Shape it Up (PSE15)

This is very similar to the wonderful technique Slow Scrap held by Farrah last Friday 11/22/19. To see Farrah's instructions please look here for PS. This is a work around for PSE15 (and other versions of PSE) since PSE does not have the ability to make paths.
----------------------------



(Credits: Kate Hadfield's Bring on the Cake Fonts are: Bebas for the large B, Riverside for "irthday wishes" and Arial Narrow for the lyrics to the Birthday song.)
---------------------
Let's get started...today we are going to explore using text for shapes in regards to our digital scrapping cards and pages. Shapes can be anything you want them to be. In addition to the “custom” shapes that come in PSE by doing a work around, you can also use a font to make your own shape for your project. Using a few tools, we can make a shape, and then clip out journaling inside it. Are you ready? Let’s begin!

1) Open a new blank workspace. (Mine is 600 pixels x 600 pixels 72di with color=white).

2) Select Text of Bebas Regular. (Big Sturdy font: Set Size = 500 pt, leading=Auto, left justified and Anti-aliasing checked.)



3) We now want to make the B wider. Using the transform tool grab the little box in the middle to the right until it reflects Width = 161% or in the bottom tool panel, change width from 100 to 161% and leave height=100%.



I lowered the opacity on the B in the layer pallet so it was a bit lighter while I was typing the Birthday song Lyrics.

4) Add the text to the song continuously over the large B.


5) In the layer pallet using the cntrl key on PC and cmmd on Mac and select the B in the layer pallet to get marching ants.

6) Now click on the Birthday Lyrics text layer and select the mask icon. That will put the words directly in the B shape on the lyrics layer.



7) Duplicate the lyrics layer. It will have the black mask attached which is perfect as we will invert that.

8) After you copy the Lyrics layer, click on mask in the duplicate top layer. We need to inveert the mask to change to white. Click on the mask so the blue line is reflected. Now hold down the ctrl key on a PC or cmmd key on Mac, hold the key and press I. This will change the Mask on the top to white with the Black.


Note: Black conceals/hides & white reveals/shows

9) Doing great so far… Now continuing… I turned off my other layers so I could see the original “B” shape. Using the magic wand, click on the outside of the B. With the ants still marching, choose the Text layer with the white mask. Unhide it so you will see the lyrics again. Choose the white mask so the blue line is around it. With the flood tool and the default is black fill in so the text is just in the large B.



10) You should now on that layer only have the lyrics in the inside of the B.


Okay, So the lyrics we will now have in both the inside of the B.. One just in the shape of the B, and the other in the inside of the B “holes”.

11) Simplify the Original “B” layer. We want to add styles to this. Right click on the original B layer and right click with your mouse. Select Simplify layer from the drop down list.

12) In the layer pallet, select the rasterized B layer. Leaving the layer set at blend mode NORMAL, set the opacity to 50%. We need to choose the Styles and pick visibility in the dropdown menu And select Hide. Now go back to layers, and then back to Styles and add a drop shadow. I used low as we are going to adjust the style. This will make a transparent letter B with a shadow as shown below:



13) We want to add a stroke and a drop shadow style to the layer, so it will be a “transparent “ 3D letter B. Double click on the “fx” in the transparent B layer. This will open up the style box.



14) With the “B” layer still selected in the layer pallet, click on “styles” at the bottom of the layer pallet. Now choose Stroke = size 1, Position = Outside color = Black 000000. Now choose Drop Shadow with settings of: Opacity = 35%; Angle = 90 size = 5 and Distance = 8; Everything else leave as default.

15) In the layer pallet select the top “B” with the mask showing the 2 white dots, and drag that layer below the transparent B in the layer pallet so it is right above the background paper layer.

 

16) Change the opacity on this layer to about 30% so is it faded a bit.



17) Unhide the top text layer (turn on the eye in the layer pallet). You now have the text inside the B.

18) Using Riverside font I added the “irthday” next to it, and then decorated my page using Kate Hadfield’s “Bring on the Cake”.



Here again is my finished page this time done in PSE15:


Hope you enjoy and this work around helps you.

PS version is found here: https://the-lilypad.com/forum/threads/shape-it-up-ps.67378/

 

You are so welcome Jennifer.. enjoy!

 

There is no path in PSE only in PSCC .. you will have to clip the wording to the letter in pse. @gypzywind