In addition, on many occasions we are going to need these objects to be marked or outlined in some way, something for which we will help you below. However, although the task that we are going to show you is not too complicated, as you can imagine it never hurts to have some previous knowledge of the program.
Perhaps at first this type of design in a program of the adobe photoshop level They may seem a bit complicated. This is something that becomes especially evident if we don’t have too much knowledge in this type of advanced image editors. However, we must bear in mind that many of the developers of these try to make things easier for us at this time. To do this, they put at our disposal a series of functions that are much more automated than before to obtain more professional results with a minimum of effort.
A good example is found with the integration of the artificial intelligence or AI when carrying out certain retouching tasks. In addition, this is something that can be extended to the functions that we are going to talk about right now, which are focused on giving an outline to the texts with which we work here. Although it may seem like an important and complex change, the truth is that this application tries to make things much easier for us, as we will show you below.
Outline Text in Photoshop
The first thing we are going to do is create a new canvas, on which we will use the text tool to write what we want. The ideal thing for the text to look good is that we use a different font color than the background color. We, for example, have chosen a black background and, on it, some white letters. The type of letter that we choose does not matter. The one we have chosen is so that the effect can be seen well.
In addition, we must take into account that Adobe’s own program offers us in this sense a good number of functions to customize this process. But in order to get the most out of the feature we are talking about, we must choose a suitable and properly formatted text, as we will see below.
Of course, the greater the contrast between the background and the text color as such, the task that we are going to carry out will be carried out more easily. The same happens if we use a text font with rounded shapes, in this way we will achieve the effect of delineation that is more apparent. In any case, in the case in which we need to use certain tonalities or more complex fonts, the process will be the same, but we must be a little more careful when doing it. At the same time, we recommend that the object that contains the text be large enough for us to handle it comfortably.
Once the text is created, the next step will be to access the layer blending options. To do this, we right-click on the text layer that we have created, and choose the option “Fusion options«.
A new window will open within Photoshop where you can set the layer style. As you can imagine, the use of different layers to carry out this effect is more than important. In addition, these elements that are so common today in photo editing programs make the tasks that occupy us now with texts much easier.
We must select the section “Streak” from the list of options on the left, and we can see something like what we show you in the screenshot that comes now.
As usual in the program with which we are working now, Photoshop, the configuration parameters of the functions are many. On some occasions this can cause us a bit of insecurity, especially if we are not too used to working with this application. However, as we gain experience in these jobs photo editing, we will increasingly appreciate everything that Adobe offers us here. How could it be otherwise, this is something that we also find in the current function that we see in the window for creating custom layers. Here what we must configure is:
- Size: the size that we want the border to have. Between 2 and 4 px is a good value, not too gross. In addition, the type of photographic project we are working on also comes into play here. Depending on the type of use that is given to the image later, we can use a more or less thick border, but always with a certain taste.
- Position: the side where we want to place the border. It is best to place it outside. In fact, we could say that the outer border is the most common use, mainly because in this way we are able to highlight the text as such, which is precisely what we are looking for in this case.
- Opacity: as the name suggests, the opacity of the border. We must place it at 100% in order to achieve a greater contrast and that the effect on the edges is as striking as possible. With this simple change related to the opacity of the border, we can sometimes obtain much more apparent and professional-looking results. In addition, the changes that we establish here can be seen in real time, which helps us a lot to adapt the image to what we need.
- fill type: what padding we want the text to have. We are going to use a solid color, although we can also put a gradient. Likewise, this choice will depend on the type of use that we are going to make of the image project later on. As a general rule, it is preferable to use solid colors to make the project look more professional.
- Color: choose the color we want this border to have. As with the filling, here we should choose a color that matches it, so it is best to carry out several tests to see how the union is.
When we have this configured, we accept the changes and that’s it. As we can see, our text will now have a very elegant outline. And the fill of the text will continue to be the color that we have given it. Therefore, and after this configuration that we have just carried out, we will begin to see first-hand the final result that we are going to obtain with the text in Photoshop. In addition, it must be taken into account that these parameters that we have just configured can be modified whenever we wish in order to change the appearance of the project again.
If we want, we can change the color of the text to any other. However, if what we want is for the letters to have no fill, and only their outline to be seen, what we must do is lower the “fill” value of the text layer to 0%.
Now our text will be formed only by the outline that we have drawn with this tool. And the look will be much more professional than before. As we have been able to verify first-hand, all the work that we have just carried out is not complicated at all. At the same time the results we get from this are apparent enough to be worth the effort. effort.
Now it is up to us to experiment with all the options that Photoshop offers us to outline text. This way we can achieve the effect that we ourselves are looking for. We can change the type of border, the color effect and much more. This is something that can be extended to most types of work that we can carry out with this program. Adobe.
And if we already played with layers, we can make half of the text have one color effect and another half another (hint: use two texts, or two layers with the same text) until we achieve a perfect match within our assembly. Of course, this trick is not only valid for outlining text in Photoshop. We can also trace the outline of any image we have on a layer. And this is very interesting, especially for images with a transparent background.
Alternatives to add outline to a text
If the method that Photoshop offers us seems complicated, or insufficient, we will always be able to resort to other alternatives that allow us to do the same, but in a different way.
Other apps
One of them is to use another graphic editor, such as Paint.NET either GIMP. These programs allow us to add outline to a text so that, after deleting the interior, it is left with only the borders. In the case of GIMP, the process to add outlines to a text is practically the same as in Photoshop, for a reason many users refer to GIMP as the free Photoshop.
Another option that we have at our disposal, if we are users of Microsoft Word, is to use the WordArt function, a function available in the Microsoft word processor for almost 3 decades. The number of options that WordArt puts at our disposal allows us to create any type of text and format it using a large number of options. In addition, as we select the type of design we want, a preview version is shown, which allows us to quickly see how the text will look after applying the effect.
With WordArt, we can align the text, modify and create an outline, add shape effects, fill the text with colors or patterns, modify the orientation of the text, fit the text as well as draw shapes and figures that accompany the text. The number of options is so high that WordArt looks like a standalone application inside Word. WordArt is available within the Insert ribbon.
If we are Word users, the solution for Word Art Generator, a completely free application that offers us practically the same options as WordArt and with which we can create titles with shadows, outlines, effects, and more. We could say that Word Art Generator is WordArt in the form of a standalone application. Also, it is more than likely that over the years many of you have used WordArt on some occasion to create covers or highlight texts in some way.
Use fonts without padding
Another alternative that we can resort to, if we are only going to outline text, is to use fonts without padding. Most of the fonts that we have installed on the PC usually have padding. However, it is easy to find all kinds of fonts without padding on the web that will allow us to obtain a similar result. We can search and download these sources, to give two examples, from or from . The important thing is to make sure that the fonts do not have a fill, or what is the same, “outline” since, otherwise, outlining the edge of the font will be an impossible mission without modifying the background color of the font.
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