Normally if you want to fill some text with an image rather than a flat colour or gradient, the routine in Adobe InDesign (and QuarkXPress too) is to convert the text into a group of irreguarly shaped boxes and put the image inside them. The obvious problem with using InDesign’s Text > Create Outlines command (and QuarkXPress’ Style > Text to Box command) is that once you’ve done it, you can’t re-edit the text; instead, you would have to delete the current text-shaped boxes and start again.
Here’s a way of doing it in InDesign CS2 and CS3 without converting the text to outlines but keeping it as live, editable text. Place an image on your page, then draw a text frame and put some text inside. Make sure the text frame is in front of the image.
Select the text frame and use the Swatches palette to give it a fill colour of [Paper]. The text itself should be [Registration].
With the text frame still selected, open the Effects palette and apply the Lighten transparency blending mode.
This causes the image behind the text frame to show through the black text characters.
Align the text and image frames precisely, and you have a textured text fill.
And best of all, the text remains editable. Here, we changed the word ‘water’ to ‘layout’ simply by typing over it.
Just remember that this trick only works when designing over a white (no colour) background.
When I first posted this tip, I left something important out. My apologies. The text should be coloured as [Registration], not left at Black.
Where is the Effects palette in CS2???
Good question, apg! (Interesting name, by the way)
In Adobe InDesign CS2, use the Transparency palette.
I was wondering if you knew how I can get text that is half on a image to be one color the other half (off image) another color. Example- I have a black photo and want the half of text on image be white and the other half of the text which is hanging off the image be black. Any solutions? I’m working in Indesign.
Thanks!!!
Off the top of my head, Nessa, you could try colouring the text as ‘Registration’ and placing it BEHIND the image, then applying a Color Dodge transparency effect to the image. I suspect this wouldn’t print out very well (putting text or strokes behind a transparency effect is nearly always problematic in my experience) but do give it a try.
- Alistair
I was goofing about with other transparency settings, and I noticed that the “Screen” setting allows for the type to be any color you select. This will tint the objects you are masking. I found this with some Illustrator objects dropped in behind the text box.