working on a gift

[ibclare]

I am working on a gift for my sister, using pictures from her wedding. I have started with this image. It is pretty basic and I would like creative ideas for giving it zing (any ideas using the basic elements) or just comments/critique.
Thanks, IB

 

[Hoogle]

I see a stroke

 

[ibclare]

I'm very glad you've had your glasses prescription changed then. LOL

I took your advice and made it 3 different pictures. I may have to find a different one for the leftmost as I'm not sure I care for Jim's face coming through the hard light mode of the text. He has a very ruddy face. Of course, I could change that I suppose. Back to the drawing board. But not tonight. Thanks for your input Hoogle.

 

[SeniorS]

Looks good but hard to read (hmm, i'm telling that often, maybe lately something wrong with my eyes )
As i noticed then for weddings etc. usually (and it looks good usually too) use handwriting fonts. Like all those pictures and some bold red/white text or something.

 

[Vafann]

Hello! I think this is a nice gift! If you want suggestions I would like to suggest to maybe shrink the text a bit and put it like MARY-&-JIM, I mean one whole word in each pic, the way the "Y" goes into the "&" box makes it kind of hard to read. Also maybe make the color around the letters some other color that will make the text stand out a bit more. I think I like the idea of different pictures in each box, it makes it more interesting, but the one with same picture feels a bit more balanced so I don´t know

It is a very nice gift idea anyway!

 

[ibclare]

Yes, I definitely agree with both of you and I thought of changing the stroke color after SeniorS said hard to read. But I also like the idea of one word per "frame." I am not sure I want to change the font. I picked this one so it would have large open space in it, though there are others that would work well. I wanted something a bit unusual. Maybe I need to download some fonts.

I will tell you though, I am wary of downloads. I got a couple brush sets and all was well. Then I downloaded a set that turned out to b only 4 and they looked like someone took pics of discarded hair on a salon floor. Yuck. Well, shortly after that, PS told me I didn't have enough RAM to save a file even after I flattened it, and it wasn't that big. Then not much later, I closed my laptop lid which puts it into sleep mode and it shut down. I think I will only download those recommended by users on this site whom I trust.

Oh, and this is just part of the gift. It's the header for a webpage of images I made or I will matte each image individually (on one matte board) and make a framed "pciture." Haven't decided yet, but will prob'ly go with something she can hang on the wall, or both.

Anywho, thanks a bunch for the feedback.

 

[ibclare]

I've got a problem today. This text mask effect was working yesterday, but today it's not, and I'm not doing anything different that I know. The image within text effect can be created in more than one way.

The first one I learned was to use a direct clipping mask, image above text, alt click between the 2. Now you can move the text around and see through it to the image.

The second method creates a layer of image that is hard-wired so to speak. When you make it, it clips that portion of the image. You can then move it around anywhere and it contains the same image. I've uploaded an example of what I mean. This method is done by creating a type layer above the image. You then control/command click on the type mask (i think that's what you call it) to make a selection. You then click the eye to make the text invisible and you should have your clipping. This worked fine before but now all I am getting is a selection, nothing more. Any ideas?

 

[Hoogle]

just delete the text layer and do it again

 

[ibclare]

Been trying that, including creating a whole new document but same results. I may have to reload Photoshop. Big groan.

 

[Hoogle]

reset photoshop settings holding down control + shift + alt when you click to load the program up it will ask you if you want to delete the preference file click yes

 

[Hoogle]

ps re my last post may not work if you using a shortcut you need to do it on start menu application

 

[ibclare]

You know I think that perhaps I am being really lame. Guess I didn't get enough sleep last night? Probably I just took the type selection, inverted it, and cleared the rest. Then I have set picture within text. Just can't remember if that's what I did. Probably is since that will of course work. Then apply layer effects and so on. I really am losing my mind!

 

[ibclare]

Another version:

One is with the center "lozenge" layer at 80% opacity, the other 100%.

I wonder, maybe I should switch the lefthand image to the middle . . . but I just like that middle image best.

 

[Hoogle]

why not swap the & symbol with a heart or maybe put the & in a Heart

 

[ibclare]

:idea:
oooooooooooooo, i didn't know you were such a romantic hoogle!

I'll try it and see

 

[Hoogle]

well you learn something new everyday