May10 Wordart Challenge

[kimberkatt]

COMING SOON TO THE STUDIO NEAR YOU!

hehe... I will have the May challenge posted by no later than tomorrow!! A little bit different this month, so stay tuned!
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Welcome to May's Wordart Challenge! I want to thank Stephanie (Scrappy Cocoa) again for taking the time to host the challenge last month! What an awesome tutorial she showed us, I hope you all enjoyed it!! I sure did!

This month, we are going to learn how to ENGRAVE (or Letterpress, as some call it) It's not a normal Wordart challenge, but I tend to use this technique a lot, especially for adding dates or names to my layouts! Sometimes I just get so tired of looking at that "flat" black text, I have to spice it up a bit! This technique actually works very well on all types of papers & elements, to give your LO's a little pizazz! So, let's get to it then!

Object of Challenge:

• to engrave (Letterpress) text on an element/paper, either one you have in your stash, or the FREEBIE I am supplying
• You also have a choice of what text you want to use - either the one I provide or any text of your choosing!

When you are finished, please upload to the Decorate Your Wordart Gallery and post a link back here so I can get your points to you!

First, here's a look at the FREEBIE for this month:


>>> DOWNLOAD HERE <<<

Next, here are the tutorials on how to ENGRAVE:

PHOTOSHOP INSTRUCTIONS: (More advanced instructions for more control on the effect)

1. Open the WA & Blank Brad > copy to a new 12X12 page (WA on top of Brad) > center as desired
2. Ctrl-click on the Wordart thumbnail in the layers palette, so you get the marching ants around it --> Make sure you are still on the brad layer though
3. HIDE the wordart layer by clicking on the "eye" to the left of the thumbnail (marching ants should still be there!)
4. Go to your CHANNELS palette and click the "Save Selection as channel" icon at the bottom (grey rectangle with white circle in center) --> you should now see a new channels layer, click on it to select
5. Go back to your Layers palette and choose "create new fill or adjustment layer" from the bottom (black & white circle)
6. When the menu pops up, you want to select "Levels" --> this will bring up a new Adjustment Layer & the Levels palette.
7. On the Levels palette, at the bottom is an output levels range --> change the 255 to around 183ish -> We are darkening the selection to add depth for the engraving which happens next!
8. Now we're ready to engrave! Make sure you are on your adjustment layer and click the "fx" at the bottom to add a layer style.
9. Here are the setting's I use, you can play with the numbers a little to get your desired effect:

• INNER SHADOW:
  • Blend Mode: Multiply (black)
  • Opacity: 75%
  • Angle: 120 (use global light checked)
  • Distance: 5
  • Choke: 0
  • Size: 2
  • Don't change anything under Quality
• BEVEL AND EMBOSS:
  • Style: Outer Bevel
  • Technique: Chisel Soft
  • Depth: 100%
  • Direction: Down
  • Size: 2
  • Soften: 0
  • Hightlight Mode (under Shading): Color Dodge, Opacity 100%
  • Shadow Mode (under Shading): Soft Light, Opacity 100%

• INNER GLOW:
  • Blend Mode: Color Burn
  • Opacity: 50%
  • Noise: 0
  • Color: change the yellow to BLACK (000000)
  • Leave everything else alone

• DROP SHADOW:
  • Blend Mode: Overlay (black)
  • Opacity: 50%
  • Angle: 120 (global light checked)
  • Distance: 0
  • Spread: 0
  • Size: 7
  • no changes under Quality

1. Click OK to accept the layer style changes. Select the Brad layer, Ctrl-click on the black thumbnail in the Levels adjustment layer to get the marching ants again. Go to FILTERS>OTHER>OFFSET. Set both the Horizontal & Vertical values at +7 and click Ok. Deselect and revel in your new found trick!!

PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS INSTRUCTIONS: (not as complicated, but not as much control over the outcome)

1. Open the WA & Blank Brad > copy to a new 12X12 page (WA on top of Brad) > center as desired
2. Duplicate the Brad (should now have two brad layers)
3. Ctrl-click on the WA layer to get the marching ants around the selection
4. Select the top brad layer and hit DELETE --> This should make a cut out of the wordart, however you will not see it yet --> hit ESCAPE to clear the selection
5. Hide the Wordart layer by clicking on the "eye" on the left
6. While still on the top brad layer, select SIMPLE INNER BEVEL from your layer styles list (make sure to hit "apply" to apply the style)
7. Set the Bevel at 3, Direction UP, Angle=120
8. Add a DROP SHADOW layer style, Distance =3, Size =3 Opacity =70% and click OK to accept
9. Select bottom Brad layer and click CREATE ADJUSTMENT LAYER (Black & White Circle)
10. Choose "LEVELS" as your adjustment layer and change the 255 under Output levels to around 143-ish --> again, this is darkening to add depth
11. Select the top Brad layer again, Ctrl-click the Wordart layer to get the marching ants
12. Go to FILTER>OTHER>OFFSET and set the Horizontal & Vertical values at +2 and click OK
13. Now you can revel in your new found trick!

