Step 1: Open A Photo To Place Inside Your Text
First, we need the image that we're going to place inside of our text. I'll use this panoramic photo of Hawaii:
An ocean view from Hawaii.
Step 2: Duplicate The Background Layer
If we look in the Layers palette, we can see that we currently have one layer, named
Background.
This layer contains our image. We need to duplicate this layer, and the
easiest way to do that is by using the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+J (Win) /
Command+J
(Mac). If we look once again in the Layers palette, we see that we now
have two layers. The original Background layer is on the bottom, and a
copy of the Background layer, which Photoshop automatically named "Layer
1", is sitting above it:
Photoshop's Layers palette.
Step 3: Add A New Blank Layer Between The Two Layers
Next, we need to add a new blank layer between the
Background layer and "Layer 1". Currently, "Layer 1" is the layer that's
selected in the Layers palette. We can tell which layer is selected
because the selected layer is always highlighted in blue. Normally, when
we add a new layer, Photoshop places the new layer directly above
whichever layer is currently selected, which means that Photoshop would
place the layer above "Layer 1". That's not what we want. We want the
new layer to be placed
below "Layer 1". Here's a useful trick. To add a new layer below the currently selected layer, hold down your
Ctrl (Win) /
Command (Mac) key and click on the
New Layer
icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Holding down Ctrl (Win) /
Command (Mac) is the trick to placing the layer below the currently
selected layer:
Hold down "Ctrl" (Win) / "Command" (Mac) and click on the New Layer icon in the Layers palette.
We now have a new blank layer named "Layer 2" sitting directly between the Background layer and "Layer 1":
The Layers palette showing the new blank layer between the Background layer and "Layer 1".
Step 4: Fill The New Layer With White
At the moment, our new layer is completely blank. Let's
fill it with white so it will appear as a white background after we've
placed our image inside the text. Go up to the
Edit menu at the top of the screen and choose
Fill. This will bring up Photoshop's Fill dialog box. Select
White for the
Contents option at the top of the dialog box, then click OK to exit out of the dialog box:
Select White for the Contents option at the top of the Fill command's dialog box.
Nothing will appear to have happened in the document
window, since the image on "Layer 1" is blocking "Layer 2" from view,
but if we look at the layer preview thumbnail for "Layer 2" in the
Layers palette, we can see that sure enough, the layer is now filled
with solid white:
The preview thumbnail for "Layer 2" shows that the layer is now filled with white.
Step 5: Select "Layer 1" In The Layers Palette
It's time to add our text, but in order to see the text
when we add it, we'll need to have the text appear above "Layer 1",
otherwise the image on "Layer 1" will block the text from view. To make
sure we can see our text, click on "Layer 1" in the Layers palette to
select it. This way, as soon as we begin typing, Photoshop will create a
new type layer for us and place the type layer directly above "Layer
1":
Click on "Layer 1" in the Layers palette to select it.
Step 6: Select The Type Tool
To add the text, we'll need Photoshop's
Type Tool, so select the Type Tool from the Tools palette. You can also quickly select the Type Tool by pressing the letter
T on your keyboard:
Select the Type Tool.
Step 7: Choose A Font In The Options Bar
With the Type Tool selected, go up to the
Options Bar
at the top of the screen and choose whichever font you want to use for
the effect. Generally, fonts with thick letters work best. I'm going to
choose Arial Black. Don't worry about the font size for now:
Select a font in the Options Bar.
Step 8: Set White As Your Foreground Color
This step isn't absolutely necessary, but to help me see my text, I'm going to use
white
for my text color. The color you choose for your text doesn't really
matter since we'll be filling the text with an image in a moment, but it
still helps to be able to see the text when we're adding it. To set the
text color to white, all we need to do is set Photoshop's
Foreground color to white. First, press the letter
D
on your keyboard, which will reset the Foreground and Background colors
to their defaults. Black is the default color for the Foreground color
and white is the default color for the Background color. To swap them so
white becomes the Foreground color, press the letter
X
on your keyboard. If you look at the Foreground and Background color
swatches near the bottom of the Tools palette, you'll see that white is
now the Foreground color (the left swatch):
Setting the Foreground color to white sets the text color to white as well.
Step 9: Add Your Text
With the Type Tool selected, your font chosen and white as
your Foreground color, click inside your document window and add your
text. Since I'm using a photo of an ocean scene in Hawaii, I'm going to
type the word "HAWAII":
Click inside the document and add your text.
When you're done, click on the
checkmark up in the Options Bar to accept the text.
Click on the checkmark in the Options Bar to accept the text.
Step 10: Resize and Reposition The Text With The Free Transform Command
You'll probably need to resize and reposition your text at this point, and we can do both of those things using Photoshop's
Free Transform command. Press
Ctrl+T (Win) /
Command+T
(Mac) on your keyboard to bring up the Free Transform box and handles
around your text, then drag any of the handles to resize the text. If
you want to resize the text without distorting the look of it, hold down
your
Shift key and drag any of the four corner handles. You can also resize the text from its center by holding down the
Alt (Win) /
Option
(Mac) key as you drag. Finally, to move the text, click anywhere inside
the Free Transform box and drag your mouse to move the text around
inside the document window:
Use Photoshop's Free Transform command to resize and move the text.
Press
Enter (Win) /
Return (Mac) when you're done to accept the transformation and exit out of the Free Transform command.
Step 11: Drag The Text Layer Below "Layer 1"
Now that we have our text the way we want it, we need to
move the type layer below the text in the Layers palette. Click on the
text layer, then simply drag it down below "Layer 1". You'll see a thick
black line appear between "Layer 1" and "Layer 2":
Drag the type layer below "Layer 1".
Release your mouse button when the black line appears to drop the type layer into place between "Layer 1" and "Layer 2":
The type layer now appears between "Layer 1" and "Layer 2".
Step 12: Select "Layer 1" Again
Click once again on "Layer 1" in the Layers palette to select it:
The type layer now appears between "Layer 1" and "Layer 2".
The text will temporarily disappear inside the document window now that the image on "Layer 1" is blocking it from view.
Step 13: Create A Clipping Mask
To create the illusion that the photo is inside the text, we need to use a
clipping mask.
This will "clip" the photo on "Layer 1" to the text on the layer
directly below it. Any areas of the photo that appear directly above the
letters will remain visible in the document. The rest of the photo will
disappear from view.
With "Layer 1" selected in the Layers palette, go up to the
Layer menu at the top of the screen and choose
Create Clipping Mask:
Go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
If we look in the document window, we can see that the photo now appears to be inside the text:
The photo now appears inside the letters.
Step 14: Add A Drop Shadow (Optional)
To complete my effect, I'm going to add a drop shadow to
the letters. If you want to follow along, first select the type layer in
the Layers palette, then click on the
Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:
Select the type layer, then click on the Layer Styles icon.
Select
Drop Shadow from the list of layer styles that appears:
Select the Drop Shadow layer style.
This brings up Photoshop's
Layer Style dialog box set to the
Drop Shadow options in the middle column. I'm going to leave most of the options alone, but I'll lower the
Opacity of the drop shadow down to about
60% so it's not quite so intense, and I'll set the
Angle of the drop shadow to
120°:
The Layer Style dialog box displaying the options for the Drop Shadow.
Click OK when you're done to apply the drop shadow an exit
out of the Layer Style dialog box. Here is my final "image in text"
effect:
The final "image in text" effect.
