Type on a path and curled ribbons in Photoshop

1. It’s time to add type on a slight arc to the ribbons. Press “p” to get the Pen tool, then click on the bottom-left corner of the left ribbon. Then, move your cursor to the bottom-right corner of the left ribbon where it meets the white circle, click-and-hold to add a point, and drag to bend the path segment to match the curve of the ribbon (as shown) (Figure 19).

   

   Figure 19

2. Click on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to create a new layer. Switch to the Type tool, then go up to the Options Bar, and click the Left Align Text button. Click your Type cursor on the left side of the path and begin typing, and your type will follow the path. The font used here is Papyrus. Once your type is in place, switch to the Move tool and drag it up into the center of the ribbon (as shown). Do the same for the right side (Figure 20).

   

   Figure 20

3. Here’s the text “1993” added to the right side of the ribbon. The reason you align the path to the bottom of the ribbon, is so the amount of bend in your curve is perfectly aligned to the bend in your ribbon. At this point, the logo is basically done, but we just can’t help tweaking things a bit. So… (Figure 21).

   

   Figure 21

4. Go to the Layers palette and click on the original Yin Yang layer. Then, choose Bevel and Emboss from the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu at the bottom of the Layers palette. When the dialog box appears, just click OK to apply the standard beveled effect to your Yin Yang symbol (Figure 22).

   

   Figure 22

5. In the Layers palette, click on the thin black outer ring layer. Press the letter “w” to get the Magic Wand tool, and click in the white area inside the ring to select it. Press “d” then “x” to set white as your Foreground color, and then fill this circle with white by pressing Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace). Choose Outer Glow from the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu. When the dialog appears, change the Blend Mode from Screen to Normal, increase the Spread to 8% and the Size to 27, and click on the beige Color Swatch and change the Glow color to black. Click OK (Figure 23).

   

   Figure 23

6. Here’s the final logo, with a black outer glow, and beveled Yin Yang symbol. Again, it didn’t need those extra effects, but I just couldn’t help myself. It’s a sickness (Figure 24).

   

   Figure 24

Excerpted from “Photoshop CS Down & Dirty Tricks”, Copyright ©2004 by Scott Kelby, published by New Riders Publishing. Used with the permission of Pearson Education and New Riders Publishing. To buy this book, visit www.newriders.com.

Page 5 of 5

Previous Page