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additional helpful Completely new to Adobe® Photoshop® Elements? Haven't watched my DVD yet? Click here for a quick orientation to the Elements desktop, tools, and palettes. To see additional tutorials visit our archives.
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027 Genuine Handwriting These
instructions are for Adobe Photoshop Elements but can be used
with Adobe Photoshop. |
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With a black pen, write what you want on a piece of white paper. I’ve found that a thin felt tip pen works well. Then scan your handwriting at your normal page resolution, or higher if you think there’s a chance you might want to increase the size. |
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Your scanned image will probably turn out gray or faded, so press “Control + L” (Windows) or “Command + L” (Mac) to open the Levels dialog box. Move the left and middle triangles under the histogram (mountain graph) toward the right until you get a good black and white image. (If your paper wasn’t truly white, you might need to move the right triangle to the left as well.) |
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Your handwriting will now appear nice and black. | ||||
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Use the Zoom tool (bottom, right tool) to zoom in close to one of your words. Then click on the Magic Wand tool to select it and deselect “Contiguous” in the Options Bar. | ||||
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Click on your black handwriting to select all the black in your document. |
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Press “Control + C” (Windows) or “Command + C” (Mac) to copy the words. Then open your scrapbook page, and click on the top layer in the Layers palette to select it. This will keep your handwriting from getting buried under another layer. | ||||
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Press “Control + V” (Windows) or “Command + V” (Mac) to paste your handwriting on your scrapbook page. It will land right in the middle of your document. Click on the Move tool (top, right tool) and temporarily deselect “Auto Select Layer” in the Options Bar so you have less trouble moving the thin type. |
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When you’ve moved your type into place, you can leave the writing black or you can try changing the blend mode for a fun alternative. The “Mode” menu is located at the upper left of Layers palette. |
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Here’s what my type looks like in the “Overlay” Mode on a piece of parchment paper. The look of the type will vary depending on the layer below it. |
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And here’s my finished page. In Volume 2 of The Scrapper’s Guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements (and Adobe Photoshop), I teach lots of great uses for Blend Modes, including how I made the clock embellishment on this page from an apparently unusable photo. I include the photo so you can try it, too, and use it on your pages.
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