Hi Rick,
With an active text layer try this:
Layer>Type>Warp Text
This will give you a bunch of options which you have to play with to get the effect you want.
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PS> If this doesn’t give you the control you need, Corel Draw has some features that do this. If you have CorelDraw, that may be your best bet.
If the text is live, you could try the text warp found in the options bar.
I am such an amateur when it comes to this. I’m doing it for a project. Thanks alot guys, that reply was quick!
Thats what the Forums are all about 🙂
Hmmm, I forgot to mention that I’m pasting the graphic over the main picture, and it’s a transparent GIF file. It won’t give me the Type option. 🙁
Oh that’s easy. 🙂
You are in index color mode.
Try this:
Image>Mode>RGB (put check mark beside RGB instead of Index Color.)
Then you should be able to edit. When finshed: Save for Web> with GIF format.
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The RGB was already checked.
What I have is a main picture that’s a JPEG. I have the title that’s already a tranparent GIF. I want to paste the GIF title onto the main picture, and then morph it. Can I do it this way or do I have to do it before the title graphic is converted into a transparent?
You can only do Warp Text with an active Text / Type layer. If your type is rasterized (it sounds like it is), then you will have to make a new Text / Type layer and renter your text. If this is not possible (ie. your title layer has special effects or special colorization) you might have try and duplicate the effect. Beyond that, you may be out of luck. 🙁
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Also, I’m hoping if you can tell me how to add a glow around the graphic that I’m morphing? I usually use Paint Shop Pro, but I have to use the touch up brush, and do it all manually. I figured there would be some type of tool that would just add a glow around the contour.
Ok. My text image is created through Xara X. I then save the image as a JPEG. Is it possible to do this from there? I already have the JPEG. If I can do it, can you please talk me through the steps using Photoshop? Please?
Hello Rick,
There are few ways to do that.
The simple way is this:
Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow (play with the settings a bit – by default, the color is set to yellow, but using white is better. To increase intensity, increase opacity.)
The more complicated way (has more control):
1) Duplicate your title layer (so there are two duplicated layers)
2) Select the lower duplicate layer and Lock Transparent Pixels (a small box with checkerboard on layers pallet)
3) Fill with white and select Lock Transparent Pixels again to unlock the layer.
4) Now go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set radius to 5 pixels or so. Press OK if you get the desired effect. If the glow is not large enough, play with the radius until you get it right.
5)To increase glow intensity, duplicate the glow layer until desired intensity is achieved.
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I have never used Xara X. You will have to try and duplicate the type layer in photoshop. Unless Xara X can do the text effect you are after.
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It’s too bad that none of those layer effects are ever selectable. I have no idea why, but they only are when I create a layer. I know nothing about layers, and frankly, too many of these apps over use these feature when something like magic wand to find the edges of the graphic is really all that’s needed. My brother once said that some people like to do things the hard way.
Seems that you just wasted your time because I didn’t achieve a single thing from this experience. I don’t know what’s needed to allow me to use these features, but if I can’t just load the image I already have instead of using the weak text graphic in this program, then I am screwed. I already have the image, but I don’t know what to do with it to get this to work for me. Too bad about Cool Edit. Now I think sound editing is going to become just has hard to use.
Rick…
Post a link to your the text image you want to warp, in a layered format that can be imported into Photoshop (PSD or TIFF). On another layer, draw an outline of the shape you’d like the text to assume. Annotate any particulars that aren’t obvious.
I have some ideas, and it sounds like something curious to play with for a dull Friday.
XaraX must have a way to distort the type to arch it, being a vector program. then you can imprt it in Photoshop…
You can distort pixels with liquify. If you can’t replicate the text and apply similar effects in Photoshop, it might be the way to go…
If you save your image as a JPEG, GIF… the text is not any longer text, it became pixels. (and you loose the transparency if using JPEG, and are maybe clipping a lot of colors if you use GIF). Tiff might be the way to go to import your text. You’ll then need to recuperate the transparency (if it has been included at the export in Xara) by CTRL+Clicking the alpha channel in Photoshop’s channels palette.
Rick, when you bought Photoshop, it came with an user guide that explains really well the layers, channels, effects, etc… Believe us, layers are way more powerful than what you think! It seems like you are trying to do works without understanding how your toll, here Photoshop, works…
I don’t have site to host the picture. I can email the graphic I want edited, and you can play with it from there if you want? I redid it using Cooltext online generator. It’s Godzilla logo and it’s going onto a custom designed Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee game cover for the Xbox. Thanks for the offer!
My email is
Photoshop is my dads, but he’s on a trip overseas and I don’t know where he keeps the manuals for his software. Besides, looking at the manual would just blow my mind.
I’m not that good with Xara X either. I did the text with help from a friend, but when I complete the final main page, I realized that the text graphic could use some changes. I emailed him hoping that he can fix it for me. Doesn’t seem that he’s checking his mail. The problem is that I actually need my pic done by friday evening.
Rick…
If you have an ISP, you more than likely have some free server space provided by the host. Just as an example, Comcast gives me 25 MB to do what I want. The 3 other dial-up ISPs I used before Comcast also provided free space from 5 to 20 MB.
It might be worth your while to look into it. If you got your text distorted the way you basically want it, I suppose there’s no need for me to mess with it.
Right now I’m just trying to get the glow thing to work. How do I make the graphic text glow from the very outside of the outline, outwards? The way I can only do it is by using the wand to select the white background, and then make a layer using the cut, but the result is not what I want. Do have to manually cut around the image or is there an easier way? I could go back to Paint Shop Pro, but why? A $1000 program should be able to do this without having to worry about what format your image is in. Don’t know why anyone hasn’t put in a feature that automatically converts your file to use the desired effect.
This layering stuff is retarded. Why not just make a square around the graphic, and then have some kind of selection that gives you more than six lame points to pull for morphing? Care for a layer cake? God knows why a layer is required for something so simple.
As for the IP. I never use this computer other than for browsing he net and doing apps. It’s under my dad’s, and so the account is his. I know nothing about it. I really don’t feel like making one of those internet file storing accounts just for this purpose.
Cool Edit Pro 2 was easy to use under Syntrillium. I hate to see what it’s going to look like in a year. You have to convert you sound file into 64-bit and resample before you can use noise reduction. LOL!
Rick…
Your frustration obviously comes from not knowing Photoshop, its strengths and its limitations. NO application can do everything. I’m willing to bet I can do exactly what you need to do…but then again, I’ve been using Photoshop for close to 9 years. Since you don’t know about whether you have server space with your ISP, send me the layered file, with notes about exactly what you want. Make sure one of the layers has your attempt, so I can see where you might be going astray. Click on my username for my address.
PLEASE!!! Try to WinZIP the file before sending, to reduce the file size and to avoid corruption.
If you’re more comfortable with PaintShopPro or something else, then use it, and/or quit whining and start learning Photoshop.
This thing with a deadline sounds like some sort of school assignment…is it? If so, you won’t learn much by having others do the effect for you.
You can’t learn photoshop in 45 minutes, so your best best is to know your limitations, and go from there.
Sorry about the bad attitude. I just thought that the price of these programs would equal ease of use.
It’s just a project for myself. I’ve been done school for 11 years now.
Phosphor,
I sent you the image but it came back to me as a failed delivery.
That’s because you didn’t follow the directions in my profile.
Read the directions and try again. I was looking for it in my email, to be quite honest…I just figured you were satisfied with what you did yourself.
I just thought that the price of these programs would equal ease of use.
No the price of the program = power.
