Adding Transparent Text to an Image with Photoshop

Here is a tutorial about how to add transparent text to your image by using Photoshop’s layer effects. You need to follow these steps for adding transparent text to your image.

• First of all you need start by opening your image into the Photoshop.
• Now in order to add the text you are required to select the Tyoe Tool from the toolbar.

• Now in the Options bar you are required to select your font. You can use any font but a larger as well as thicker will be ideal.
• Now you need to set the type size to 72 pt which means we are starting with the largest preset size.
• Now you need to select the color for your type by clicking the color swatch.
• Since we are going to make the text transparent the color does not matter, but select one that is easy to see as you are going to add the text to the image.
• Now click OK and close the color picker.

Add your Text:

• Now click on the document and then add your text.
• In order to accept it just click the checkmark in the Options Bar.
• Resize and reposition the text with Free Transform
• In order to resize the text and move it into place you need to use Photoshop’s Free Transform command.
• First of all go up to the Edit menu in the Menu Bar and select Free Transform.
• Fotr resizing the text click and deag any of the handles.
• For repositioning the text you need to click and drag inside the Free Transform box.
• You can drag down to the center my text in front of the image.
• In order to accept it and close Free Transform you need to click the checkmark in the Option Bar.
• Now in the Layers panel the text will appear on the type layer above the image.
• Lower the Type layer’s Fill to 0 percent:
• Now the text has been added now you can make the text transparent. One of the method is by lowering the layer’s Opacity value and the other one is by lowering the Fill value.
• You can lower the Fill value down to 0 percent.
• With the Fill value lowered the text disappeared.

Add a Drop Shadow to the Text

• First of all in the Layers panel you need to click the fx icon at the bottom.
• Select the Drop Shadow from the list.
• The options for the drop shadow opn the dialog box of Layer Style.

Angle and Distance:

now you need ti adjust the angle and distance and the simplest way to adjust the angle and distance values if by clicking and dragging inside the document. And tough the text is transparent the shadow is still hiddden behind it revealing the letters.

Opacity:

in order to adjust the opacity you can use the opacity slider. You need to darken the shadow by increasing the opacity to 50%.

Size:

• You can also soften the shadow edges by increasing the Size value.
• Add a stroke around the text:
• for adding the stroke around the text you need to select Stroke from the column on the left. Stroke can e sued for adding border around the letters.

• You can select Gradient Overlay from the left column
• You can select a gradient by clicking arrow next to the gradient swatch.
• Select the Balck, White gradient by double clicking on it’s thumbnail.
• In order to blend the gradient with the image just modify the blend mode of gradient from Normal to overlay.
• In order to see the Gradient Overlay effect more clearly you need to turn off the Stroke and Drop Shadow effects by unchecking them.

• Now turn the Stroke and Drop Shadow back on and click inside their checkboxes again.
• You can try adding other layer effects and then you can accept what you have by simply clicking on OK to close the Layer Style dialog box.
• In the Layers panel the effects that has been added to the text appear below the type layer.
• You can click the visibility icon beside an effect’s name to toggle the effect ON and OFF. You can double click directly on the name to re-open Layer Style dialog box and then edit the effects if required.

• In the Layers panel you need to press and hold the Ctrl key o your keyboard and then click on the type layer’s thumbnail.
• In order to select everything except the text you need to invert the selection by going up to the Select menu and selecting Inverse.
• Now click on yourimage layer in order to select it.
• Now click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon.
• Now select a Solid Color fill layer
• From the color picker for the fill layer you need to select black for now.
• Click OK.

• Now in the Layers panel the fill layers appears between the image and the type layer.
• In order to blend the color with the image you need to lower the Opacity of the fill layer.
• With the lowered opacity the image shows through the fill layer.
• In order to try different color just double click on the fill layer’s color swatch.
• Now select a new color from the Color Picker or from the image again.