Lesson 16 Text, Layer Effects, & Filters Digital Media I Susan M. Raymond West High School In this tutorial, you will: Create a Type Layer Add and Format Type within a Type Layer Apply Layer Effects Apply Filters Merge Layers Apply a Bevel and Emboss Effect to a Type Layer Apply an Outer Glow Effect to a Type Layer Create a Frosted Glass Effect Using the Glass Filter and the Fade Command Use Several Techniques for Merging and Flattening Layers Data Files: This and That.psd
Type Layers Photoshop provides numerous options for applying special effects to an image or to layer within an image Combining these options can result in a limitless variety of interesting effects that range from realistic to abstract Unlike standard layers, type layers are not composed of pixels, but instead hold editable text to which you can apply formatting Since Photoshop draws the type to the screen dynamically, you can resize the type to any size without it appearing jagged, unlike when you resize pixel-based selections or layers
Photoshop text must be contained within a type layer You will now create a new layer for type within the This and That image so please make sure it is open You will then add the company s name to the new type layer You will add this type layer above all the other layers
Click on the Feather layer at the top of the Layers palette Position the Type tool cursor about ½ inch below and to the right of the top left corner of the image Drag down and to the right to just above the top of the green flask in the image with the type tool to create a new type layer As soon as you click on and drag, a new type layer is created above the current active layer A type bounding box appears and exits within a new type layer entitled Layer 1
You will now add the company name within the bounding box Type This and That Collectibles The text is difficult to see on the dark background You will fit it with a blue color from the image background You will first exit edit mode by pressing the ENTER key on the numeric keypad or by clicking the Commit Any Current Edits button in the Tool Options bar If you decided you did not want to keep the text or the type layer you added, you could press the ESC key or click the Cancel Any Current Edits button in the Tool Options bar After you have what you want, the type layer is now named using the text you just added to the layer The bounding box and insertion points disappear
The text you added uses the current foreground color displayed in the Foreground Color icon You will choose a new color for the text so that it stands out over the dark background When the Type tool is selected, the Tool Options bar contains type formatting options, including a color selection box for choosing a new type color
Formatting Text Since you are no longer in edit mode, you will apply a new color to all the text in the selected layer without first needing to select the text Click on the Text Color box in the Tool Options bar The Color Picker appears You will specify a light blue color by typing RGB values Type the following RGB values in the RGB fields in the Color Picker: In the R value box, type 90 and press the Tab key; in the G value box, type 180 and press the Tab key; in the B value box, type 230 and press the Enter key
The light blue color is applied to the text and also appears in the Text Color box on the tool options bar The type in any new type layers you create, until you select a different color, will now use this color You will also change the font and type size for the type Again, since you are not in edit mode, formatting options you choose will apply to all the text in the selected type layer Choose Comic Sans MS from the Font drop-down list in the Tool Options bar
Choose Bold from the Font Style drop-down list in the Tool Options bar You will use a type size that does not appear in the Font Size drop-down list in the Tool Options bar You can enter any font size between 0.10 points and 1,296 points in the Font Size field Type 16 in the Font Size field in the Tool Options bar and press ENTER The type formatting is complete make sure you save your work!
