TEXT ON A CURVE
Want to try creating text on a curve?
I took the original (left) and ended with this (right):
 
Here's how I do it...
- Open PSP8.
We're going to do this for an icon, but you can do it for any size (or shape) image!
- Open your image, (which would be 100 x 100 pixels for an icon).
- On your Materials palette, set the Foreground/Stroke to solid, white. (Or black, depending on your original image -- whatever will contrast best with the existing colors.)
Set Background/Fill to Null (off).
- Select/Click your Pen tool.
For your Pen tool, 'Create as Vector' should be selected. (This means you'll automatically end up with a new Vector layer that contains the line you're going to draw.)
Other settings:
Mode: drawing mode. Segment: Freehand. Line style: default (top choice). Width: 1.00. Anti-alias: On.
- Now use the Pen tool to draw a wavy line on your image. (Don't worry if this takes practice. LOL. It's cool. It doesn't need to be perfect, either. Trust me!)
- Go back to your Materials palette. Change your Foreground/Stroke to Solid, white -- and your Background/Fill to Null (off).
- Select/Click your Text tool.
IMPORTANT: You need to move your cursor over the wavy line you just drew until it turns into an 'A' with a curved (smile-like) line under it.
When you see this symbol, click one time.
- Clicking will open your Text box so you can type in your text. Use whatever font you like, but set it rather large (and be sure anti-alias is selected). Play around with it! It's fun. LOL.
NOTE: Under 'Create as' be CERTAIN that 'Floating' is selected!
So type your text and then press the Apply button.
- You should now see your text sitting on top of -- and following -- your line!
- Go to Selections-->Select None to defloat your text.
- Select/Click your Move tool. You can now 'grab' the text and position it wherever you want it on your image!
- Removing the line under your text is simple! Just open your Layers palette. (Either go to View-->Palettes-->Layers or click the button -- F8 -- that toggles the layer palette on and off.)
- Then highlight the Vector 1 layer and delete the line (press your Delete key).
If you want you now apply effects like Eye Candy 3.1 'Glow' (or Eye Candy 4000 'Gradient Glow') to your Promoted Selection (the text layer).
- Time to merge. Go to Layers-->Merge-->Merge all (flatten).
- You're now ready to Save!
That's all there is to it!
Wasn't that simple?
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