4 Replies Latest reply: Oct 28, 2014 2:31 PM by phyllisj9 RSS

    Adding type to a hat

    phyllisj9 Community Member

      Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to put text on top of an object.  I have a photo of a hat, and we want to put our initials on it.  Looks like this:

       

      TEXTonHat.jpg

      How do I go about making those initials look like they're really on the hat?  I've tried various types of warps, but nothing looks realistic (Lower Arc was the closest).  At least partly because I don't know exactly how it looks when it's realistic -- I just know when I'm looking at it.

       

      Any help would be appreciated!  I'm working in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.5.  I could work in Illustrator if that's better, but I don't have anything outside the Adobe suite.

       

      The original psd file is here:

      http://rotor.org/temp/hardHat.zip

       

      Thanks very much,

      Phyllis

        • 1. Re: Adding type to a hat
          rkelly0137 Community Member

          The main reason why it doesn't look real is because it's a perfect image, perfect text, in a perfect solid black.  Of course it doesn't look real.  There's a variety of methods to make it look more real and help it blend into the image.  You want to make it look like it was painted or printed on, maybe a bit old and scratched, and not pure black (that light streak that goes through the "I" should be highlighted too).  Try a couple of these:

           

          • Fix the warp, that arc doesn't conform to the hat.  It should be bigger in the center than it is on the ends to appear like it's wrapping around the hat.  It shouldn't take much.
          • Get rid of the perfect black.  Play with the layer blending modes to get something you like.  Just scroll through them until you find something you like.
          • Add some noise to make it look like a photo and not graphic type (shouldn't take much noise, and make it monochromatic). 
          • Go into into liquify and nudge it just a bit here or there so it's not perfect. 
          • Add a layer mask and use a splatter brush to fade it a bit in places.  Or add a scratch or two.
          • Try a layer effect to give it a bit of a ridge, maybe an emboss or something.
          • 2. Re: Adding type to a hat
            phyllisj9 Community Member

            Thanks!!!  I'll experiment with all of those.  I haven't had much luck with warping (the above is not even warped because every warp I tried looked fake).  But I'll experiment with the other effects you've listed.  Thanks for the list!

             

            Phyllis

            • 3. Re: Adding type to a hat
              rkelly0137 Community Member

              I would arc in the opposite direction, then I'd rasterize the layer (make a copy first) and play around with it either in Liquify, or Warp Transform.

               

              Once you get the perspective you want (make a copy) and play around with blending modes, noise, masks, etc.

              • 4. Re: Adding type to a hat
                phyllisj9 Community Member

                I think this one's better though I'm not sure how realistic that warp is (though better than my previous attempts).  I couldn't figure out Liquify though I added some Blur to it.

                 

                Thanks, Phyllis

                 

                TEXTonHat.jpg