It's an Easter Chocolate Hangover Preset Day
You guys probably thought I wasn’t going to make it today didn’t you (you have to read Friday’s post to know what I’m talking about). But I’m here, chocolate hangover and all. This preset is a little different from the rest since it’s an Identity Plate. These plates are basically ways to get custom graphics (and text) into Lightroom to use in the Web or Print modules. Well I’ve created a signature ID plate that I think is pretty cool and I wanted to share how I did it. Here’s a quick sample and the steps are right below.
Step 1) Create a new Photoshop document that is 8 x 2 inches at 300ppi. I made mine pretty large so it would work for all print sizes. You can always scale it down later.
Step 2) Download a script font. You can find a bunch on this website. However, here’s a direct link to the font I downloaded (it’s called Scriptina). Then install the font (I’m leaving it up to you to figure that part out).
Step 3) Now create a new type layer; select the script font from Step 2 and type your name. Then drop the opacity of the type layer to around 10-15%.
Step 4) Now create another type layer above the script one. This time pick a different and much more ordinary font (I chose Gil Sans Light). Then type your name again and leave the opacity at 100%. When you’re done it should look like this.
Step 5) Go to File > Save As. Save it as a JPEG file somewhere safe. Then, when you go into Lightroom, add this JPEG graphic as a custom Identity Plate (click here to see a previous video on how to do this). You can use it in the Print module or the Web module and it looks really neat.
Here’s a recap of the resources used and a sample:
– Click here to see a sample of the ID Plate in action.
– Website with script fonts
– My PSD file if you want to look at it. Note that the fonts are rastersized but you can still see the layer order and stuff.
How to install font ;( Please help
Same issue as Scott, on Lightroom 1.3.1, trying on 1.4.1
Hey Matt, love the site and love LIGHTROOM! Your presets are incredible and make this program a breath of fresh air. However, I have one gripe… I made my personal ID plate and when I printed a photo w/ ID, the resolution of the ID plate isn’t legible what so ever. I made it with scriptina as well. In a 8X2 image, 300ppi. I printed out from lightroom with 300dpi as well… What am I doing wrong?? Can anyone else chime in!?! if so, email me at scottejohnson83@gmail.com .. I’d really appreciate it!
THanks!
I wasn’t able to install Scriptina using the installation program supplied from the web site you gave. I ran it several times but the font just didn’t show up. So, I did a Google search for Scriptina and found a site that offered a True Type version of it, downloaded that and installed it. Works just fine. Maybe others have had the same problem.
Norm
Hi Matt.
Great tip, but I take it a little bit further.
You take the signature layer and convert it to a work path,
then in Paths window you press either “stroke path” – with alt key on, and select option simulate pressure, or “make selection” and than take a brush and paint on the new layer inside the selection but not on all selected area and your signature look even more handwritten.
The minus of this tip is that It not always work – it depend from font.
PS: Sorry for my English 😉
Greeting
Mark
Hi Matt,
A quick question regarding develop presets generally. To get an idea of what a preset will look like, I often hover over the preset and look at the navigator preview window. Do you know of any way to make the preview window larger? I appreciate any tips you may have on this, and keep up the great work on the blog & photoshoptv!
Cheers
Jonathan
am somewhat baffled with a viewing on my Windows laptop. I took a photo of my screen today. On the left you can see the photo has extreme red rendering and for the record, this photo is as “shot”. The one on the right is the same photo but in the windows viewer. the rendering is much better. The “redness” shows up in lightroom,bridge and photoshop “as shot” but not so with windows viewer.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this
http://www.nikonians-images.org/galleries/showphoto.php/photo/112460/ppuser/86184
Ken
Hey Matt, thanks for the help, I did everything you did, the only problem being when I go to add my JPEG as a nameplate the font isn’t in the centre of the preview screen so all I get is blank white, any idea what I did wrong?
Thanks again Matt, I took the liberty of cheating a little and “stealing” your idea but modifing it slightly for photoshop. I made a template then saved it as a brush in Photoshop, now I can “one click” my sig on an image. Thanks. Wayne
So glad to see that it isn’t always develop presets on Monday, but ways to customize and manipulate the other sections of Lightroom to take full advantage of the software. Work-arounds are indeed Killer Tips!
Great idea. Can you show something about dressing up the watermark that is added when one exports from lightroom to another file on the computer. I don’t know how to change the default block lettering of it’s size.
Thanks again. Love your blog. ffm
I also got the Error 404 – Not Found message when I tried to download the PSD file.
I tried to download the psd file and it says file not found.
Matt, great as always. I was wondering if you could explain if there was a way to overlay the identity plate onto a photo in the web module. This has been tossed around in the Lightroom and NAPP forums, but the general consensus is that it is not possible. Any creative ideas?
That’s pretty sweet Matt. I did the same thing with my name plate except I used my Wacom tablet to actually write my signature instead of using a script font. It’s a little more personal. The same effect can be achieved by writing your signature with a Sharpie and then scanning it in as an image file.
Jeff
Matt,
Great stuff as always! Glad you got to partake in some of the sweet stuff you love again.
Stephen
Good stuff Matt!
This is quite eerie… I just watched Episode 12 of Photoshop User TV today, which is where you guys give a first look at Lightroom… and Scott showed this as well, so was going to make one… but decided to wait… and then I read your blog!
Matt very cool….Love seeing other presets & how they can be used in the other modules as well as the develope….Thankyou
Now you did not eat all your kids candy did you? Matt how could you?
DJ