And, for those of you who use Pixelmator, I found a nice video tutorial on Youtube you can use to get the same effect!!

If you have any questions, please post them here and I will be happy to help you out!! Now, go and engrave your little hearts out!

[tiggconn]

okay

[allergy_mom]

looking forward to it! (thanks in advance ;-> )

[kimberkatt]

It's posted now ladies! Let me know if you have any questions!!

[ScrappyCocoa]

What a great tut! I didn't know how to do this! I will be putting something together soon!

[kimberkatt]

Thanks! I went searching last year for an engraving tutorial for PSE (which is what I use), and all they had was Photoshop... I remember struggling to try to get it to look right and must have went through that tutorial a bazillion times until I got it right - sometimes it's quite tricky to convert those PS tutorials for PSE... unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the site that had the tutorial, I had written it down in my notebook here and never made note of the site

[danzinst]

Thanks for the tut. I am off to try this.Be back later with my layout.

[janieinMN]

oh THIS was FUN!!! of course, after the 1st one i just had to play some more!! so off on the hunt for shapes with shiny dimensions like Kimberkatt's brad... i had a BLAST learning this one (and of course, the playing helped to reinforce the 'steps' to create the engravings).

thank you SO much for beginning this word art challenge tutorials in Feb ... already looking forward to June!!!

here are my links -- ended up doing 4 (not counting the one that looks just like the sample using the "making memories").

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57030&title=wa-roger-wordle&cat=1043
credits:
'roger' & "wordles" (a website that creates word jumbles)

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57029&title=wa-love-swirlies&cat=1043
credits:
swirly leaves button and Love wordart - Grungy Love kit by Red Ivy Designs
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57028&title=wa-flower&cat=1043
credits:
flower shape - Good Times kit by Red Ivy Designs
font - Viner Hand ITC

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57027&title=wa-donut&cat=1043
credits:
donut shape - You're So Lovely kit by Red Ivy Designs
circle text-fill template by Just2MoreThings Design
font - new times roman

[janieinMN]

??? is there an easy way to create a template that can be used for various texts ?? or is this a technique that has to be done individually each time?? can macros be created in PSE to 'remember' all the steps?? so that once the shape is in and duplicated and the text pic in, just one click would do it all???

this tutorial promted me do screen prints to mark up all the steps for a "visual" cheat sheet... doing the same for all the other WA challenges to-date :-)
js

ps and YES, it's addicting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[littlespooky]

great TUT Kimby! I like to dod this alot with my wordart...i did it on my hug a hero dogtags infact...xoxo

[kimberkatt]

Originally Posted by janieinMN

??? is there an easy way to create a template that can be used for various texts ?? or is this a technique that has to be done individually each time?? can macros be created in PSE to 'remember' all the steps?? so that once the shape is in and duplicated and the text pic in, just one click would do it all???

this tutorial promted me do screen prints to mark up all the steps for a "visual" cheat sheet... doing the same for all the other WA challenges to-date :-)
js

ps and YES, it's addicting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, PSE does not support Actions (Macros/Scripts), so you cannot save a recorded set in PSE (there is a work-a-round to get actions to play in PSE though). Photoshop does support Actions... however, I have no clue how to save one LOL I suppose that should be my next tutorial hunt... hehehe..

Anyone know how to save an action in PS?!

[lbettis]

Here's mine
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...ttembossSM.jpg

[lbettis]

Here's another one that I decorated;

[tiggconn]

here's mine:

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...rdart&cat=1043

Great tut! Thank you!

[iela1216]

Here is mine

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...ories&cat=1043

[janieinMN]

here are my layouts using the WA challenge from April

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57651&title=space-cadets-left&cat=1043

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...right&cat=1043

[mrscarol_1]

Here is my word art

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...ories&cat=1043

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...000-Page-1.jpg

[AJR65]

I hope I did it right. Here is my LO
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...gether&cat=all

[Renee]

So I gave this a try, but since I work with Paint Shop Pro, I'm dutch and my programm works in dutch I didn't understand so very much about the tutorial. LOL.
I did it my own way, trying things out and I came with a result which I think is what you mean.
Here it is:
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...ories&cat=1043

Thanks for the tutorial though, never would have thought of doing something like this otherwise!

[Joba2]

Wow! These challenges are great! It is exactly what I need to help add some pizazz to my LO's.
I made a LO using all 4 tutorials on it!!
Party Time