Text on photos

[Shari]

Hi,
I'm doing a small photo album for my Dad of photos I have taken through the year. He is 87 and does not have a computer so I am printing them. When I used to use Print Shop it was really easy to write right on the photo any caption or comments. I know how to do it in the postcards however I do not want that format as it makes the actual photo too small. I can find nothing on the text tool in my Photoshop Elements 3 by Scott Kelby. Maybe I am blind. Then when I go into help from the text tool I can find information but because my mind is slow these days I want to print it. When I go to print it says pages 1-65535. I cannot find a page number on the help so I can just print one page. Am I making sense???? Does someone know an easy way to print text right on the photo - or print a page of help from Adobe Help?
Thanks for any help. Shari

[Pauline]

Shari, select the text tool from the tool bar on the left. You can change the font and size from the top tool bar once the text is selected. Make sure you have a colour selected that you can see, and then put the curser where you want to type. The enter key on the keyboard brings you to another line, the enter key beside the numbers to the right accepts the text. Once you have the text if you want to change anything double click on the layer to the right to highlight it. You can then change the font and size. To move the text around use the move tool. I hope this helps, and it's what you were asking about.

Oh and at the top tool bar you also have the option for vertical or horizontal text and I'm afraid, I'm not sure what the other two options are (maybe selections? I don't play around with text often.)

[Shari]

Thanks,
I figured it out slowly. The thing I can't figure is that in order to see the text I had to put it at 60 or 72 pt. Is this because my photos are so big before I print them. When I print them I put it at 4 x 6 but otherwise they are huge. Anyway I have printed one photo with the date and event on it and it looks great. Thanks.

I sometimes wonder if it is cheaper to put the photos on a CD and take them in to be printed at the drug store. What do others feel on this. Thanks.

[Shari]

Pauline, I just looked at your photo gallery. Wonderful work. Thanks. Shari

[mrod]

Hi Shari-

I've found the same issue with text size on larger pictures, and I believe (as it sounds like you've discovered) it has to do with the picture resolution. Images with a high resolution will require a larger text size. If I'm off-base here, someone with more experience than I, please let me know.

As for the printing bit, yeah, you're probably right. When I make several photos, or enlargements, or something that is more than just a quick print, I usually do my PSE work ,then ship 'em off and let the professionals do it. They turn out much nicer than my printer can produce.

Hope your project turns out great! Feel free to post some of your pictures here, if you wish!

Mike

[jazzfisher]

Shari,
I hope you were able to figure the Text out. I too, use Print Shop alot when I"m doing work for the local wine bar (menus, annoucements). It is much much easier in Print Shop to use text.
PSE 4.0 seems simpler than 3.0 was....

[MikeH]

Does someone know an easy way to.... print a page of help from Adobe Help?

Shari,

Have you solved the text question now..?

To print a single Help page in PSE3 (or PES4 for that matter) where it says 1-65535 delete this and just type 1. Only the current page you are viewing will be printed. PSE4 shows a 1 in the Page Range box, soa ll you have to do is to check Pages rather than All.

Hope this helps :)

Mike

[Wendy]

Hi Shari ...

If you have a lot of pictures need printing then I think that it sometimes is better to out them on CD and get them printed out :)


Wendy

[Mary]

Hi Shari
Since doing the Workflow class the first thing I do is copy the background layer and then change the resolution from 72 as it comes from my camera to 200 or 300. Then I work on it and things are more in perspective as far as text etc. :)

[Chuck S.]

Mary, for Shari's benefit: when changing the resolution from 72 to 300, one should be certain that the Resample box is unchecked; otherwise, you'll throw away a lot of pixels that you'll need if you're going to print later...

Chuck

[Mary]

Good catch Chuck! It is a very important point:)

[twoaussies]

I solved the problem mentioned in the forums at the beginning of November where a large supermarket chain refused to print my photos because "they are professional". I now take a couple of Photoshop books with me to show the tutorials I have been following. No problems now. At 19 cents for a 6x4 it is much cheaper to have a shop do the printing. Then if I want an 8x10 enlargement I go to an office supply place where I can get an enlargement for $1.09 . Jean

[Wendy]

Jean ...

That is a great idea !! :)


Wendy