Today let’s take a look at how to create an easy, fun text effect, that looks like an outline!

Here’s how:

First choose your font, font size, and type out your title. (I am using Britannic Bold at 134 pt.) For this technique, the color you use for the font is irrelevant.

Next, double-click on text layer itself (not the “T” icon), to bring up the Layer Styles Box. Check the box in front of “Stroke.” (Alternatively, you can click on the “fx” icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel, and select Stroke.)

You may see something like what is pictured below.  Although you have “ticked” the Stroke option, another Layer Style Option might be “active”. Below the “Blending Options” are active. You can tell because “Blending Options” is highlighted in dark gray.

Click on the Stroke “layer” in the left box, in order to make it the active Style. When you do this, you will see the Stroke options in the box on the right.  In the image below, the Stroke Style on the left is now highlighted in gray (meaning it is now active), and the Stroke options are now visible in the box on the right.

An easier alternative is to click on the “FX” icon at the bottom of the layers panel, then click on “Stroke.”  When the Layers Style Panel opens, it will open with the Stroke options ready for you to use. 

Chose what Size, Position and Color you would like your Stroke to be.  For this tutorial, let’s leave Blend Mode and Opacity at 100%. You can always play with these later, once you are familiar with this technique. You may also choose to use a Fill Type other than Color, but for now, let’s use Color.

I’ve chosen to use an orange Color, a 10 pixel- sized Stroke, and I have positioned the Stroke on the Outside (of the text.)

Next, go to Fill, at the top of the Layers Panel, and drag the opacity of the Fill layer to 0%.

That’s it!  Sometimes pages need a title without a lot of weight, and when that is the case, this technique is a perfect choice.

For this tutorial I was using Photoshop CC2015.5.  The Fill option is not available in Photoshop Elements.

You may also watch a You Tube video on the Karen Schulz Designs You Tube Channel.