Photoshop for Photographers

1. Open any photo
2. Select "Type Mask" tool and enter text (this is not visible or adjustable while entering text - at times it is helpful to first the normal "Type" tool to enter and place text where desired (this step allows for visually placing text)

Note: The "Type Mask" tool is not visible or adjustable while entering text - it can be helpful to first use the normal "Type" tool to enter and visually place text where desired.

3. Create an new Levels adjustment layer:

a) Menu:>Layer>Adjustment layer: Type="Level". Adjust middle triangle to ~200 then click "OK"

Note: When an "Adjustment layer" is create with an active selection, the "Adjustment layer" has mask created automatically.

4. Add layer effect: from the Menu:>Layer>Effect>Bevels and Emboss:Style = "Inner"

Other Effect that work well:
- Pillow Emboss:
- Outer Glow: setting "Blur" = 0 and increasing the "Intensity" creates an Outline effect.
- Inner Glow: setting "Mode to "Normal" and lowering the "Opacity" then selecting "Edge" adds a nice color tint.
- Color Fill: lowering the "Opacity" adds a color tint to the type. Selecting "black" as a color, darkens the inner part of the type making it stand out from background.

My favorite:
Inner Bevel with "black" "Outer Glow" and a "Blur" = 0; a "black" "Color Fill" with an "Opacity" ~10% and an optional "Inner Glow" (of a dominant color in the in the photo with) a setting "Opacity" = 50 - 100%; Blur ~5 and Intensity ~50.

Hints:
1. Emboss effects vary with thickness of text being used.
2. Scale text to final size and view at 100% before applying effect .
3. When an "Adjustment layer" is create with an active selection, the "Adjustment layer" has mask created automatically.

Options:
Editable Text: (Replacing Step 2 with these steps)
a) Enter text with normal "Type" tool and make text color 50% (RGB=128). Change "Blend Mode" of the Text layer to "Overlay".
b) Group a "Levels" adjustment layer to the the text layer and at first make no adjustments. Most layer effects* above when applied to the "Text" layer will work well. The layer effects remain when the text is edited! active move texture to cover white "Background"
*( Drop Shadow and Outer Glow to not work well in this mode.)

Personal Signature: (Replacing Steps 2 & 3 with these steps)
- Scan your signature (written with a "sharpie" pen) in Line Art Mode at 1200 dpi (See Ben's book page Chapter 4 page 115).
a) Size signature to full photo width and delete all white area (select with magic wand)
b) Duplicate this file to a new layer in the photo you want the signature.
c) Resize signature layer to final size
d) Make a selection of sized signature layer [Ctrl+click layer] and delete this layer
e) Create a new empty layer and make a layer mask of the selection
... (continue with step 4 above)

Revision 1.0