I'm having a difficult time finding how to modify an existing rectangle text box. I want the upper right-hand corner to go around an element (kind of like the shape of Utah). Do I need to create a new box, or can an existing box be modified? I can't figure out how to make a new box in the shape I want either. Thank you!
I don't know of a way to change the shape of a text box if it was created using the type tool without a path. If you want to have a non-rectangular box, you need to create a path using the pen tool or shape tool. Then click inside that path using the text tool and it will become a text box with that shape. There are a few tutorials here that are similar, such as this one or this one. If you aren't comfortable working with paths, and you are just doing a simple box-connected-to-box shape, you could just make 2 separate boxes with part of the text in each. Hope that helps!
Here are some instructions I wrote up so I could remember how to do it. I like to save these as tiff files so I can see the layers. So you can see the shape layer I left it visible, but once you have your text, you would hide that layer by clicking the hide button on it.
Hmm - those are the instructions for using PSE that I wrote up. PS CC is a bit different. In the screen capture below, I clicked on my shape tool and inserted the oval, then I clicked on the blue circled button at the top - and chose Combine shapes. This allowed me to put a bunch of rectangles onto the same layer as the oval so that they touched and overlaid each other. When I was happy with them, I went back to that same drop down and picked Merge Combined Shapes to make the single shape you see below. Then add your text and then hide the shape.
Bev, I think she started with a simple text box and wants to modify the text box. I don't know that a text box can be modified like a shape can.
It worked out well. I was willing to make a new box. I couldn't figure out modifying or making new, so I was able to get it done with Bev's instruction. My old program I could modify the text box so I kept trying to find that function if it existed. lol
Oh man do I love doing this to fit my text in between elements and stuff on my page! I need all the space I can get usually! Great write up @BevG
Sometimes, you have to be willing to start a new box in life! So glad Bev got you and I learned something new! I usually use the pen too, but this is WAAAAAAY easier! LOL!!!!
I am glad it worked for you! I took the notes from a video I found on YouTube where the dude kept adding shapes until he had the entire area covered as he wanted it. He also used the Subtract shape feature to refine his edges. He was putting text around the side of Abraham Lincoln's head, so you know that was no standard shape - tee hee. @Lisa B - There are a few things I miss from Artisan - this being one of them - the ability to edit a shape by adding/deleting/moving points along the shape edge. I was thrilled when they added this as a feature of the text box. But I rarely use shaped text and when I do, I just have to pull up my notes to see how to do it in PS.