Text Tool Basics

Text Tool

We will be exploring the text tool.

You will be using the text tool in almost everything you do.

As previously mentioned I will be using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo Xl

If interested in this product please locate the link on the right.





Let’s do some simple texting. (but not on your iphone)


Begin by starting a new image.

Either click on the image for New (as shown in the previous lesson)




Or click on File and then New or CTRL + N.


Let’s make this image 300 X 300.




Please notice at the top of this box where it says “Presets”.

I save presets that I use a lot. I use 300 x 300 images a lot. So I have saved these dimensions and characteristics as a preset. This way I only have to click the drop down arrow and select the image size I wish to use at this time.

To do this yourself simply put in the information that you would like in this box and then click on the arrow by presets and a drop down menu will open.





Notice the big star on right side. Click this and type in the name of your preset after you have inserted the information once on the previous box.

Save this information and you can now simply click the preset box and click on the preset 300 x 300 (shown by the little star) and all of your information is there. Press ok and continue on your work.


Now we have a 300 x 300 work space to work with.

Let’s click on the Text Tool icon on the left hand side of your work area.
(if that is where you docked your Tools toolbar).

It looks like this.



(this of course is greatly magnified)

Now left click in the center of your work area.

You will get the dialog box.




Make sure you click on the box and see the cursor. Enter your text in the box. I keep the text highlights completely so that I can change the size and font. Below shows this.



As you can see above, the text in the box is highlighted. The drop-down box above shows that I have picked Arial Black for the font and 30 for size, pixel for unit and the B is highlighted because I want it bold. (don’t click apply yet, there’s more)



Here I have aligned it “center” and direction is left to right, anti alias is sharp,(we will go through those options at a later time with an explanation), stroke width is 0 because I did not want the text outlined and this is created as a floating image rather than vector or
selection. I will explain the difference of those choices in the next tutorial.

Now click the apply button.

You now have what is called “dancing ants” around the word. This means that it is selected. Also any type of “effect” that you do will only be applied inside of the selection. Nothing can be painted or done outside of the selection.



Now go up to the selection tab and click select none.





This gets rid of the selection around your font.


Now I want you click on the crop tool.




And we will crop your font down.


If this box appears, I want you to press the clear button




Then just click above your text to the left upper corner and drag down
to the bottom right corner. This creates a box around your text.




If the box isn’t exactly the way you want it, you can move the little
nodes around the box to adjust it. When you have it the way you
you want it, you can click the little green arrow in the box below or
put your cursor inside the middle of the box and double click.





You have just created some font. As you can see above, you
can have a lot of fun with playing around with fonts.


Next tutorial we will play more with different fonts as well as using effects on
And showing all the fun you can have with fonts.



All tutorials are written completely by ©TwistedDesignES - 2010