Mastering the Text Tool
Core Tools & Text Effects
Preview
Text is your most powerful tool
In PixelLab, text is the star. Posters, quotes, flyers and thumbnails are built around words, and the text tool controls how those words look. Master this lesson and you will already be ahead of most beginners.
Adding and editing text
- Tap the Text tool in the side toolbar
- Type your text into the box that appears
- Tap Done to place it on the canvas
- Tap the text layer to select it, then tap it again (or use the toolbar) to edit the words
The text toolbar
- Font - choose from dozens of installed fonts; more are free to download
- Size - drag the slider to make text bigger or smaller
- Colour - pick any colour, or use the eyedropper to match colours from your design
- Bold / Italic - add weight or slant to your text
- Alignment - left, centre or right align multi-line text
- Line spacing - control the gap between lines of text
Positioning text precisely
Drag the text layer with your finger to move it. Zoom in with a pinch to fine-tune its position. Use the rotation handle above the selection to tilt text slightly - small tilts add energy, big tilts can hurt readability.
Tip: For headlines, use a bold font and keep it to ONE or TWO lines. A giant headline beats a paragraph every time.
Warning: Avoid more than two fonts in one design. Three or more fonts almost always looks messy. Mix a bold font for headlines with a simple one for body text.
Practical exercise
Practise with text:
- Add three separate text layers to a project
- Make the first a big bold headline
- Make the second a smaller subtitle
- Make the third a one-line body text
- Align all three to the same left edge using the alignment tools
Check your understanding
How do you change the font of your text? Select the text layer and pick a font in the text toolbar.How many fonts should you use in one design? At most two - a headline font and a body font.How do you rotate text slightly? Use the rotation handle above the selection box.
Answer the questions out loud or on paper. If any are hard, re-read this lesson before moving on.
This is a free preview lesson
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