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Create Text Inside a Shape with Photoshop
One of the cool features of Photoshop is the ability to fill a shape with text. The shape
can be as simple as a standard rectangle or a complicated custom shape. Here is how it is
done:
Adding Text to a Rectangle
This is a very handy procedure if you have to constrain text to specific boundaries in a
design for a poster or Web site layout.
Start Photoshop and create a new image. To do this click File on the Menu bar, then click
New on the menu.
For the purposes of this
tutorial, make the image 600
pixels wide, 400 pixels high
with a resolution of 100
pixels per inch. Do this in
the Preset Details panel.
Select Create.
Click the Type tool in the Tool bar to select it.
Click and drag a box outline in your drawing. An example is shown below.
Click once inside the bounding box that you just drew. This will place your cursor in the
correct position.
IMC
Innovate Make Create Center
https://library.albany.edu/imc/
518 442-3607
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Type the text. It will stay within the box and wrap around as needed.
You can make the box wider, narrower, taller, or shorter by left clicking on
the re-sizing handles to select them, and then dragging the handles to new
positions. Re-sizing handles are the little “boxes” in each corner and the
middle of the sides, top and bottom of the box outline you drew. An
example is marked on the right by the circle.
Adding Text to a Custom Shape
Click the Shape tool on the Tool bar and select any
vector shape. The Shape tool options are illustrated on
the right.
If you select Custom Shape Tool you can select a special shape and further customize it
on the Options bar at the top of the work space. To discover the many shapes that are
available, click the expansion arrowhead next to the Shapes thumbnail. The arrowhead is
shown on the right. Then select the settings button to view choices.
The illustration below shows many of your choices.
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Left click and drag your custom shape. In the example below we are drawing a dog.
Click the Type tool in the Tool bar to select it.
Place the Type tool inside the shape. The cursor will turn to an I-beam with a dotted
circular outline around it. Now you can either type or paste your text. It will stay inside
the shape as shown below.
You can customize your
shape using the settings
on the Options bar.
Below is an example of the same shape with different fill and stroke settings. The text
was changed to black.
You can also draw your own shapes.
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Create a new layer in the Layers panel.
Select the Freeform Pen tool in the Tool
panel. This is illustrated on the right.
Left click and draw a shape.
Click the Type tool in the Tool bar to select it.
Place the Type tool inside the shape. The cursor will turn to an I-beam with a dotted
circular outline around it. Now you can either type or paste your text. It will stay inside
the shape as shown below.
The text will appear in a Text layer in the normal manner. You can edit it as you would
any other text with all the standard functions and options such as font choice, size, color,
and more.
Roger Lipera 5/13 v2; 6/15; 6/18 for version CC
