3D Wire Text
page threeOpen a new document, or any existing document to which you'd like to add this text. Choose the paintbrush in the toolbox, and make sure its options bar shows the new wire brush as selected. Check to be sure the Spacing setting is at 10 % (double click on the brush's thumbnail in the options bar to access the Spacing dialog box).
Make sure black is set as your foreground color in the toolbox. Click on the default colors icon, if necessary. The Stroke path command uses the current brush, and foreground color settings, so you need to get these set before you start.
Choose the type tool in the toolbox. Set the type to a large size; I wouldn't recommend anything smaller that 72 point which is what I've used on these pages. I also used a Strong anti aliasing setting.
Type some or all of your text, and then select it by dragging over it with the type tool (we need to reset the Tracking setting, and you have to have some type selected to do this).
Click the Palettes button on the options bar, or choose Window > Show Character. In the Character palette, set the Tracking value to 200. If you don't know which is the Tracking box, it's the one on the right side showing a 200 setting, below.
When you're done, accept your text by clicking the big check mark on the type tool's options bar. Remember to reset Tracking to zero next time you use the type tool.
In the Layers palette, press Ctrl and click on the new type layer you just made. This will make a selection outline around the text. Click the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette. This creates a new layer, Layer 1 (unless you rename it), with the type selection outline active on it.
Click on the Paths palette's tab to bring it to the front, or choose Window > Show Paths. At the bottom of the Paths palette, click on the Make Work Path button.
This turns your type outline selection into a path. Click on the little arrow in the upper right corner of the Paths palette to access the palette's options menu. Choose Stroke Path from that menu.
In the dialog box that appears, accept Paintbrush as the tool you want to stroke the path.
Click OK, and the path will be stroked with the new wire mesh brush using the current foreground color. Click any blank area in the Paths palette, or choose Turn Off Path from the palette's menu to deselect the path.
The last step is to go back to the Layers palette, and drag Layer 1, which has the wire mesh stroked outline on it, below the Type layer. Do this by dragging Layer 1 until the line between the Type layer, and the Background highlights as a thick black line. Then release the mouse button. Layer 1 should now appear below the Type layer. You want the wire mesh to be behind the type. Your palette should look like this, when you're finished.
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Tips
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Homemade Letterhead
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Combining Images
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3D Wire Text
Doodling
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Adjusting Contrast
Using Curves
Scanning Negatives
Rubberstamping
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Sharpening
Filters
Color
The freehand drawings made with this brush are interesting with a drop
shadow. If you'd like to skip making the brush yourself, try downloading
the link below. It is a GIF file of the brush square.
After you download it, open it in Photoshop,
and save it in psd format. Then choose Image > Mode > RGB (GIFs
use Indexed Color mode).
You'll then need to to select the little
dotted square (not the outer outline, added so you can see the image),
and choose Edit > Define Brush. Be sure and set its Spacing to 10 %
before you use it.
I have a bunch of these weird brushes. You should see the neat things
the 1x16x16 Gradient one does. But it's way to big to do anything useful.
[added] I've put three bonus brushes at the bottom of this page, if you'd
like to try them.
If you would like to download a zipped pdf file of this tutorial,
please click on the link below, and save it to your
hard drive.
3D Wire Text pdf
204 KB
Bonus Brushes
When you select this pattern to define it as a brush, be
sure and make a tight, rectangular selection. You can
only use rectangular selections to define a brush.And,
once again, set the spacing to 10 %.
After stroking the text path with this
one, I deleted
the Type layer in the Layers palette, leaving just the
stroke layer.
Sample.
Brush (GIF to download)
The second one is quite a bit smaller than the brush in the
tutorial, which means you can use it with smaller type, and
with or without the Type layer.. Remember to set Spacing
to 10 % when you use these.
Sample:
Brush (GIF to download)
Here's the last one. This is even smaller. These
little ones lack the detail of the wire mesh brush, but
are more versatile.
In the sample, below, I left the text layer,
but lowered
its opacity to 30 %. As you can see, this is much smaller
text (36 pt.).
Brush GIF
Photoshop Links
FreePhotos
Filler Images
www.arraich.com
Animal Rights
Copyright © 2000 by Jay Arraich.
All rights reserved.
All photographs copyright ©2000 by Jay Arraich
jay@arraich.com
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