Ever since its invention in 1987, Photoshop has been changing the game for designers, photographers, and other professionals. In fact, the software has become so well-known that “Photoshopped” is now a catch-all term for any doctored image.
However, this software does much more than just edit photos. It can also be used to overlay text with images to create more intricate designs. And with the right knowledge, you can adjust that text to look exactly the way you want.
Is editing text in Photoshop new to you? Or are you having trouble with how to edit text in Photoshop? If so, this guide is for you. We’ll go over some basic tips to make using the tool easier — read on for more.
Change Text Color
When you want to change the color of your text in Photoshop, just use your Text tool to select the characters you want to change. Then visit the Options bar to select the color you want.
If you have multiple text items in the same layer, you can change them all to the same color, too. Just choose the correct layer from your Layers palette to change it.
Choose Fonts Wisely
Avoid using too many fonts in a single document. This can get confusing and tiring to read. Instead, stick with just one or two fonts, and make your choices carefully.
You can even use the same font in multiple weights to get an effect of a visual difference that’s not too overwhelming. You can group two, or occasionally three, fonts together with success, but make sure they look good together and don’t have wildly different styles.
When you use Photoshop, you can access Adobe’s Typekit, with a selection of fonts to choose from. The Typekit online browser lets you look for the exact font that you want.
Spellcheck a Document
There’s nothing worse than releasing a document to the public, only to realize that there’s a glaring spelling or grammar error. Photoshop editing tools can help prevent this issue, too.
You can spellcheck your document, and any words that aren’t in the Photoshop dictionary will get flagged. If you want to keep those words, just add them to your dictionary so they won’t get flagged next time.
Sometimes, you may need to switch between languages while you work. You can choose a different language from the bottom of your Character panel.
You can also select or de-select layers of text for your spellcheck. If you know certain layers are good to go, hide or lock that layer so spellcheck will leave it alone.
If you’re familiar with other common spellcheckers, like the one in Microsoft Word, you’ll find the one in Photoshop very easy to use. It has options like “Ignore” for when you don’t want to change a flagged word, or “Change” and “Change All” for when you do want to change it.
Create Attractive Text Blocks
To add text to an image, you probably just click on the image to get the text box to show up. However, when the text you need to add spans multiple lines, this method may not work so well. You have to create the lines yourself by strategically using the “Return” key, which can lead to the text not fitting the way you want it to.
However, if you use the Text tool to create the frame before you type in it, you can ensure that you’ll get the text in the proper size. The text you add will automatically b made to fit the frame, rather than the other way around.
If the frame you made turns out not to be the right size, you can easily adjust it by dragging it from the edges or corners.
Tab to Align Text
If you try to manually line up your text by using the spacebar, you’ll probably find that the finished product actually doesn’t have the right spacing at all. The spacing shown on your screen doesn’t always match what you get when you print or export a document.
That’s because your screen can only display up to a certain resolution, but in print or on other screens, the resolution may be different. This will show you a more accurate spacing than what you can see. To make sure your spacing is always correct, use the “Tab” key or your Alignment function in Photoshop.
Rasterize Your Type
When Photoshop recognizes a layer as a type layer, it won’t let you apply every visual effect you want to that layer. If you want to use painting tools, filters, and more, you’ll need to rasterize that text. This turns it into a normal Photoshop layer, so it’s no longer recognized as text alone.
All you need to do is select the layer you want to rasterize, then choose Layer > Rasterize > Type. If you try to make a change to a text layer that needs to be rasterized first, you’ll see a warning message come up.
Consider Leading
Leading refers to how much space appears between the lines of a paragraph.
In Photoshop, leading is a character attribute, which is different from some other software options you may have used. To set the leading for a paragraph, you can select each character in this paragraph and then visit your Character palette to set the leading. You can also set leading through the Layer palette by selecting the correct layer.
Leading is an important part of making your document look consistent and attractive, so don’t forget about it!
Ready to Try Editing Text in Photoshop?
Photoshop is about much more than just images. When you master editing text in Photoshop, you can make more complex and compelling documents for a wider variety of purposes.
Adding text can get complicated, but with these basic tips, you’ll be able to make most of the edits you need. Play around with the text editing functions until you feel comfortable with using them all.
Of course, if you’re new to Photoshop, the whole thing can seem daunting. Make sure to check out our beginner’s guide to Photoshop so you can get more familiar with the software!
