In some cases, you will want to create your own graphics or add material to scanned or downloaded material.
| To create your own images, select "New" from the File menu. You can choose the size of the new image, as well as the background color. | |
| Among the choices for background, there will usually be a "transparent" option. Only some formats support transparency (.gif and .png), so keep your target format in mind. | |
| In the new workspace, a transparent background is usually represented as a grey and white checkerboard pattern. | |
Experiment with the graphic tools. Most graphics programs will have drawing tools (such as a pen), painting tools (brushes), fill tools (bucket) and text tools. You may also have various editing tools, such as blur, clone, and crop. This section of the tutorial will only deal with the drawing, painting, fill, and text tools.
Drawing and Painting
| The drawing and painting tools are used to create simple line drawings, including hand lettering, but the text tool will give you better text |  |
| To create smooth shapes, use the shape-drawing tools. I've selected an ellipse |  |
| The outline color is controlled by the "stroke" or pen selection; the fill color is controlled by the "fill" or "bucket" selection. |  |
| But the text tool will give the best results when labelling an image. |  |
| A text editor appears as part of the text tool. You can choose font, size, and other variables. These will be part of the image, so you don't have to worry about how a browser will display your text. |  |
| The text label can be placed anywhere within the image by dragging the text box. |  |
Text saved as an image file will usually look better on screen. For any kind of dynamic effect (buttons, rollovers,etc), text should be made into an image file; you will have more control over the final appearance than you would if you left the text as text, since browsers will use their own fonts for display.
| hand drawn lettering |  |
| text tool (letters as image) |  |
| text tool used to label image |  |