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
This tutorial walks you through creating text inside a journaling mat. It works on mats of any shape (hearts, brackets, etc.) as long as they don’t have irregular or intricate borders (such as scallops or scrollwork). While this tutorial will work for rectangles and squares, this tutorial walks you through a faster method. Begin by opening your journaling mat. If the Layers Palette is not open, open it by going to Window>Layers.
Hold down the control key and click on the journaling mat icon in the layers palette (see arrow below). You should have marching ants around the edges of the journaling mat.
Go to Select>Modify>Contract.
Enter the number of pixels you want to contract the selection, this will be larger for a large mat or a mat with a large border. Click OK.
Open the Paths Palette by going to Window>Paths.
At the bottom of the Paths Palette, click on the dotted circle with two arrows to create a path from your selection.
Click on the text tool in the Tools Palette then click on your canvas inside of the path.
Begin typing your text. You can adjust the font, size, color and alignment as desired.
Your text should fill the inside of your journaling mat as you type.
You can take this technique one step further and create a text path that fits a journal spot while leaving room for element clusters or ‘tucking’ the mat in behind a photo. Find out how in Creating a Text Path for Journaling Mats in Photoshop Part 2.
If only this was possible in PSE6 :(
Awesome!! thanks so much :D
This is fantastic – thank you so much!
Thanks! The one other tutorial I read on this was more complicated (or maybe just not as well written), so I’ve just been playing with my text to make it fit. This seems very doable.
extremely useful , thanks !
Wow – thank you so much! I never knew how to do this! It makes it SO much easier typing in an odd shape!
This looks like a great tutorial. If only I could work it out for Photoshop 7.0. This version doesn’t have the text path at the bottom of the layers pallette :(
It’s crazy that you posted this. I was just wondering how to do it and I couldn’t figure out how to google that question. Thank you!!!
Is there a way to do this in PSE 9? I am new at this program and I started at 9. There are alot of fun things that I have found to do in the earlier programs, but I am not sure how to do them in 9. Any help would be awsesome. Thanks
PSE doesn’t have the capacity to do text paths. At least I know up to PSE8 it doesn’t and I don’t think it was added in 9. You can use text paths created in the full version of Photoshop, but not create your own.
Thank you for the help. I love your tutorials they have been helpful.
Ok, so I am new to Photoshop and I was one who suggested you have a tutorial on fitting text to lined journaling mats, so I am super embarrassed to say that it has taken this long for me to try it out!
I am stuck on Step 1 for “Creating a Text Path for Journaling Mats Part 1″. I hold down the control key and click on the journaling mat icon in the layers palette but I never get marching ants! What am I doing wrong? Is there any hope for me?
Thanks!
Amy are you on a mac? If so, try holding down the Command key instead of control. I just got myself a spiffy new mac and am finding out all sorts of things work differently in macland.
Oh Misty, thank you, thank you! Yes–the problem was I am a new Mac user and hadn’t quite figured out Control=Command! I’m sure switching to Mac and Photoshop will be worth it in the end but this is quite the learning curve!
Amy
Wonderful Amy, so glad it’s working for you now.