Offset Summer Title

 

Offset Summer Title
by Syndee Rogers & Jen White

Use a chunky serif font and a cleverly placed stroke outline to create a splash of summer fun on your next digital project.

Note: This tutorial was updated July 2019 by Jen White.

For this tutorial you will need:

  • Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
  • A chunky serif font. Here are two good examples:
    • Bevan (free at Font Squirrel)
    • ChunkFive (free at Font Squirrel)

Step One: Open a Scrapbook Page

  • Create a new 8×6 inch document (File > New > Blank File) at 300 ppi with a white background. (PS: Choose File > New.)
    OR, open the layered scrapbook page (File > Open) and in the Layers panel, activate the top layer.
  • Press the letter D to reset the Color Chips to the default of black over white.

 

Step Two: Add the First Letter

  • Get the Horizontal Type tool.
  • In the Tool Options, open the Font Picker and choose a bold, serif font. I’m using Beven. Set the Size to 150. The Color Chip should be black.
  • On the document, click once in the middle of the document to place the cursor. Type the first letter of a word. I’ll type a Capital S for Summer.
  • Holding down the Ctrl key (Mac: Cmd key) click inside the bounding box and drag the letter to the left center of the document. Click the checkmark to commit.

 

 

Step Three: Add Additional Letters

  • Get the Horizontal Type tool.
  • Holding down the Shift key, click in the center of the document and type another letter of a word. I’ll type a lowercase U.
  • Holding down the Ctrl key (Mac: Cmd key) click inside the bounding box and drag the letter so that it’s overlapping the previous letter and is slightly offset. Click the checkmark to commit. To fine-tune the placement, get the Move tool and use your Arrow keys to nudge the letter into place.

 

 

Step Four: Create the Outline Text

  • In the Layers panel, click on the top letter layer to activate it.
  • Holding down the Shift key, click on the bottom letter layer. Now all layers associated with your word should be active.
  • Press Ctrl E (Mac: Cmd E) to merge all the letter layers together.
  • In the Layers panel, hold down the Ctrl key (Mac: Cmd key) and click on the thumbnail of the merged word layer to get a selection outline.
  • Click on the Create a New Layer icon.
  • Double click directly on the name of this new layer and rename it, Stroke.
  • In the Menu Bar, choose Edit > Stroke (Outline) Selection. (Photoshop: Choose Edit > Stroke.)
  • In the dialog box, set the Width to 5. The Color Chip should be black. Set the Location to Inside, the Mode to Normal, and the Opacity to 100%. Click OK.
  • Press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to deselect.
  • Get the Move tool.
  • Press the Arrow keys to nudge the outline up and to the left to give it an offset look.

 

 

Step Five: Clip Paper to the Title

  • In the Layers panel, activate the merged letters layer.
  • Open a patterned paper (File > Open) that you would like to clip to the title. Small dark patterns will look best with this technique. I’m using PaperBiggie-Chev2 from Just Peachy by Syndee Rogers.
  • Get the Move tool.
  • On the document, hold down the Shift key and click and drag the paper onto the scrapbook page.
  • In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

 

 

Step Six: Use the Title

To use the title on a project:

  • In the Layers panel, click on the Stroke layer to activate it.
  • Holding down the Shift key, click on the merged type layer.
  • Get the Move tool.
  • On the document, click and drag the title onto a new document.

To save the title as a layered document:

  • Save the title document (File > Save) as a layered PSD document.

 

Here is how Syndee used the title she created:

Credits:
Page & Photo: Syndee Rogers, BlueOrange Studio
Kit: Hello Summertime by Digilicious Designs
Fonts: Akenaten, Caviar Dreams
Software: Photoshop Elements 12, Adobe Photoshop CC 2014

 

Download PDF

 

 

_____________________________________________

Syndee Rogers-NucklesAuthor: Syndee Rogers | Contact Us
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Comments (14)

  1. Jenifer Juris

    This is such a cute/fun idea!! 🙂

    July 10, 2015 at 6:47 pm Reply
  2. Donna

    This title has so much movement in it . . . great for a summertime layout. Thanks for the tutorial, Syndee.

    July 10, 2015 at 10:15 pm Reply
    • Syndee Rogers-Nuckles

      I am so glad you like it Donna!

      July 10, 2015 at 11:32 pm Reply
  3. Karen Stevens

    This tutorial is not working for me. When I try to nudge the stroke outline, I get the message “Could not nudge because no pixels are selected”. What am I doing wrong?

    July 14, 2015 at 10:20 am Reply
    • Jen White

      Hi Karen. So sorry. The instructions in the tutorial were slightly off…it was our fault, not yours. Please give it a try again using the updated instructions and PDF. Again, sorry for the inconvenience. xoxo

      July 14, 2015 at 7:05 pm Reply
  4. Jeffri

    Wonderful tutorial! Such a cute idea. Thank you for sharing your creativity! And, thank you for providing a PDF file! Very awesome!

    July 14, 2015 at 10:37 am Reply
  5. Marilyn

    Thanks so much for this tutorial I always struggle looking for new
    title ideas. Thanks again!

    July 14, 2015 at 2:53 pm Reply
  6. Marilyn

    Thanks so much for the tutorial. I always struggle looking for new title ideas. Thanks again!!

    July 14, 2015 at 2:54 pm Reply
  7. RuthAnn

    Thanks for this great idea! I’ll have to try it.

    July 14, 2015 at 8:15 pm Reply
  8. RuthAnn

    Thanks for this cool tutorial. I will have to give it a try

    July 14, 2015 at 8:46 pm Reply
  9. Terri

    this looks great. Gotta get busy and try it.

    July 15, 2015 at 9:52 pm Reply
  10. Terri

    This is a great idea. Gotta get busy and try it.

    July 15, 2015 at 9:53 pm Reply
  11. Karen

    Thank you! I think you were reading my mind because I was looking for a tutorial on this yesterday.

    May 25, 2021 at 9:46 am Reply
  12. donna juergens

    Love how the letters turned out! Thank you, Syndee.

    May 28, 2021 at 6:29 pm Reply
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