Tricks for Type - Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
Easily select text and quickly choose or resize fonts with these tricks. Teachers tell me that the first trick here has been terrific for students who were struggling to select type...especially younger students. Any ways we can make writing in a creative environment easier for students are worth a try!
Double-click on Type Layer Selects Type
Having trouble selecting text with the Type Tool? Just double-click on the Type Layer Indicator (the box with the T in it) to select the text on the layer. Never again will students accidently create new type layers by clicking too far outside of the text to make a selection!
Find the Perfect Font
Ever spend way too much time trying to decide on a font? It can take a lot of time to choose a font from the menu, look at the results, decide you don't like it, choose another, look at it, decide you don't like it...and on and on. To scan through many fonts quickly, select the text, then highlight the font name in the options bar. With the font name selected (highlighted), just use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard to scroll quickly through the font list and look at each one. The scroll wheel on the mouse also works! This little trick works in all Adobe software.
Resize Selected Text from the Keyboard
Hold down CONTROL (COMMAND - Mac) with the SHIFT key, then press < or > to make type larger or smaller. The type changes in 2 point increments.
Now that Photoshop Elements can do paragraph text (starting in version 4.0), it is much easier for students do creative writing projects with illustrations. Happy writing!