2 Minute Clipping Mask

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Description:
This tutorial explains step-by-step how to a super fast and easy clipping mask using text and an image. You'll be amazed at how fast this is, and the possibilities are endless. This tutorial is rated as beginner skill level, it's really super easy and quite quick to make. If you want to see the final image, click here.

  1. Have you seen text that is filled with an image? Want to know how they do it? It's easy. Probably one of the easiest things you can do in Photoshop.
  2. Create a new document, you can use any size, but for this example I am using 375px X 164px.
    3. document size
  3. Now grab a picture that relates to the word you want to use. In my example I am using the word “candy”, so I found an image of some gummy bears. If you are doing the word “rose”, you will probably want an image of roses or rose petals, something like that.
  4. Bring your image into your Photoshop document. There should now be 2 layers, “background” and the new layer that contains your graphic. Name this layer “graphic”.

    5. layer
  5. Now let's type some text by pressing “t” on your keyboard. Write your word, for this example I wrote the word “candy”. Make sure you choose a nice juicy, thick font, like impact. If you choose a font that is too thin, you won't be able to see the background image very well. And that kind of defeats the whole purpose of doing this!
  6. Turn off the visibility of the graphic layer for a moment while you type your word. I have my font set to: impact, size 120.
    7. black text
  7. Turn the visibility back on your graphic layer.
  8. Now make sure the graphic layer is sitting on top of the text layer like so:

    9. layers
  9. Now hold your mouse in between the “graphic” and text layer while holding down “alt” on your keyboard, a little tea kettle shape will appear. Click in between the two layers. Your layers palette should now look like this:

    10. tea kettle shape
  10. You will notice now that your graphic has taken the shape of the text, go ahead and click on the graphic layer and you can move it around to where you want the image to poke through. Once you are satisfied, you are done!
    11. final candy

finished product :
final clip effect
You can add effects like strokes to make the graphic really stick out. Be creative and have fun!
final clip effects
questions or comments? please e-mail me.

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