16.1. The Five Flavors of Text

Photoshop's Type tool produces vector type. But that's not all. You also can create a text-based selection outline or work path, convert each character to a separate vector object, or create a bitmap version of your text. Here's a rundown of your type choices:

• To create regular text, select the Type tool (also known as the Horizontal Type tool, which is the default Type tool), click in the image window, and begin typing. Or, to create paragraph text, click and drag with the Type tool to create a text frame that's roughly the size you want the paragraph/s to take up in the image and then type your text in the frame. You then can choose from a smorgasbord of type-formatting options, apply layer effects, and more. There are a few things you can't do, at least while the type is still considered type, such as apply the commands in the Filter menu or use the standard selection tools. You can apply these features if you rasterize the type, but that's covered later on.

  The process of selecting text can be somewhat enigmatic, but after you know how it's done, it's no big deal. You can use the Type tool to drag through and select existing text (note that the I-beam cursor changes from being in a small box to just being the I-beam when you get right next to existing type), and then just like you use your mouse to select text in a word processor, you can drag through the type, selecting as much or as little of it as you need. You also can use your mouse to select portions of the type on a given layer, without dragging — double-click to select a single word, triple-click to select a single line, quadruple-click to select an entire paragraph, or quintuple-click to select everything on the active Type layer. If "quintuple-click" sounds like you might end up short-circuiting your mouse, you can also select all the text on a given Type layer by double-clicking the T icon on the type layer. Easy as pie.

  
  

• To produce a text-based selection outline, select the Horizontal or Vertical Type Mask tool from the Type tool flyout menu, shown in Figure 16.5 later in this chapter, and create your text. Photoshop covers your image with a translucent overlay, just like when you work in the Quick Mask mode, and your text appears transparent. You can apply all the same formatting options that are available when you work with ordinary text. When you commit the text (by clicking another tool or clicking the green checkmark at the far right end of the Type tool's Options bar), the overlay disappears and your selection outline appears.

  You also can create type masks using the regular Type tool. Simply type and format your text as usual. Then Ctrl-click (-click on the Mac) the type layer in the Layers palette to generate the selection outlines. What's the advantage of this approach? It's simple: Type on a layer is forever editable; a type mask is not. Therefore, it is hard to see any real advantage to using the Type Mask tools at all.

  
  

• After creating text, choose Layer Type Convert to Shape to turn each character into an individual vector shape that works just like those you create with the shape tools (covered in Chapter 15). You then can edit the shape of individual characters, an option explored in the section "Editing text as shapes" later in this chapter.

• Choose Layer Type Create Work Path to generate a work path from text. One reason to use this option is to create a clipping path based on your text.

• Finally, you can convert text to bitmapped type by choosing Layer Rasterize Type. After rasterizing the text, you can apply Photoshop's filters and other pixel-based features to it.

  After you rasterize text or convert it to a shape or work path, you can't go back and run the spell-checker or change the text formatting as you can while working with vector text or type masks. So be sure that you're happy with the spelling, capitalization, and font before you convert it. And here's a tip embedded right here in this caution: You can save a copy of the vector text in a new layer so that you can get it back if needed. When you save images in the PSD, PDF, TIFF, or PSB format, you must select the Layers option to retain the vector properties of your text — assuming you still have un-rasterized Type layers in your image. If you deselect this option or save in a format that doesn't support vectors, Photoshop rasterizes your text. Saving a backup copy of the image in the native Photoshop format is a good idea.