Chapter 8: Working with Type

Overview

Type is more than just written words. It is an important part of the visual gestalt of any layout. How a word looks can communicate to a viewer as much as or more than how it reads. Photoshop s powerful set of tools and palettes can precisely control all the characteristics of typography. Combined with the application of layer styles, the typographical options are limitless.

Many of Photoshop s type functions resemble those of page-layout programs, and you might be tempted to use Photoshop to create text documents. But don t try to drive a nail with a screwdriver! Use the right tool for the job. When generating body copy, it s better to import your image into a page-layout program and then create or manipulate the text there. Where Photoshop really shines is in its capability to produce cool text effects and large display type for headlines, subheads, and graphic text. This chapter will introduce you to these topics:

• Typography 101

• Using the Type tools

• Placing type on a path

• Applying character and paragraph specifications

• Working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean type

• Warping text and rasterizing type

• Spell checking and using Find And Replace