Layer Effects Photoshop allows you to quickly apply effects to layers that add shadows, embossing, beveling, cutouts, glows, or color fills You could create each of these effects manually by combining layers with blending modes, colorizing, blurring, and layer masks, but Photoshop simplifies the process dramatically
Each of the layer effects you apply is dynamic (changes to the layer, such as editing type, automatically change the effect as well) Additionally, they are all editable, so you can modify the effects or combine multiple effects Also, you can break any of the effects into component layers for great flexibility in editing them The text that you added to the image appears flat You will make it stand out more by applying a bevel and emboss effect You can apply a layer effect by using the Layer Style dialog box
Double-click on the This and That Collectibles layer The Layer Style dialog box appears This dialog box provides a variety of layer effects You will first create a bevel and emboss effect Click on the words Bevel and Emboss in the Styles list on the left side of the box The Bevel and Emboss category is selected and its corresponding checkbox is checked
You will now specify the bevel and emboss settings you want to use As you choose settings, you will be able to see the results applied to the current layer in the image Be sure the Preview checkbox is checked and move the Layer Style dialog box so that the This and That Collectibles text is visible in the background The text currently appears with a smooth inner bevel From the Technique drop-down menu, select Chisel Soft
The Depth field controls the strength of the shading effect You will use the default value of 100% A higher depth percentage increases the shading applied to the layer The Direction radio buttons, Up and Down, allow you to specify whether the bevel appears raised from a surface or carved into a surface The Size field controls the size of the bevel You will reduce the bevel s size slightly, creating a more subtle effect Drag the Size slider to a value of 3
You will also soften the bevel by blurring it slightly Drag the Soften slider to a value of 3 The Shading section at the bottom of the dialog box provides options for controlling the light source and how it interacts with the layer to create shadows and highlights The light source for this image is to the right Type 8 in the Angle field
The Use Global Light check box causes the light source angle to apply to other layer effects in the image so that it appears that the same light source is shining throughout the image You ll leave Use Global Light checked The Altitude field controls the altitude of the light source You will use the default setting of 45º The Gloss Contour drop-down menu allows you to apply a variety of contour effects to the Bevel and Emboss effect The Anti-Aliased check box allows you to smooth the contour effect The remaining options in the Shading section of the dialog box allow you to enter blending modes and opacity values for the highlights and shadows You will leave all these settings at their defaults
Let s add an Outer Glow effect to the company name In the Styles list, click on the words Outer Glow By default, the Blend Mode for the glow is set to Screen, which is appropriate since Screen mode multiplies the inverse of the colors being blended, creating a lighter color than either of the original colors This creates the appearance of a glow You will make a more subtle effect by lowering the opacity of the glow Drag the Opacity slider to a value of 34%
Increasing the value in the Noise field adds noise to the opacity, creating a more pixilated appearance instead of a smooth glow You will leave the Noise value at 0% You can also change the color of the glow by clicking on the Color box at the bottom of the Structure section You will use the default glow color, which is yellow
In the Elements section, the Technique drop-down menu allows you to select how the glow effect is created The Softer option default creates the glow as a blue, which loses detailed features at larger sizes The Precise option creates the glow using a distance measurement technique, which preserves detailed features better than the Softer option You will leave the Softer option at its default value
Increasing the Spread percentage enlarge the size of the shapes that the blue is created from You will extend the blur based on shapes that are the size of the letters themselves Increasing the Size value enlarge the size of the blue itself Drag the Size slider to a value of 35 pixels
The Contour drop-down menu in the Quality section can apply transparent rings within and around the glow The Range field allows you to control which part of the glow the contour is applied to The Jitter field affects how a gradient s color and opacity are applied You will leave each of these settings at their default values The bevel and emboss and outer glow settings are complete Click on OK a subtle yellow glow is added to the company name
An symbol appears to the right of the type layer s name in the Layers palette, indicating that a layer effect is in use by this layer You can view the individual effects applied to the layer in the expanded layers The Outer Glow and Bevel and Emboss effects appear listed below the type layer Click on the triangle next to the symbol in the type layer to collapse the list of layer effects
After applying layer effects, you can continue to modify the layer The layer effect will automatically update as necessary In this case, you could edit or modify the text and the layer effects would automatically update You will add the trademark ( ) symbol to the end of the text and the layer effects will automatically be applied to it Double-click on the layer thumbnail for the type layer on the Layers palette
The Type tool is the active tool and a bounding box appears around the type, indicating that you are in Edit mode Click to place the insertion point at the end of the company name You will enter the symbol by holding down the ALT key and typing 0153 on the numeric keypad
The symbol assumes the formatting of the existing text Click on the Commit Any Current Edits button Save your work!
Filters Photoshop provides dozens of filters divided into 14 submenus in the Filter menu You can apply filters to the active layer or to selected areas of an image Filters can be used to create original textures and effects or alter existing images or artwork By combining Photoshop s filters, you can create a nearly limitless variety of effects
You can use the Fade command to change the opacity and blending mode of the filter, altering how the filter impacts the image The Fade command can also be used to change the opacity and blending mode of a painting tool, erasing tool, or color adjustment The Fad command allows you to apply blending modes and opacity to these types of effects as though they existed on their own layer
You will apply a textured glass effect to the green flask In order to apply a filter to an entire layer, you must select the layer in the Layers palette Click on the Green Flask copy layer in the Layers palette Choose Filter Distort Glass
The Distortion field controls how significantly the original layer pixels are distorted A preview with the Glass dialog box displays the effect of the current settings Drag the Distortion slider value of 5
The Smoothness field controls how smooth the final image appears A lower smoothness setting results in a jagged, broken-up distortion Drag the Smoothness slider to a value of 2
You can choose from a variety of preset glass textures or you can load a custom texture created by you or someone else Choose Frosted from the Texture drop-down You can also scale the distortion Drag the Scaling slider to a value of 60%
The Glass filter has created an effect on the green flask that looks like frosted glass But the edges of the flask in the Green Flask Copy layer are broken up, creating an unattractive effect Choose Edit Fade Glass The Fade command targets the most recently applied filter, painting tool, erasing tool, or color adjustment Drag the Opacity slider to a value of 75%
To make the edges of the flask appear more realistic, you will apply the Darken blending mode From the Mode pop-up menu, select Darken Click on OK The green flask now appears to have a textured surface Make sure you save your work!
