Graphics Zone - Easy To Read

BONEFISH

Easy to Read Text in Photoshop
by BarryHilton, Adult NetSurprise

In this tutorial we'll be looking at different, quick and easy methods to make text stand out on logos and banners...

Start by opening up a new image 300 pixels wide by 500 pixels high... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions

Save the girl image to your harddrive, then load it into Photoshop and drag the girl into your new image... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Select a dakr brown color to use for your text, enter the text values in the screen shot and type some text... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

In our first example we're going to use a stroke, set to multiply for a softer edge (multiply interacts with the background colors, making them darker)... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Duplicate the text layer and drag it to the next position... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

In this example we're going to use an outer glow, set to screen, to make the text more readable in a busy background... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions. NOTE: Try overlay and multiply effects with a darker color for different results.

Add a white single pixel stroke for added definition around the text... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Duplicate the text layer and move it to the third position... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Now, add a colored, hard edged drop shadow... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions. Don't forget you can use many different drop shadow effects other than the standard black blurred shadow!

Duplicate the text layer again and drag it to the next position. Add a outer bevel effect and change the highlight color to a shade of the skin, to create a natural look... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

And change the shadow color to a brown shade to match the skin... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

For or last example we're going to place the text on a bar. First, create a new layer, set up your marquee and drag it into position, it will automatically snap to the bottom edge of the image... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Select the paint bucket tool and fill the marquee with dark brown... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Set the layer effect to multiply... although all the shades of color 'under' the bar have a brown hue, you can still see the image below... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Dupliacte the text layer and drag it into the middle of the multiply bar... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Move the text layer above the multiply bar and select the text tool, launching the text color picker... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

Change the text color to white... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

And add brown multiply stroke to make the texf reall stand out... Click Here to view Screen Shot with Instructions.

And here's our final example with all the text styles... Click Here to view our final example page.