Contrast layer under lettering - some tips?

[edwinn]

I'm back after a long time away, but never stopped using PSP X4.

Have been putting labels on Maps with yellow lettering, however due to image contrast, they often get `lost´ in the background. So there's a need to apply a contrast `patch´ for each label on a layer beneath. It works pretty well but just a bit sloppy.

Have put a raster layer under the vector lettering layer, then spray paint med-dark green patches with Airbrush tool under the yellow labels, settings Hard 30 and Opac 40.

The problem with that is: it's difficult to drag the spray tool L-R without going crooked. IOW it would be best to have a perfectly horizontal contrast patch under the labels.

Please comment. Thx

[JoeB]

Place your new blank raster layer under the vector lettering layer then use the Rectangle selection tool to create a rectangular selection of the size you need on that raster layer. Then uses the Flood Fill tool and click with it in the rectangle to fill it with your contrast color of choice. You can then adjust the opacity to taste in the layers palette.

[Jean-Luc]

it would be best to have a perfectly horizontal contrast patch under the labels.

Click once at the beginning of the text.
Press the shift key down (and maintain) and click on the end of the text.
A straight line will be drawn between the two clicks.

[edwinn]

it would be best to have a perfectly horizontal contrast patch under the labels.

Click once at the beginning of the text.
Press the shift key down (and maintain) and click on the end of the text.
A straight line will be drawn between the two clicks.

That worked really well. I was trying to drag the brush while holding Shift key down. Thing is, was drawing straight lines for years by clicking, shift key, clinking other end.

-Ed

[edwinn]

Place your new blank raster layer under the vector lettering layer then use the Rectangle selection tool to create a rectangular selection of the size you need on that raster layer. Then uses the Flood Fill tool and click with it in the rectangle to fill it with your contrast color of choice. You can then adjust the opacity to taste in the layers palette.

Could also feather the selection before flood filling? Yeah that will take some experimenting! Thx

[JoeB]

Yes, you could certainly experiment with feathering the selection.

[ConalO]

I'm back after a long time away, but never stopped using PSP X4.

Have been putting labels on Maps with yellow lettering, however due to image contrast, they often get `lost´ in the background. So there's a need to apply a contrast `patch´ for each label on a layer beneath. It works pretty well but just a bit sloppy.

Have put a raster layer under the vector lettering layer, then spray paint med-dark green under the yellow labels with airbrush, settings Hard 30 and Opac 40.

The problem with that is: it's difficult to drag the spray tool L-R without going crooked. IOW it would be best to have a perfectly horizontal contrast patch under the labels.

Please comment. Thx

Have you ever considered using layer styles for contrast instead of adding a layer under your text layer? Outer glow seems to work well for contrast and you can add to all text selections that are on a layer in one application. A sample is attached for reference.

[edwinn]

Just tried it, and can adjust opacity on the med-dark green glow, but it lowers the opacity of yellow letters the same amount. What am I missing?

[LeviFiction]

How are you lowering the opacity of the glow? Humor me on this one, there are three areas of opacity. There is the Opacity of the entire layer, found on the Layer Palette and the General tab of the layer properties. That one will lower the opacity of the layer and the layer style. THere is the Layer Style called "Layer" which as an Opacity slider. This one will only affect Layer data itself leaving the glow alone. And then there is the Opacity slider on the Outer Glow layer style that one should only affect the outer glow itself, not the text.

[edwinn]

How are you lowering the opacity of the glow? Humor me on this one, there are three areas of opacity. There is the Opacity of the entire layer, found on the Layer Palette and the General tab of the layer properties. That one will lower the opacity of the layer and the layer style. THere is the Layer Style called "Layer" which as an Opacity slider. This one will only affect Layer data itself leaving the glow alone. And then there is the Opacity slider on the Outer Glow layer style that one should only affect the outer glow itself, not the text.

That makes perfect sense, I was adjusting the layer opacity, the first one tried. Need to find the other two settings.

All three suggestions are very good, just a question of which one fits the subject matter best.

-Ed

[Jean-Luc]

Have been putting labels on Maps with yellow lettering,

Could you post an example here?

[edwinn]

Have been putting labels on Maps with yellow lettering,

Could you post an example here?

You can see the `sprayed on´ contrast patches with Airbrush tool (H:40, O:30) are not uniformly horizontal in the example. It's easy to ERASE a contrast patch, on what I named the `shaders´ layer and repaint it. They doesn't have to be perfect, but should at least be absolutely horizontal. Click example to view full scale and sharp.

[edwinn]

Still a bit disoriented with drawing or painting a patch horizontally. The confusion was in drawing a vector `line´ with the Pen tool (V) where pressing the [Shift] key snaps the line to any 90° or 45° direction. That's what I attempted with the Airbrush, but a brush stroke in NOT a vector line. The work-around is to view the Y-coord in the status bar readout at beginning of the patch (first click), then move brush to the far END of the patch (end click), positioning it with the Y-coord again to form a horizontal paint stroke (same Y-coord at beginning and end).

[edwinn]

BTW, am using the Airbrush tool for patches, not Paint or spray paint brush.

[edwinn]

Attached is one of the early `shader´ layers (just made that word up) on a raster layer under the vector `lettering´ layer. Started doing this in the last day or so, and that's why its crude. It would be ok for some uses like marking GE Sat maps, but for other projects, flooded selections would be best, like the user described above.

These patches would be ok if painted absolutely horizontal. Notice some are painted under each `line´ of lettering, while others are under three or four line labels.