Photoshop Friday! 2007 #27! Punching Text

Hi There!

Welcome to Photoshop Friday! :D

This week’s technique features some very cool punched-out text, which we’ll use for our title. We’ll be practicing techniques with our Elliptical Marquee tool and Horizontal Type tools.

Punched Out Text Photoshop Tutorial 

First,  we’ll create a circular shape to “punch” our text out of.

Creating a Filled Circle 

1. Create a new blank file, 12x12, 300 dpi, transparent background.

2. Select your Elliptical Marquee tool.

3. In the Options Bar at the top of your screen, drop down the Mode box (Style in PSCS2) and choose Fixed Size.

4. Set your Elliptical Marquee to 3 inches wide x 3 inches high.

5. Create a new layer in your Layers palette.

6. Click down once on your document to draw a 3-inch circle selection.

7. Click on the foreground color swatch in your toolbar, and choose a color from the Color Picker for both your type and your circle. I chose the red color HEX# a33b22. Click OK.

 
Click for Larger

8. Go to Edit > Fill.

9. In the Fill dialog box,  choose Foreground Color from the dropdown box. Ensure that the Preserve Transparency checkbox is unchecked, and click OK.

You should have a filled circle on its own layer. Let’s work on the text now. 

Adding Type 

1.  Select your Horizontal Type tool.

2. In the Options Bar, set your font to a nice wide font. I used 2peas Stopsign. Also set your font size to something like 72 or larger - this is a title, so we want it to stand out.

3. Click down with your type tool inside the red circle and type your title. Move your title so that part of the title is overlapping the red circle and part hangs outside it.

NOTE: This technique looks coolest when the “overhang” happens right in the middle of a letter. You can see in my example that the letter “a” in Today is halfway in and halfway out of the red circle. 

Click for Larger 

Rasterize (Simplify) Type and Select

Now we’re ready to create a selection from this type layer. In order to do that, we’ll need to rasterize it. This means creating a shape from it, rather than having it be editable letters of type. In Photoshop Elements, this command is called “Simplify”. After you do this, your letters of type will no longer be editable, so a final typo-check might be in order. :D

1.  Right-click on your type layer in the Layers palette.

2. Choose Simplify Layer from the flyout menu (Rasterize Type in PSCS2/CS3).

Click for LargerYou’ll notice that the thumbnail of your type layer in the Layers palette converts from a “T” icon to a little thumbnail image of the type. That’s when you know the rasterization is done. :)

Now we’re ready to create a selection from this type in order to punch out the layer below it.

3. Ctrl-click on the thumbnail of the type layer you just simplified. You should see a “marching ants” selection all the way around each of the letters in your title.

4. Target the circle layer below the type layer in your Layers palette.

5. Hit Delete.

It’s going to look in your document like nothing happened. But if you look closely at your circle layer in the Layers palette, it’ll give you the hint of what you’ll see when we erase the overlapping type layer.

Click for Larger

Re-Select the Circle and Delete Overlapping Type

Now we’re ready to make one more selection. This time we’ll be selecting our type layer to delete all of the type that overlaps the hole we’ve just punched in the circle, so we can see all the way through to the patterned paper or whatever we place behind these letters.

1. Select your Elliptical Marquee tool again.

2. You’ve already got the 3x3 Fixed Size circle selected in the Options Bar parameters, so we just need to create the selection again. Click down to create the selection again.

3. With the Elliptical Marquee tool still selected, click and drag inside of the selection to position it directly over your original circle. 

4. Target the type layer in the Layers palette.

5. Hit Delete.

The portion of the type that overlapped your colored circle is deleted, revealing the punched hole that goes all the way through both layers. Neat!

 
Click for Larger

Here again is the layout I created with this technique:

Click for LargerSupplies (Everything here is from DesignerDigitals!)

