QUICK & EASY TEXT EFFECTS

With Photoshop 5, applying drop shadows, glows, embossing and beveling to text is now quick and easy — no plug-ins required.

Create some text using the Type tool (if you are unsure as to how to do this, check out my tip on Using the Type Tool). Under the Layer menu, scroll down to Effects. A drop-down menu will appear:

Select the effect you want to create.

To apply a drop shadow, for example, select Drop Shadow under the Effects drop-down menu. The Effects dialog box will appear:

Make sure the Preview box is checked so you can see the effects on your text as you make them.

Mode: Works the same as it does in the Layers Palette. Click on the box to the right to bring up the Color Picker where you can change the color of the drop shadow.

Opacity: Changes the transparency of the shadow — essentially, how light or dark the drop shadow will appear. If you want a very subtle shadow, keep the intensity value low.

Angle: Changes the placement of the shadow. You can also use the mouse to move the shadow in the image window.

Distance: This is the distance between your text and the drop shadow. Like with the Angle, you can also use the mouse to move the shadow in the image window and reposition it.

Blur: The value you set determines how blurry, or soft, the shadow will be. Large values extend and soften the blur of the shadow.

Intensity: Determines how dark or light you want the shadow to be. Use Intensity in conjunction with Blur to get the effect you desire.

You can also create an Inner Shadow effect, which applies a drop shadow inside the text, creating a 3-D effect. Just select Inner Shadow from the Layer menu > Effects drop-down menu.

To create bevelled and/or embossed text, select Bevel and Emboss from the Layer menu > Effects drop-down menu. The following dialog box will appear:

This dialog box works like the Drop Shadow Effects dialog box. Under Style, however, you can choose whether you want an Outer Bevel, Inner Bevel, Emboss or Pillow Emboss effect: