SUBJECT: Create a text path for adding text to a journaling mat.
PROGRAM: PSCS3 (can be adapted for other versions of Photoshop)
PREREQUISITES: Basic understanding of the layers palette and the selection and text tools, Creating a Text Path for Journaling Mats Part 1
Last week’s tutorial Creating a Text Path for Journaling Mats covered making a path that fits inside a journaling mat, but what if you have elements around the mat? Or have ‘tucked’ the mat under a photo. This tutorials will show you how to use the selection subtraction options to further customize a text path.
My starting point below is a journal spot that I have embellished with various elements. Each item is still in it’s own layer. I’ll quickly recap the steps covered last week, see the first part of the tutorial for more detailed steps with screen shots.
1) Ctrl + click on the journaling mat icon in the layers palette. You should have marching ants around the edges of the journaling mat.
2) Go to Select>Modify>Contract, enter the number of pixels you want to contract the selection. Click OK.
3) Click on the Polygonal Lasso tool in the Tools Palette. Toward the left side of the Options Bar, you’ll see 4 icons with various square configurations. Click on the third one from the left. This is the ‘Subtract from Selection’ option.
4) Now outline the area around your elements that you want to ‘take away’ from the selection. To do this, click on your canvas to create ‘corners’ of a shape around your elements.
Continue around your elements until you are back to your starting point and click.
The shape will automatically be subtracted from the original selection.
6) Repeat this process as needed until only the area in which you want text is selected.
Note: I use the Polygonal Selection Tool because I find it works the best for creating an irregular shape around elements. However you can use the subtract setting with any selection tool (Lasso Tool, Marquee Tools, etc.)
With your selection set, all that remains is to create your text path and begin typing. These steps are covered in detail in part 1, so I’ll just give you the basic steps here.
7) Open the Paths Palette by going to Window>Paths
8) At the bottom of the Paths Palette, click on the dotted circle with two arrows to create a path from your selection.
9) Click on the text tool in the Tools Palette then click on your canvas inside of the path.
10) Begin typing your text. Your text should fill the inside of your journaling mat as you type.
Embellishments used in this tutorial are from Down in the Meadow available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.
THANK YOU!!!!! YES, Im yelling….I’ve been wondering FOREVER how to do this!!! I find myself not using journaling mats because I can’t figure this out simply! THANK YOU!
Me too!!! I appreciate this so much!
Awesome tutorial – thank you so much for taking the time to put it together!
Thank you so much. Your instructions are so clear and have been most helpful to me.
Wonderful wonderful tut, Misty! Thank you!
Fabulous. Who knew it could be so simple. I’ve struggled with this for a long time. Thank you so very much.
I don’t know if this can be adapted to PSE 8, but I’m going to try. Great info! Thank you!
Fantastic! Thanks for putting this tutorial together. Until now I’ve just manually arranged text using the space bar and enter key when I had embellishments to work around. This will be so much faster!
THANK YOU … THANK YOU … THANK YOU … I TOO USUALLY BYPASS JOURNAL MATS FOR LACK OF SKILL IN FILLING IN INFORMATION… YOU CAME TO THE RESCUE YOU ARE AWSOME!!!!
Thank you so much Misty. I’m new to Photoshop and can’t wait to try this.
Can you tell me how to journal on a lined journal mat? I can’t seem to get the correct font/size so that it lines up correctly!
You are welcome Amy. I fit my text to lined journaling mats using the leading settings in the Characters Palette. I’ll put up a tutorial on this with screen shots on Thursday. Thanks for the question.
I’ve posted the tutorial here. Hope it helps!
Thank you for all your wonderful tutorials! This one is especially helpful. I had never thought to contract my selection and that makes all the difference in fitting the journaling…
Reading the Fantasticks lyrics just… oh it sends me. I love that you used them.