Photoshop Elements not entering text on a JPEG

[drrich2]

Hi:

I've got a 640x480 JPEG I need to type 'ATP 2008' on in red font.

Tried it with this program. Clicked the Horizontal Text tool, and on the pic. Tried typing, then clicking elsewhere on the pic. Or drawing off a box & typing in that, then clicking elsewhere on the pic.

Creates a new layer in my right-hand side panel, and that says the text beside it, but it doesn't appear on my pic.

Trying 'flattening' layers. Didn't do squat.

Tried Save As a PSD file, and then as a JPEG file. Neither worked.

Folks, simple text entry onto a photo is a pretty basic, intuitive, brain-dead idiot kind of task for quality modern day graphics editors. It should be very intuitive, very simple, very DONE.

I've probably blown over an hour screwing around with this crap.

Is there something I'm not seeing here?

Thanks!

Richard.

 

[MisterMe]

Hi:

I've got a 640x480 JPEG I need to type 'ATP 2008' on in red font.

...

You need to select the Text tool and choose red as your text color.

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

Thanks. Thing is, I did. The text color, whatever I choose, is different from the background, and still doesn't appear.

I can't see the text at all on the photo. I just tried again, to be sure, but if it weren't for the Layers info. section on the right-hand lower side of the surrounding, I wouldn't even know anything had been done. The original graphic is showing as background, and it's not red so red text should stand out real prominently.

It doesn't.

Apple's Preview app. doesn't seem to have this capability to write text on a JPEG graphic.

Richard.

 

[John T]

Hi Richard,

I've just tried it and I have had no problems - whatever the colour!

Just a few thoughts...

In your layers pallet, did you click on "layer visibility" - the "eye" ikon on left?
What size font have you set? I found I needed to set it to a reasonably large size to be visible.
Did you press Return to commit the process?

Hope this helps!

 

[drrich2]

Thanks for the help; I have clicked on the tiny eye, on (visible) or off (invisible), and neither way makes a difference.

Yes, I tried larger folks - even like 48 point, thinking that maybe that played a role. Didn't change things.

Very, very strange. If I had a software conflict I'd think the program wouldn't work.

If I were running an old machine maybe I'd think it was that, but this is a 2.8 GHz '08 MacPro! With 10 gig RAM, so I'm not short on RAM, either.

I'll have to try a different pic and see if anything works differently that way.

Richard.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Is your Text layer above or below the pic layer?
What Opacity is the text layer?
To choose the color of the text you need to highlight the text with the text insertion tool, then choose the color. (selecting the color of the layer doesn't do it.)

 

[drrich2]

I tried bringing forward the text layer & that didn't work on the original pic, but here's something interesting.

I had no problem adding text to one of my own iPhoto 8 library photos.

So there must be something weird about this pic.

Here's the link to where I got the pic; any one of the mud turtle shots in the first post should do.

The person who posted the shots gave me permission to use them in the World of Turtles photo gallery. I clicked at the top of a pic to open a page displaying it at full res., right click, 'Save As' to my desktop, open in Preview & resize to 640x480 resolution, then open in iPhoto 8 & try to add text.

That's what hasn't been working, & I don't know why.

Thanks for all the help, guys!

At least I know I can add text to my own shots, but this way of using turtle forum photos with photographer permission is one I've done many times before with a PC & now problems (I used a Corel program that came with the Dell PC way back when to add the text).

Richard.

 

[John T]

Hi Richard,

Very strange indeed! I tried it with the turtle pic and, like you, no success

 

[mperkins37]

I downloaded the pic & it came in huge, 1024 inches By 682 inches @ 1dpi!
The type icon was at 01 by default also.
Re-sized to 6x4 @ 300 dpi & took type tool to 32 points & SUCCESS!
Re-sizing should do it for you.

 

[mperkins37]

BTW, I tried 1000 pt type on the original & it looked like 12 pt.
Resize it to 6x4 or so & 300 dpi for print or 72 dpi for web & it will be fine.

 

[drrich2]

That seems to've done it for me, too. Thanks!

Richard.