'Photos in Text': Clipping Masks

Using photographs inside your text can add a new dimension to your design work. It can really accentuate that feeling of whatever it is you are trying to convey. Lets face it, pictures are worth a thousand words and well… words are words. So it is a win-win situation.

Sure, sometimes it won’t work. The font needs to be fat enough and the size large enough to show some of the image being masked as well as remaining legible. Here is the basic technique to create a Mask for your image to fit in your text.

Step 1. Create a document with both the Text and the Image on separate layers. Position the image on the top layer above the text.

Step 2. Create a Clipping Mask on the image layer. Right click on the layer with the image or go to Layer/Create Clipping Mask. This will use the text below as a mask and now you can move the image and position it how you like without having to worry about deleting parts of the image. Thats it!

Final: Apply Layer Styles and experiment with the color of the type. Adding a Stroke to the final design can make the text that much more readable, go to Layer/Layer Style and select Stroke.

You can also add a Layer Mask to the Image and work in some Gradation.