Photoshop text quality issue... any help?

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

When i open up a new canvas in Photoshop, under the default photoshop size, my text is all blocky and pixelised as if i had used Paint on Microsoft.

Here is a screen shot of the blocky text. Now i am pretty sure that text in Photoshop is designed to stay perfect however large or small you type.

As you can tell, i am not too clued up with my Photoshop Skills!

What settings do i need to adjust? Am i not checking something obvious?

Any help would be very appreciated.

Rich.

Blue Velvet · May 19, 2006

Select aliasing. Up top next to the point size where it says none. Try smooth.

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

Blue Velvet said:
Select aliasing. Up top next to the point size where it says none. Try smooth.

Hi, and thanks.

Yeah i tried that, but none of the options, smooth, strong, none etc. None of them help.

The text looks like horrid.

It's weird because i assumed everything was on default.

Is there a way i can just set everthing to default?

Rich.

Blue Velvet · May 19, 2006

fatsoforgotso said:
Hi, and thanks.

Yeah i tried that, but none of the options, smooth, strong, none etc. None of them help.

The text looks like horrid.

It's weird because i assumed everything was on default.

Is there a way i can just set everthing to default?

Rich.

You have to have the text selected before choosing the option. Try that first.

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

Blue Velvet said:
You have to have the text selected before choosing the option. Try that first.

Hehe, yeah i guessed that.

But, no, nothing. They all change it ever so slightly, but they are all still blocky and pixelised.

Rich.

iGav · May 19, 2006

fatsoforgotso said:
Now i am pretty sure that text in Photoshop is designed to stay perfect however large or small you type.

You've zoomed into your canvas at 200% that's why it looks jagged, and if you're only using Photoshop defaults, then that problem will be exacerbated when you zoom in because Photshop defaults to a 72dpi (e.g. screen resolution).

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

iGav said:
You've zoomed into your canvas at 200% that's why it looks jagged, and if you're only using Photoshop defaults, then that problem will be exacerbated when you zoom in because Photshop defaults to a 72dpi (e.g. screen resolution).

Ahh, ok i see. Thanks.

But the default size is a wee bit small on my screen, so how can i zoom in without the blocky text?

I have worked on Photoshop Projects designing posters, and however far i zoom the text stays perfect.

Why is this ?

Do you have any recommendations on the setup i choose?

I'm making still titles for a documentary.

Rich.

iGav · May 19, 2006

fatsoforgotso said:
Ahh, ok i see.

At 72dpi (screen resolution) whenever you zoom in above 100% the text will look jagged no matter how large the type point size, or anti-aliasing applied.

However, using a higher resolution... say 1000dpi for example, you should be able to zoom in, whilst still maintaing a degree of smoothness because of the higher resolution of the text.

Photoshop is a bitmap-editing app (with limited vector functionality) unlike Illustrator which is a vector app, hence the problems you're encountering with the jaggies.

fatsoforgotso said:
Do you have any recommendations on the setup i choose?

I'm making still titles for a documentary.

72dpi will be fine for screen resolution work, though I suggest if you intend on having the text on your titles scale in size (decrease or increase) then you're better off using Illustrator, and creating your text as EPS files.

What resolution is your documentary?

iGav · May 19, 2006

fatsoforgotso said:
But the default size is a wee bit small on my screen, so how can i zoom in without the blocky text?

Increase the dpi, though if you're producing work for screen... 72dpi is fine.

fatsoforgotso said:
I have worked on Photoshop Projects designing posters, and however far i zoom the text stays perfect.

Why is this ?.

Printed projects require higher resolutions to achieve an acceptable quality (screen work is limited by a native resolution) so you can actually zoom in to canvas many times because the work is of a higher resolution.

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

Thanks iGav.

Great help!!!

Rich.

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

I really don't think it should be like this.

I changed the resolution to 100 pixels/inch.

The text is still shoddy.

On every single project i've ever worked on in Photoshop, i had perfect text however far i zoomed in.

I don't understand how this project is different?

My film is going to be displayed on projectors, widescreen plasmas, monitors etc. I shot it in DV.

I just want to create a gray background, with a little bit of white text and 3 small stills.