Merging and Flattening Layers Photoshop filters can only be applied to one layer at a time If you want to apply a filter to an entire image, you must first join all the layers in the image to a single layer This is known as flattening an image Merging layers, or flattening an image, is also useful for reducing an image s file size
When merging layers, or flattening an image, it is a good idea to first save a copy of the image that includes all the layers That way, if you ever need to return to the image with all the layers intact, you ll have a copy So, please save that copy now in your home directory with a new name so that the original file will not be affected such as This and That Merged
The Thumb, Globe, Hand, and Hand Shadow layers are part of the Globe in Hand layer set Although layer sets make it easier to manipulate a group of layers as a unit, you cannot apply a filter to all layers within a set at once You will merge the layers in the Globe in Hand layer set On the Layers palette, click on the Globe in Hand layer set Choose Filter to view the menu
The Filter menu appears faded, indicating that it s unavailable when a layer set is selected Click again on the Filter menu to close it From the Layers palette pop-up menu, select Merge Layer Set The Globe In Hand layer set is now converted to a single layer Since the items now exist on a single layer, they can no longer be manipulated individually without first using the selection tools to isolate the area you want to change However, the Filter menu appears in black, indicating that you can apply filters to the selected layer
You can also quickly merge linked layers You will merge the Blue Flask and the Blue Flask Shadow layers On the Layers palette, click on the Blue Flask layer The link icon appears in the Link column for the Blue Flask Shadow layer, indicating that the two layers are linked From the Layers palette pop-up menu, select Merge Linked The two layers are now merged Since the Blue Flask layer was selected when you chose the Merge Linked command, Blue Flask is used as the name for the merged layer
You can also merge a layer with the layer directly below it You will now merge the Green Flask copy layer with the Green Flask layer Click on the Green Flask copy layer in the Layers palette Since you do not want to also merge the Green Flask Shadow layer, you will unlink these layers Click on the link icon in the Green Flask and Green Flask Shadow layers to unlink them
Merging layers that have blending modes other than Normal can sometimes create unexpected or undesirable results You will see this when you merge these layers Choose Merge Down from the Layers palette drop-down list The selected Green Flask copy Layer is now merged with the Green Flask layer The Merge Down command merges the selected layer into the layer below it, so the name of the layer below is used for the new merged layer
The Green Flask layer is set to Multiply mode, so when the layers are merged, the green flask in the Green Flask copy layer is darkened, and the effect is lost Choose Edit Undo (Keyboard Shortcut: CTRL Z) You will merge all layers into a single layer by flattening the image Doing so will substantially decrease the file size since a flattened image contains only a single layer of pixels Note the image file size displayed on the right side of the Document Size Box at the bottom of the window
Choose Flatten Image from the Layers palette drop-down list All layers are now merged to the single Background layer The image is now made up of a single layer of pixels and the Document Size Box indicates a much smaller file size
You can now apply a filter to the entire image You will soften the image by applying a slight blue Choose Filter Blur Blur The entire image is slightly blurred Save your work to your home directory and email me, of course
Points to Remember: You can convert paragraph text to point text by choosing Layer, Type, Convert To Point Text. You can convert point text to paragraph text by choosing Layer, Type, Convert To Paragraph Text. You can access additional type formatting options by using the Character and Paragraph palettes. You can directly access specific layer effects in the Layer Style dialog box by selecting the effect you want from the Layer Style submenu of the Layer menu. Each of the layer effects you apply is dynamic. Each of the layer effects you apply is editable, so you can modify the effects or combine multiple effects. You can apply filters to the active layer or to selected areas of an image. The Fade command allows you to apply blending modes and opacity to these types of effects as though they existed on their own layer. You can merge all visible layers by selecting Merge Visible from the Layers palette drop-down menu.