| Q1: | Is it possible to change the attributes of several Type layers at once? I have several separate Type layers but would like to change the font of all of them at once. Can I do this?   |
| A1: | Just press Command (PC: Control) and click on the Type layers' names in the Layers palette to select them. Then, change the attributes in the Character or Paragraph palettes (both found under the Window menu) or within the Options Bar. |
| Q2: | I need to change the color of my type, but it's hard to see because it is highlighted. |
| A2: | To change the text color, you probably highlighted the text and changed the color. The problem is that you can't see the new color, so press Command-H (PC: Control-H) to temporarily hide the highlight, and then change your color in the Options Bar. |
| Q3: | Is there a quick way to color my text? To change the color of my text, do I have to use the Options Bar, or is there a quicker way? |
| A3: | You can change the color of a Type layer without highlighting it. Just make sure your Type layer is the active layer, then choose your color by clicking on the Foreground color swatch and pressing Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace). (Again, you don't have to have the type highlighted, just make sure the layer is active.) |
| Q4: | Is it possible to change the font and size without selecting the text? I want to change the font or size of some existing type. Do I have to switch to the Type tool, highlight the text, and then change the settings? |
| A4: | First make sure the Type layer is the active layer. Then, as long as you can see the Character palette, you can change any setting in the dialog. (The same goes for the Paragraph palette, and they're both under the Window menu.) The only time you need to use the Type tool (T) is to edit the actual content (spelling, etc.). |
| Q5: | Is there a quick way to change the space between two letters ? I'd like to adjust the spacing between two characters in a word. How do I do that? |
| A5: | With the Type tool (T) selected, click your cursor between two characters in your text. Then hold down Option (PC: Alt) and press the Left Arrow key to decrease the space or the Right Arrow key to increase the space. (This function is called "kerning.") |
| Q6: | What are leading, tracking, and kerning? |
| A6: | Kerning refers to altering the space between two letters. Leading refers to the space between lines of type. Tracking refers to the space between all characters in the type. |
| Q7: | Is it possible to create type in inches instead of points? For my project it would be easier to create my type size in inches rather than points. Can I do that?  |
| A7: | Yes, when you enter a size (in the Options Bar or the Character palette), just type "in" after the size. This will size the type in inches. Note : As soon as you press Return (PC: Enter), the measurement will revert to the equivalent in points of the size you entered in inches, saving you the math. |
| Q8: | Is there a quick way to increase the font size of my type? I want to be able to quickly increase or decrease the font size to see how it looks. Is there a quick way to do this? |
| A8: | Select your text with the Type tool (T), and then click in the Font Size field in the Options Bar. Use the Up or Down Arrow keys to change the size by 1 point, or use Shift and the Arrow keys to change the size by 10-point increments . Or if you prefer keyboard shortcuts, press Command-Shift-. (Period key) (PC: Control-Shift-.) to make the text larger or Command-Shift-, (Comma key) (PC: Control-Shift-,) to make it smaller. |
| Q9: | Is there a quick way to highlight my type? I was using another tool and wanted to highlight and edit my type. Is there an easier way than choosing the Type tool and then highlighting the text on my image? |
| A9: | Yes, with any tool, double-click on the "T" symbol in the thumbnail to the left of the layer name . Photoshop will automatically switch to the Type tool and highlight your type. Note : This works particularly well when you have a number of Type layers and you want to make sure you are highlighting the correct text. |
| Q10: | Is it possible to change type from horizontal to vertical?  |
| A10: | Yes, Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the type with the Type tool (T) and choose the appropriate orientation from the contextual menu. Or, make your Type layer the target layer and from the Layer menu choose Type>Vertical. |
| Q11: | I entered a bunch of type with the Caps Lock key on by mistake. Is there a simple way to change it to lowercase? |
| A11: | Sure, there's a couple of options: Highlight the text with the Type tool (T) and open the Character palette (you can press Command-T [PC: Control-T] to open the palette, as long as you've already highlighted the text). From the Character palette's flyout menu, deselect All Caps. Or, if you like keyboard shortcuts, highlight the text and press Command-Shift-K (PC: Control-Shift-K). This shortcut works as a "toggle switch"it turns All Caps into lowercase or lowercase into All Caps. (Make sure you have the text highlighted first, as the same shortcut is used for Color Settings.) |
| Q12: | This has never happened before, but now when I enter some type I can only see the first line of typethe rest is missing in action. Why is that? |
| A12: | There are two factors that are causing this to happen. First, Photoshop remembers the last settings you have usedsometimes well past the point of being helpful. In this case Photoshop is "helping" by remembering the leading (space between lines) that you previously usedeven after you changed the font size. Also, unlike some programs, if you change the font size, the leading does not automatically change. For example, say you have used a size of 300 points and leading of 315 points. If you change the font size to 40, Photoshop still remembers the leading of 315, and because it doesn't automatically change, it will stay as is. So, your second line of type is there, it's just really far down in the document! To fix this, use the Paragraph palette (Windows>Paragraph) to lower the leading to a more reasonable amount. From then on, just remember to check the leading (and tracking and kerning and horizontal scaling ) each time you change the size of your type. |
| Q13: | How do I create an outline of text, in other words, no fill, just a stroke? But here's the catch, I want to be able to edit the type |
| A13: | There are a couple of options: add a new layer with a stroke or use the Stroke layer style. They each have their advantages, so we'll look at both. Here's how to add a separate layer with a stroke: Click on the Create a New Layer icon in the Layers palette to add a new layer above the Type layer. Then hold down Command (PC: Control) and click on the Type layer's thumbnail to create a selection. From the Edit menu, choose Stroke. Set the Width and Color of the stroke and click OK. To "remove" the fill in the type, click on the Type layer and change the Opacity in the Layers palette from 100% to 0%. Because the stroke is on a separate layer, you can add effects to it, such as a beveled edge. On the other hand, if you decide to edit the text, you have to delete the stroke layer and start over. Alternately, you can use a layer style. With the Type layer selected, choose Stroke in the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu at the bottom of the Layers palette. Select the Size and Color of the stroke and click OK. You will see the original filled text with a stroke around it. As before, click on the Type layer and lower the Opacity to 0%. The biggest advantage of this method is that the stroke is a "live" effect, so when you edit the type, the stroke changes automatically. (Another advantage of using the layer style is the option to stroke with not only a solid color, but also a pattern or a gradient.) |
