Putting Your Words On-Screen

To type a few letters in Photoshop, select either the Horizontal Type tool or the Vertical Type tool and click inside the image window. It doesn’t really matter where you click, by the way. Photoshop positions your text at the spot where you click, but you can always move the text after you create it.

After you click with a type tool, a little blinking cursor appears (called an insertion marker) that you be familiar with from working in other programs. After the insertion marker appears, you’re free to enter your text. This click-and-type method results in point type. Photoshop gives you the option of creating either point type or paragraph type.

Creating point type

Point type is free-floating and independent; all the type lines are separate from each other. It’s great for short bursts of text — a word or short line.

To create point type:

1. Select either the Horizontal Type tool or Vertical Type tool from the Toolbox.

2. Click the image window to set an insertion marker.

3. Type your text.

4. Click on the Commit button on the Options bar when you’re finished typing text.

Creating paragraph type

Paragraph type is created in a bounding box. Paragraph type flows according to the dimensions of the bounding box. It’s useful for larger quantities of type. Paragraph text is also useful if you want your text to automatically word wrap within the bounding box, or you want text that is justified — aligned to the left, center, or right.

To create paragraph type:

1. Select either the Horizontal Type tool or Vertical Type tool from the Toolbox.

2. Drag the tool diagonally on the canvas to create a bounding box.

   A dotted box with handles and an insertion maker within the box appear.

3. Type your text.

   As you type, the text automatically wraps within the boundaries of the box.

4. Adjust the bounding box if necessary.

   • To scale the bounding box: Drag a handle to change the horizontal or vertical size of the box.

   • To rotate the bounding box: Move the cursor outside one of the corner handles until a curved arrow appears. Drag the curved arrow in a circular direction to rotate the box.

   • To skew the bounding box: Press Ctrl (z on a Mac) and drag a side handle.

   • To scale both the bounding box and the type: Press Ctrl (z on a Mac) and drag a corner handle.

5. Click on the Commit button on the Options bar.

Tip

To convert between point type and paragraph type, select the type layer in the Layers palette and choose Layer→Type→Convert to Point Text or Convert to Paragraph Text.