Photoshop Tutorial: How to Make Text Paths

In this tutorial, I want to show you how you can create a path for text. This is a simple tutorial to get you involved with the text tool with adobe photo shop cs2.

End result:

Author:

Views: 21509

Score: 8.54 / 10

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Practice tutorial

Tags:pathtext

Step 1

Lets begin this tutorial by creating a new document in photo shop.

File > New >
width: 581 pixels
Height: 297
Resolution: 72
Background -transparent

Click O.k.

Step 2

With the new document created, make sure you have "Layer 1" selected and color it black with the paint bucket tool. This will be our background.

Black #000000

Step 3

Create the text you wish to use.

Font: Arial
Size: 125.28
Color: White but it's not necessary the giant text is a guideline.

Step 4

we need to spread the text apart a bit, so when we add the outline text they won't be nocking into one another.

go to
Window tab> Character

This will bring your character font properties up

(or click on the text tool then find the icon in the tool bar panal up top that looks like a menu tab like shown in the image)

Look for what looks to be horizontal arrows, we need to adjust the horizontal AV to 100.

Step 5

Now with the text layer you created, we need to convert this into a shape. Converting it to a shape will create a work path which will be needed for the text to guide along it.

Right click on your text layer >Convert to shape

Step 6

I wanted to show you here what the work path looks like when it's activated with in the layer panel.

On the left side the work path is disabled but the layer is still selected

Right side of the layer panel shows it activated
Click on the vector thumbnail with in the text shape layer to activate the work path. You will see an outline around the vector thumbnail appear, and as well around the text shape in your document.

Step 7

Since it's not a simple shape, and all the outlines are not connected each piece will need to be worked on separately.
You will need to activate the vector thumbnail to work on each outline, so it's best to work from the inside of the text then the outside.

Now that we have our shape path activated, hover your text tool over the inside of the D outline, wait till you see a T with a wavy symbol that is your text path type tool. Go ahead and click and start typing, your text should start flowing along the inner part of your D

Click on the vector thumbnail again and hover your text type tool over the inner part of the g and again wait for the text path type tool symbol to appear, click and type and watch your text flow along the inner part of your g.


Click on the vector thumbnail again and hover your text type tool over the inner part of the a and again wait for the text path type tool symbol to appear, click and type and watch your text flow along the inner part of your a.

Step 8

this is the result you should have from step 7

Step 9

Now lets work on the outer part, remember each outline needs to be separately activated before you work on them.

Hover your text type tool over the D outside outline and wait for the text path type tool to appear. Click, and begin typing.

Step 10

Results from step 9

Again reactivate the vector thumbnail to work on the next letter and wait for the text path type tool to appear.

Step 11

This is the result you should have after doing steps 9 & 10

Step 12

Go to your layers panel, and hide the text layer. We don't need it anymore, it was just a guide for us to use for our text to flow along it.

Look for your text shape and click on the eye to disable it, or just trash it.

Step 13

Select all your new text layers > Right click and duplicate, then merge together by right clicking and then go down to "Merge Layers"

this will be our extra effect

Step 14

With the merged layer selected

go to
Filters > Blur > Radial Blur >

Step 15

put these settings in for the radial blur

amount - 34
Blur Method-Spin
Quality-Best

Step 16

final results

14 Comments:

Giggles says:

Cool tut!Thanks for posting it!

(2 years and 208 days ago)

vinshine says:

yeah this one is Good.,

(2 years and 208 days ago)

RGB says:

nice tut DD i like it

(2 years and 208 days ago)

Giallo says:

useful

(2 years and 203 days ago)

FairyGardens says:

very interesting

(2 years and 194 days ago)

Guest says:

Will this work in PSE?

(2 years and 165 days ago)

Guest says:

nice one

(2 years and 164 days ago)

devangel says:

nice

(2 years and 155 days ago)

Guest says:

wow is very good.......

(2 years and 56 days ago)

Guest says:

Thank you for the tutor. It's really good.

(2 years and 16 days ago)

Guest says:

a new discovery for me, thanks.

(2 years and 1 days ago)

DigitalDreamer says:

Thanks for all the comments, I am not sure what other programs this works in, I done this in photo shop cs2 version. I am not familiar with the other versions if they allowed to create a text path. I hope this helps those wondering.

(1 year and 330 days ago)

Guest says:

Ad more blur duplicating the blured layer and angle it by 20 degrees. Do this again but this time use -20 degree.
Also selecting all the layers and dragging it to the duplicate button could be done more easily. Just select the layers you need and hit Ctrl, Alt Shift e....

(1 year and 247 days ago)

Guest says:

Thank you for this awesome tutorial!!
Here are my results:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hipwelljo/4844384765/

(1 year and 195 days ago)

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