How to Add Text in Photoshop Elements 11
Synopsis: In this article, we look at how to add text to an image in Adobe Photoshop Elements 11, and how to perform basic formatting of that text.
Adding text to an image in PSE 11 is straightforward. You can add a single line of text or a whole paragraph, and the text can be horizontal or vertical. You can also apply special effects, such as making text flow around a shape.
In this article, we’re going to see how to add some text to an image. We’ll then format the text. The image we’re going to use is this one.
The text we’re going to add is a title: “Cycling in Guisborough Forest”.
Open the image in PSE 11 Editor and select Expert mode. One of the tools in the toolbox is represented by a large letter “T”, which represents the Text Tool, sometimes called the Type Tool. Click on this in the toolbox and the options bar appears below the image. There are actually several related tools, including the Horizontal Type Tool, the Vertical Type Tool and the Text on Selection Tool. Select the Horizontal Type Tool.
If you now hover over the image with the cursor you will see that its shape is like a vertical cursor with a dashed line around it. Position it on the image where the text is to start, hold the mouse button down and drag a shape for the text to be typed into. It doesn’t matter if the shape is too small or too big as we can correct anything that is not adjusted automatically by PSE 11 later.
Release the mouse button and you will see a text box on the image with the familiar commit (green tick) and cancel (red no entry) icons in the bottom right of the shape.
Now click in the box and type the required text. The color of the text is the current foreground color. Before you commit or cancel, you can adjust the size of the text box by dragging the handles on its sides and at its corners. When you have typed all of the text, select it all by swiping over it with the mouse with the button down then releasing the button. Now you should have your title fully selected in a similar way to this.
With the text tool still selected you will see the following options in the bar below the image.
These can now be adjusted to achieve the formatting you require. Some of the key options are:
• Font. This is set at Myriad Pro here but can be changed to any font on your computer using the dropdown arrow.
• The font style is set at Regular but can be changed to one of many others, including Condensed or Italic.
• The font size of 100 pt (points) can be adjusted to suit the desired effect, such as fitting the whole of the title on a single line.
• The group of three buttons to the right of the font size provides a choice of left, center or right alignment.
• The color of the text can be changed using the color picker in PSE 11.
As you adjust these settings, you can also continue to resize the text box as required using the sizing handles.
Having made my choices and clicked the commit button, my image with title now looks like this.
Simon Calder
Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!
