Adding Text

[skahle]

What is the best way to add text? The text tool really stinks. It doesn't work very well for me at all. In the past, I simply copied from another program and pasted it in. Now when I try it I get a long white line the entire length. It must be the background from where I copied it from. I can't seem to remember how I made it work last time.

Any help would be appreciated,

Scott

[Ken Berry]

The text tool really stinks. It doesn't work very well for me at all.

Can you give us a bit more detail on exactly *how* it doesn't work for you -- the steps you take and what you see on screen? We get a variety of complaints here about different aspects of the program, but simple use of the text tool is not usually one of them. And can you also tell us which version of PSP you are using...

[skahle]

OK. I click the "T"ext tool, then I click where I want the text to appear and then I either type or paste. NOW What??? There is text there, but how do I go on? How do I complete the task? All the other tools are greyed out.

Just today, I realized there is a check mark up in the tool bar to "apply changes". I click that and the text gets all screwy looking and I can't even read it.

I am using PaintShop Pro 14.3.0.3

[Kathy_9]

I fired up PSP X4 to test this for you and I'm not seeing any issues with text. Take a look at your Tools Option Palette (enclosed in red in the image) to make sure your settings (kerning, tracking, etc.) are not causing the issue.

Click for larger view

[skahle]

I think I am figuring it out. I think it was that I needed to "Create as Vector", whatever a vector is.

Another issue I have, is trying to move objects around. I use PaintShop to create ads and I usually take several product photos & logos and arrange them on a new image. When I want to move them around, sometimes I can and sometimes I can't. I am working on one right now and it has 4 images pasted in. I can select 3 of them to reposition them but the fourth one can't be selected. It seems to become part of the background layer. I don't know why. I just selected it and moved it a moment ago. After pasting in another image, and now I can't go back to select the previous image. But I can still select the first 2 images and move them around. It is just the 3rd image that won't be selected.

[hartpaul]

You need to access the Layers palette (F8) and this will show you when items are on different layers.
I find it easier to work in Windowed mode (Window and untick Tabbed Documents).
Now you can place a number of images on the workspace, switch to each one and even arrange them on the work space as you want them before adding them to your final document.

Try this:

1. Open PSP X4, set Windowed mode. F6 (materials palette where you can choose the colors of your text), F8 (shows your Layers Palette)
2. Under windows take three images and copy them to a folder on your desktop (this way you can locate them quickly, and because they are copies you will not destroy your originals). Use restore down (middle thing beside the cross/ close button and make your folder smaller by dragging so you can see it and the window beneath. You can minimse that folder's window to your task bar and bring it up as needed.






3. Switching to PSP, bring up your image folder and drag the images onto the workspace.



You can use the mouse wheel to scale the images down and arrange them to one side of your workspace.

4. Make a new document to suit the size you want or at least larger as you can resize down later as well if required.



A sample lot of settings is shown. Make sure the document is transparent.



5. Compare your image sizes with the document.



and work out how much you need to downsize your images . I choose to resize them from 2000 pixels wide to 300 pixels



My resize settings-



6. My Materials and Layers setup with one image active


7. For each image I made the image active then dragged the layer thumbnail over onto the Document.


8. When all three images have been dragged across the Layers palette shows them n three different layers with the main document layer at the bottom.


9. Now you can use the Move tool (move only) or the Pick tool (Move, rotate, distort or scale) to arrange the images over your document. Because they are each on a separate layer, you can move them independently of the others.



10. Now the text and this may be why you are getting some of your elements staying together. Make the bottom Document layer active (otherwise the text will finish on one of the other layers.) and select your text tool.



These are my settings with the items I change most often marked.



Note the Apply Tick which you have found top left.

11. After applying the text you will find it has a bounding box the same as the Pick tool and you can resize it by dragging it (with Scale seleted) , move it around or rotate it.



12. Right click on the text layer and select Merge down



This keeps the rest of the layer transparent.

13. You will now have your three images and the text on separate and independent layers and you can move these to rearrange the elements.



Images and text can be rearranged.

[Tony Lenton]

Scott

If you're missing the "old style" edit box (not sure about X4 but this is how it works in X6) to get the edit box to display hold down the "Shift" key when you click where you want your text. This also works for editing existing text.