I understand that vectors remain the same quality whatever size, but that's how i'm used to viewing text on PS. Is there a setting that i could use vector text? I don't have Illustrator.

Thanks,

Rich.

iGav · May 19, 2006

Have you zoomed out so that you're viewing your canvas at 100% and not 200% as indicated by your screen shot above?

fatsoforgotso said:
I changed the resolution to 100 pixels/inch.

100dpi isn't all that much different from 72dpi so it'll still look jagged if you are not viewing your canvas at 100%.

But by the sounds of what you need, for screen work 72dpi will be fine anyway.

Remember, when it's playing on TV, it'll be at it's native resolution, not zoomed in.

fatsoforgotso said:
On every single project i've ever worked on in Photoshop, i had perfect text however far i zoomed in.

I don't understand how this project is different?

Those were print projects though, at a much higher resolution... so when you zoom in, there doesn't appear to be any jaggies because there isn't (at least until you zoom in far enough) and that's because of the higher resolution of the image which allows you to zoom in.

Because screen/broadcast work has a lower native resolution, you don't need to work at higher resolutions when designing because ultimately... there's no need to.

fatsoforgotso said:
My film is going to be displayed on projectors, widescreen plasmas, monitors etc. I shot it in DV.

I just want to create a gray background, with a little bit of white text and 3 small stills.

I understand that vectors remain the same quality whatever size, but that's how i'm used to viewing text on PS. Is there a setting that i could use vector text? I don't have Illustrator.

Do you mean Mini DV? and did you shoot your footage at 4:3 ratio? (conventional non widescreen format) in which case you need to create a canvas in Photshop that is 720 x 576 at 72dpi.

fatsoforgotso said:
I understand that vectors remain the same quality whatever size, but that's how i'm used to viewing text on PS. Is there a setting that i could use vector text? I don't have Illustrator.

But that's because you're used to viewing print resolution work, which allows you to zoom in, but for screen work... it's different.

Unless you're going to be scaling the text either up or down (e.g. animating it), then you don't need to use vector text.

MIDI_EVIL · May 19, 2006

iGav said:
Have you zoomed out so that you're viewing your canvas at 100% and not 200% as indicated by your screen shot above?

100dpi isn't all that much different from 72dpi so it'll still look jagged if you are not viewing your canvas at 100%.

But by the sounds of what you need, for screen work 72dpi will be fine anyway.

Remember, when it's playing on TV, it'll be at it's native resolution, not zoomed in.

Those were print projects though, at a much higher resolution... so when you zoom in, there doesn't appear to be any jaggies because there isn't (at least until you zoom in far enough) and that's because of the higher resolution of the image which allows you to zoom in.

Because screen/broadcast work has a lower native resolution, you don't need to work at higher resolutions when designing because ultimately... there's no need to.

Do you mean Mini DV? and did you shoot your footage at 4:3 ratio? (conventional non widescreen format) in which case you need to create a canvas in Photshop that is 720 x 576 at 72dpi.

But that's because you're used to viewing print resolution work, which allows you to zoom in, but for screen work... it's different.

Unless you're going to be scaling the text either up or down (e.g. animating it), then you don't need to use vector text.

That is great, i typed in the 4:3 format canvas size, and all is good.

I think i saw a problem that wasn't going to affect me, if you know what i mean?

Thanks for all your help, very much appreciated.

Rich.

iGav · May 19, 2006

fatsoforgotso said:
I think i saw a problem that wasn't going to affect me, if you know what i mean?

I do.

fatsoforgotso said:
Thanks for all your help, very much appreciated.

No worries.

beatle888 · May 19, 2006

iGav said:
You've zoomed into your canvas at 200% that's why it looks jagged, and if you're only using Photoshop defaults, then that problem will be exacerbated when you zoom in because Photshop defaults to a 72dpi (e.g. screen resolution).

hahahaha

hilarious. i love it. i was sitting here racking my brain and......200%!!! well that will do it

iGav · May 20, 2006

beatle888 said:
i was sitting here racking my brain and......200%!!! well that will do it

it happened a lot when I was I was lecturer...

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