How to Distort Text in Photoshop

Photoshop is a wonderful program for graphic designers because there are so many things you can do to both images and text within the program. As for text, it is simple to achieve a certain effect by distorting the text in Photoshop. Photoshop users can make their text wavy, shaped like a fish, in a circular shape, with blurred edges and more. The possibilities seem endless. All this can be done with a few simple clicks of the mouse.

Things You'll Need

• Photoshop software

Instructions

1. 

   Open Photoshop and make a blank page, or open your working document that you wish to place distorted text on. Work with layers if you are placing text on a working document with multiple images. These steps show how to distort text in Photoshop CS3 on a PC.

2. 

   Select the "T" (Text) tool on the tools palette. If the palette is not open, go under the "Window" tab at the top and "Tools." Click anywhere on your document and type in the wording that you want to use. If the text goes off the page, click on the "Move" tool (which is the top right button on the tools palette) and click and drag your text onto the page until it all fits.

3. 

   Click on the "T" tool. The bar at the top gives you various choices of things you can do to your text. Click at the end of your text until a flashing vertical line and solid horizontal line shows up near the text and hit "Ctrl" + "A" on your keyboard to select all the text. A black box appears around the text. Change the font type, font size, text alignment and color of the text by using the options on the top bar while the "T" tool is selected.

4. 

   Highlight your text. Distort the text by clicking on the "Create Warped Text" button at the top with the "T" tool selected. It is the button with the "T" and the arch underneath it, located to the right of the color box. A box pops up that says "Warp Text" at the top. Click on the "Style" tab (which probably says "None" at the moment) and you will see various choices of how to distort your text. Select the different choices to see how the text changes and make a decision for which one you would like to use. Each style has different settings that you can play with to warp the text even more to your liking.

5. 

   Rasterize your text to make use of other ways to create more effects. This means you must go under the "Layer" tab at the top and "Flatten Image." Once the image is flattened, you cannot edit the text. Use the "Magic Wand Tool" to select your text. It is the second tool down on the right hand side of the tool palette. Click on each letter to highlight the whole text. Hold down the shift key to select multiple images at once. The text now has a flashing dotted line pattern around it.

6. 

   Click on the "Filter" tab at the top of the program. You now see various other things you can do to the text. Under "Distort" are a bunch of options. Click on a choice and a box opens in which you can change some of the settings and see a preview of what the new text will look like. Under "Stylize," you can achieve a wind-blown effect on your text. Under "Artistic," you can make the text look like it was written with different mediums. There are numerous effects that you can place upon your text under the "Filter" tab.

Tips & Warnings

• To be able to choose from among all the choices under the "Filter" tab, the text must be in RGB mode and not CMYK. After the text is distorted, it can be changed back to CMYK mode if needed. Change the mode under "Image" tab and "Mode."