Introduction
The Type tool in Adobe Photoshop has advanced far beyond its humble beginnings. When Photoshop first appeared, the most you could expect from the Type tool was to enter text. Today it's a powerful and creative tool. Not only can you place text into any open Photoshop image, you can also use text as a mask, path, or even warp text into any shape you desire. In addition, Photoshop now preserves type without rastering. That means, that type created in Photoshop will print out as fine as type created in Adobe Illustrator, or InDesign; regardless of the image's resolution. When you work in Photoshop, type becomes as creative a design element as any other available feature.Working with the Character palette gives you the ability to select a specific font, style, and size, as well as expand or contract the space between letters with leading and kerning, or you could simply increase or decrease the physical width of the text. Baseline shifting even gives you the ability to raise or lower text off the original line. In addition, the Paragraph palette lets you create automatic breaks between paragraphs, and align rows of text left, center, right, or force justify.When you're working with large blocks of text, Photoshop's Spell Check command lets you identify and correct any misspelled words, and the Find and Replace feature makes quick work of identifying and replacing words or formats. You can isolate image pixels with a type mask to create words out of pictures. For example, you could type the phrase Fall is Coming, and use the image of leaves. The Type mask would make the words appear as if they were spelled out in colorful fall leaves. In addition, you could use a type mask in combination with Photoshop's layer styles to create text that almost leaps off the page. Working with text in Photoshop is more than typing words on paper, it's a process every bit as creative as working with graphic images.