Creating Digital Layered Titles
Have you ever come across an awesome quote or title but didn't have enough chipboard letters or stickers to add it to your layout? One tool that can get the job done is your computer. I know, this is nothing new; scrappers have been using computers to print out journaling and titles for years. But adding layers and a few other fun tricks can make your quote a piece of art. The instructions for this tutorial are for Photoshop Elements, but will work in any version of Photoshop. If you don't have Photoshop, don't despair! You can create layered titles in almost any photo-editing or word-processing software. It will just take a little experimenting. Open a new canvas.
I like to create on a big work surface, so I usually start out with a new document that is 12" x 12" and 300dpi on a transparent background. CTRL-N (new file)>width 12 inches, height 12 inches, resolution 300dpi, background -transparent. Start the first layer.
If you are not familiar with "layers," it is best explained as being a "stack" of images. Pretend you have a stack of papers on your desk. You can easily shuffle through the stack and pull the bottom paper to the top, pull a middle piece and move it to the bottom and so forth. The same is true with digital layers. It is a stack of images of which you can change the order. Doing so produces different results. I decided that I wanted to do the title " You Make Me Smile." I wanted the bottom layer to be a big, fat font to help anchor the title. I chose Stencil font, which you can download at www.dafont.com. Click on your type tool (the letter ‘t' icon), pick the Stencil font and change the letter size to 300pt. (The drop-down menu only goes to 72 pt, but you can manually add any size you want in the box.) Remember whatever your foreground color is, that is the color your letter will be. I tend to make my word art in black and white and then change the colors when I'm working on my layout. (I'll talk about that later.) Tip: If it seems like Photoshop Elements is freezing and not letting you do anything after using the type tool, check to be sure that you have clicked that arrow up on the top of the screen. (See the screenshot-it is underlined in green) Add the second layer.
The next layer is the phrase "make me." I used Teen font by Larabie. You can download it at www.myfonts.com. Click on the type tool, choose Teen and make the size 36pt. Create the third layer.
Now with this third layer we are going to do something a little fancy. Click on the type tool again, use Teen and make the font size 100pt. Type the word "smile." It doesn't matter what color. Here is the fun part. You can make any font an outline font with this technique: - Click on the "smile" layer in the layers palette (the view that shows all the layers on the right of the screen). Right-click on this layer and select "simplify." You can no longer edit this text because when you simplify it you make it a shape
- This layer should still be highlighted in blue. Now press CTRL and click on that layer at the same time. You should now see "marching ants" around the word "smile.
- Next click on a the new layer tab. (It looks like a little piece of folded paper on the top of the layers palette, right next to a black-and-white circle.) This creates a new layer. Your "smile" layer should still have the "marching ants" around it. If not, repeat step 2.
- Click on the new layer you just created and make sure the "smile" still has the marching ants. Now go to Edit>Stroke>. Choose black and a 10pt line, and make sure the outside box is checked. Press ‘ok'.
- It doesn't look like an outline yet, does it? Go back to the layers palette on the side and click on the "smile" layer. Unclick the eye icon right before it. That will make the layer invisible. Now you should be able to see the outline only.
You can use this same technique to make a font look like a sticker. Instead of using a black stroke, use white and keep the original font visible. Save a working copy.
Go to File> Save As> and pick a filename. Make the format Photoshop PSD. This format will keep all your layers in place so that if you ever want to change the type of font, color, or order, you can reopen it and easily make changes. Final copy.
Press Shift+CTRL+E to merge the visible layers of the image. Take your crop tool and crop around your quote-you won't need all the extra space you had while you were creating. Your quote should be on a transparent background. Go to File> Save As>, pick a filename and make the format .png. (When the interlace option comes up, click ‘no'.)  This PNG format allows the background to stay transparent so that you can easily layer the word art over any photo or paper. Using your title.
Since we created the word art on a 300dpi canvas, you can easily resize it with good results. You can print your title out on a transparency and overlay it on the page, use it on a digital page, print it on a tag or other element, print it on cardstock or print it directly on a photo. You can change the color of the font by using the paint bucket tool. Have fun experimenting! Layout Credits: - all designer digitals
- papers: Bubblegum by Jess Edwards
- flourish: Hipster Plume1 by Anna Aspnes
- circle tag: Kraft tag pack by Katie Pertiet
- grunge overlays by Lynn Grieveson
- staples by Katie Pertiet
- fonts for the title: Teen by Larabie; Stencil from Dafont.com; KGDMozer(handwriting) and smiley (webding font)
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