section and adjust the style and font until you arrive at an alternative that suits your image perfectly. Photoshop also allows you to vary the color of your text on a per character basis and even apply multiple colors to your text with the use of a single layer. You can either choose from the vast array of colors that the Color-Picker has to offer, or even pick one off the image itself! To do the latter, you can leave the color-picker window open and then move your cursor to the part of the image which has the color you are looking for.
Once you are satisfied with the text you have added, you can exit the typing mode by hitting the 'Enter' key on your 'Numeric Keypad', click on any other tool in the toolbox or simply click on the checkmark in the Options bar. For last minute touch-ups, look for the 'T' in the thumbnail area of the Layer's Palette and double click it, which will bring the text back into the editing mode. You can also move your text around, after you have added it, or even scale it to size. Only remember to hold down the 'Shift' key when you are doing so, to retain the text proportions. If you choose to make your text taller or wider, you can still use the 'Free Transform' mode and not use the 'Shift' key.
No longer a marvel confined to the realm of the seasoned pros Photoshop is also a very handy tool for the nervous beginner once he gets over the initial learning curve. The trick here lies in getting as much practice and as creative as you can and let the software work its charm for you the masterpieces that you churn out will be well worth the toil!
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