Figure 8-5.Figure 8-6.Figure 8-7.- Apply Free Transform to the text layer. En-
sure that the text layer is active by clicking
it in the Layers panel if necessary. Choose
Edit→Free Transform or press Ctrl-T (�-T).
In Figure 8-5, you can see that the Trans-
form bounding box that Photoshop creates
around the text has room for descenders,
should any of the letters happen to have
them. Because we’re working with all caps,
the extra space below the text doesn’t need
to fit on the sign.
PeaRl Of WISDOmYou may have noticed that the command just below Free Transform in the
Edit menu, called simply Transform, has a flyout menu that contains a variety
of transformation options such as Scale, Rotate, and Skew, all of which sound
like they would be useful in this example. But once you choose a command
from this list, you are locked into that specific kind of transformation. Since
we have to make multiple tweaks, the Free Transform command offers the
flexibility we need.
Drag in the handles to make the text layer
narrower. Hover over the handle in the
middle of the left side of the bounding box.
When you get a double-headed arrow, drag
the side inward, as in Figure 8-6. Then do
the same with the right side. Adjust the sides
so that the width of the layer is roughly the
width of the sign. We’ll do a better job of
lining up the angle in the next step, so for
now, just approximate the width you need.
Rotate the layer. Hover over the handle in
the left corner of the bounding box until
you get a curved double-headed arrow, like
the one in Figure 8-7, and then drag the
corner upward so that the angle of the text
aligns as closely as possible with the angle
of the sign. Click anywhere inside the box
to reposition the layer as you transform it.
If necessary, and it probably will be, grab
each of the side handles again to readjust
the width. Remember: Use the text, not
the bottom of the box, as your reference.
Applying Free Transform to Scale and Align Perspective 263