Entering Text in Paragraph Type Mode

Paragraphs are best allocated to captions or text descriptions that accompany an image. Large amounts of text in an image don’t look their best because when you rasterize the type, even the most carefully entered text may have a fuzzy look. Paragraph type is similar to the text you’re accustomed to entering within a word processing program, except that it’s contained inside a border, called a text box or a bounding box. As you type into a text box, the lines of text wrap around to fit the dimensions of the box. If you resize the box, Photoshop adjusts the wrapped ends to account for the new size.

You can type multiple paragraphs, use typographical controls, and rotate or scale the type. You can easily resize paragraph type (and point type, too) by entering a new point size value in the Character dialog box without having to reselect all the text. Just make sure the text layer is selected in the Layers palette and the Text tool is active. This works for all the other text characteristics as well. To enter paragraph type, follow these steps:
1. Open a saved image or create a new Photoshop document.
2. Select either the Horizontal or Vertical Type tool from the Tools palette, or press T to select the type tool if the one you want is active.
Hold down the Shift key and press T to cycle through the four available type tools until the one you want is active. Your cursor looks like an I-beam, similar to one you’d see in a word processing program.
3. Insert and size the text box by using one of the following methods:
- Drag to create a text box of an arbitrary size. After you release the mouse button, you can drag any of the handles at the corners and sides of the box to customize the size.
- Hold down the Alt key (Option key on the Mac) and drag a box of any size. The Paragraph Text Size dialog box appears. You can enter the exact dimensions of the box you want to create. When you click OK, a bounding box of the size you specified appears, complete with handles for resizing the box later, if you choose.
4. Choose the type options you want from the Options bar, or Character or Paragraph palettes.
5. Enter your text. To start a new paragraph, press Enter (or Return on the Mac).
Each line wraps around to fit inside the bounding box. If you type more text than fits in the text box, an overflow icon appears. You can resize the text box by gripping any of the eight handles and dragging.
6. Click the Commit button in the Options bar (the button looks like a check mark).
Photoshop creates a new type layer.