• Ledger background paper:  Botanist No 4. Kit by Katie Pertiet
  
• Blue patterned paper and striped paper: King Me Kit by Katie Pertiet
• Scalloped Border template (cut down): Border Templates by Katie Pertiet
• Photo frame and red patterned paper (in the circle):  Cotton Easter kit by Katie Pertiet
• Love brush (on the journaling card): Defining moments: Love brush set by Katie Pertiet
•  Journaling card: from Blueline Botanicals kit by Katie Pertiet
• Flourish brush: from a La Mode brush set by Mary Ann Wise 

Bonus idea: You’ll notice that I created my circle from patterned paper - this works great as long as your paper is very solid in color and only has slight variations - it needs to blend very seamlessly into the type. All I did here is add a patterned paper to the layer right above my circle layer, and hit Ctrl-g (Ctrl-Alt-g in CS2/CS3) to create a clipping mask.

Homework time!

Now it’s your turn. Create a layout called “Today I learned” and include something in it that (wait for it …) you learned! Use the punched-out-text technique as your title, and upload it to the gallery of your choice. Provide a link back here if you can, or just a mention in the credits, and then come back and share the link to your work here in the comments!

Easy! :D 

Comments

[Robin]

Hi, how do i select a size in PS7...I do not have a "mode" choice or a "style" choice.....

[Brigid]

Jessica, another great tutorial! Thanks! All of your photos always look so beautiful -- crisp and bright with colors that pop right out at you. Do you use a special filter on your camera lens, or are there some special PS plug-ins you use? Or, of course, are you just a super-talented photographer as well as designer? ;) What type of camera and lens do you use?

[Karen]

Here's my layout using your tutorial. Great fun!
http://www.designerdigitals.com/ddgallery/showphoto.php?photo=35129&cat=500

[Meridith]

Here is mine, I had so much fun learning how and actually doing this! Enjoy!

http://www.moriginals.blogspot.com/

Meridith

[Sylvia]

Soooo great!!! Thanks so much, Jessica, I LOVE it!!!

[Heather S]

Thanks Jessica! I just love your Photoshop Friday's

[Tara Leake]

Hi Jessica,

Just wondering if you sent out a newsletter this week.

Tara

[Diane]

Hello:
I posted my layout in the Photoshop Friday gallery (missed the chance when I uploaded to link it here). Thanks for the info Jessica. I did not list the materials used, as I have been downloading freebies to try but it escapes me how to know who they came from after I unzip the file.

[Digidrops]

Hi!

I used your technique for this LO:
http://www.sotbox.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=39804&cat=500&ppuser=7644

Love your photoshop fridays!

[Joanie]

Thank you so much for your talents that you so freely share with all of us. I wanted you to see my "homework" LO. I posted it at 2P's

http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?gallery=1&cmd=display&layout_id=1196903

[Bridget]

Thank you so much for your awesome tutorials. I used this technique and your scalloped edge technique to make a header for my blog, and although I didn't make it perfect and I still need to practice I think it turned out great!
http://bridgetbaxter.blogspot.com/
Thanks again.

[natacha]

Just wondering if this technique can be applied to photoshop elements 3?
thanks

[Kari]

Here's a stupid question: What do you mean when you say to target something?

[Dawn]

Just wondering- can you do this with other shapes?

[Thai]

found some great tutorials on your site and really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

I'm using PS CS3 and am stuck at step 4, "'target back layer below". I have the rasterize text selected (marching ants) but don't know how to delete the text!

TIA

[trish]

Jessica, wondering if there is a way to get the tutorial on how to do the double photo effect that you did to this layout in the January 2008 issue of CK. Im just now trying to learn PS elements 6 after putting it aside for 1 year because of frustration.Two books later on it and your tuturials help me more. I have gone back to all the tutorials on CK and it has helped me so much! I listen and write down every word. Im now exicted about learning. The 4 steps included on the page in magazine just don't cut it for me. I need step by step. I have tried for 3 days and still can't get it. I have just discovered this site.
Thanks!!

trish