- Basic Type-Related Concepts
- Point Type and Area Type
- Type-on-a-Path
- Summary
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Type-on-a-Path
Photoshop CS introduced the capability of placing type along any path, much like working with type-on-a-path in Adobe Illustrator. Both the type and the path remain fully editable.
Photoshop has had the Type Warp feature since Photoshop 6, which enabled you to deform type to a number of shapes while retaining editability. But that feature (which is retained in Photoshop CS3) doesn’t offer the flexibility of using any vector path as a type object’s baseline. You can create a path with the Pen tool, a shape tool, and, as you can see in Figure 6, even add text along a path created from type!
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Figure 6 Type can be added along any vector path.
Here are the basics of type on a path in Photoshop:
- Create or paste the path, then click on it with the Type tool (Figure 7 shows the Type tool icons). To add type inside a path, click inside the path.
The Type tool’s cursor changes appearance to indicate that you’re
adding type on a path.
Figure 7 The Type tool’s icon changes to chows you how type will interact with a path.
- Type on a path can be adjusted with the Character palette. For example,
Baseline Shift (see Figure 8) can be used to raise the type from a path that
will be stroked or filled.
Figure 8 Change the Baseline Shift value to move type up or down in relation to the path.
- When you’ve finished editing type, press Cmd-Return (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows) to accept the type editing, and again to hide the path.
- Hold down the Cmd key (Mac) or Ctrl key (Windows) and position the Type tool
near the type to alter its position in relation to the path. Drag the beginning
and ending points. Flip the type across the path. When the cursor is not near
the type and the modifier key is depressed, you (as usual) have the Move tool
available. When you have the modifier key down and the cursor is in position to
drag the beginning or ending point, the cursor will change to let you know which
direction(s) you can drag (see Figure 9).
Figure 9 Setting the direction using the cursor.
- The Path Selection tool (the "black arrow" tool) can also be used to manipulate type on a path.
- The original path is retained separately in the Paths palette. A duplicate of the path is visible in the Paths palette when the type layer is active in the Layers palette. (This behavior is comparable to that of shape layers and their paths.)
- Type paths cannot be stroked or filled (because you cannot add pixels to a type layer). However, because the original path is retained, you can add a new layer and stroke or fill that path.
- Using the Warp Type feature destroys the type layer’s path; however, the type is warped from its shape along the path.
- If you need to add regular point or paragraph type near an existing path, either deselect the path in the Paths palette first, or hold down the Shift key when clicking or dragging the Type tool.
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