2h Text effects (basic)

Text tools have a lot of options.  (More to be said about that here…)

In this exercise, we’ll place a gradient inside some text.

Using Gimp 

  1. Write your text in a text layer.
  2. Create a new transparent layer and put it UNDER the text layer .
  3. Click on text layer
  4.  Main menu :  Layer / Transparency / Alpha to Selection
  5. Turn off text layer (Click on the eyeball)
  6. Switch to transparent layer underneath
  7. Click and drag gradient tool and hit return to release
  8. Export to png

And in Photoshop…  

  1. Write text in a new layer
  2. Create a transparent layer underneath the text
  3. Select the text – There are several ways to do this (eg, repeated magic wand) but the easiest is the menu Select / Color Range command, which brings up a dialogue box.
    1. Use the eyedropper tool to select the color you want
    2. Adjust the color sensitivity on the slider bar
  4. Click and drag a gradient in the transparent layer underneath the text
  5. Turn off the upper text layer
  6. Export to png or first add effects
  7. Click on the text effects dialogue box (fx on the layers pallet) and add bevel, drop shadow, etc.

 

 

 

Part 2 Text effects – curved path

Text effects are easy in Photoshop — 

  1. Click on the text tool and  find the text path dialogue box in the options menu at the top of the screen,
  2. Pull down for your text style. Here we have an Arc style.
  3. After you set the arc, you can apply the kinds of text effects we did in 2.10.

Photoshop text layer effects

Photopea.com 

  1. Photopea operates like Photoshop, and is much better for text effects than Gimp. It is also free to use and operates on a remote server.  Just log in to Photopea.com
  2. Once you’ve written your text, click on the text tool and a text   dialogue box opens. You can have drop shadows and bevels and other effects very easily.
  3. To arc your text, click on the text tool and highlight the text. Then click on “Warp”  in the options menu at the top right of the screen.
  4. Pull down for your text style. Here we have an Arc style.

 

Tutorials on text effects for Gimp  

  1. 3-D Text  in Gimp by Little Web Hut
  2. Top Five text effects in Gimp  and Text tool in Depth, both by Davies Media Design
  3. Text effects by Empty Easel