Saturday Special 2/20 – Journaling On a Path

Hi everyone!! Fiona here for this weeks Saturday Special. This week I’m going to show you how to do something that I just learned how to do myself. We are going to journal around a picture using vector shapes and text on a path! Sound complicated? It’s really not!
Maybe you already knew how to do this but I have always tried to use the pen tool to text on a path. Using vector shapes is so much less time consuming!
*Note* This tutorial should work in PS CS – CS4.

First open up your canvas, mine is 12×12 but any size is fine of course. Next, from your tools palette, select your Custom Shapes Tool, it might be hidden under the Elipse Tool or another shape tool, you can find it in the flyout menu.

Next, at the top of your screen, you will find a shapes palette. You can select any shape you would like, you will eventually be clipping your photo to this shape. For my page I am going to choose the eliptical shape.

Now, move down to your canvas. Click and drag to create your shape. Holding the shift key at the same time will give you a perfect circle if you have chosen to use the eliptical shape as I did. You should now have a shape on your canvas that is filled with a colour like this:

Don’t worry if your shape is not exactly where you like it. Just choose your move tool from your tool palette and move your shape to where you want it.
Next, from your tool palette, choose the Horizontal Type Tool:

Next, move your cursor over the edge of your shape at the point you want your text to begin.
As you move your cursor over the edge of your shape, you’ll see it change to show that your text will follow the path if you begin typing at that spot. Simply click on the spot where you want to begin typing. You can now choose your font, size, colour, etc. at the top of your screen.

Once you have these selected, just begin typing. Your text should follow the path around your shape.

Now that your journaling is added, it’s time to get your picture! Over in the layers palette, select the layer with your shape on it. Now left click and select "Rasterize Layer". The layer should now have just the shape you made on it.

Now drag you picture onto your canvas. Your picture layer should be directly above your shape layer in the layers palette.

Now clip you picture to your shape. You do this by hovering over the line between the two layers in your layers palette while holding down your "Alt" key. When you see your cursor change shape, simply click to clip your picture!

You should now have your picture in the the shape you chose with your journaling around it!
Your challenge this week is to journal around a picture, a paper or some other element. You can use this tutorial or, if you don’t use Photoshop CS, you can check out some of the great "Text On A Path" packs in the ScrapMatters shop! (Check to make sure they work for your program first!)

There is a even a freebie one from Happy Scrap Girl!

Here is my completed page:

using Winter Crush by Erica Zane and The Cutting Edge by Chelle’s Creations.
Now for some awesome inspiration from the CT:

by Emilee (emileem)

by Liz (mommy22girls)

by Amanda (panders77)

by Cyndi (Cyndi146)

You have until Feb 28th to complete your layout, upload it to the Saturday Special Gallery and link it back to the Saturday Special thread. You’ll receive an extra point for using a new release (remember to tell me you used a new release in your post.) At the end of the month I’ll choose one layout to get an extra point as well!
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!

Fiona (aka canadianmommy)

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 12:30 am and is filed under Challenges, The Saturday Special, Tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.