How to have text box with white fill background?

[BigArtK3]

I would like to use text to point out details in a photo.

I am able to put in text boxes t with transparent fill, But don't see how to have white or any other colors.

I found how to put in talk balloons. But I have not found out how to have a Talk Balloon without the pointy part. 

[chanaart]

You have few options:

In Photoshop:Use one of the shapes (in thissample I used the rectangle). and crete shape on top.

Or you can do it in Illustrator and copy and paste it as a smart object in PS.

Illustrator has a area type so you can draw anything and have type in the area and add a color to the fill.

You can also indicate in Illustrator how the type sits in the area (Area type options).

[davescm]

Use the shape tool to create a shape with a Fill and/or stroke

Switch to the text tool and move the cursor inside the shape until a circle appears around it

Click and type. The text will wrap inside the box

Dave

[JJMack]

The easiest thing I think you could  do is to add a layer style to the text layer to make it stand out it need not be over a shape layer or a fill area you would need to customize for the size the text layer will be.  The  style would be for the text layer what ever its size is.  In fact the text layer fill could be set to 0 all that would show would be the layer style blended  into the image.  A text layer like that could be used as a watermark on an image an not be too intrusive. A layer style can also add a large white stroke outside the actual text that woul sort of add a white background.

[Jody23922642vq6b]

This looks like a great solution, can you give a bit more detail on how to add these layer styles please?

[Leslie Moak Murray]

Also, if you need the black outline to be on its own separate layer (as I do in my own work), select the shape with the pen tool (right click/"Make Selection"). make a new layer for the outline, and on that layer (with the selection still active), go to Edit/Stroke (it gives you the option to choose the pixel sie of the stroke).

And there are free custom shapes online if you want one with a tail, or if you want a thought balloon. Here is just one of many:

https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/speech-balloon 

[jane-e]

"I found how to put in talk balloons. But I have not found out how to have a Talk Balloon without the pointy part."

Hi

Talk balloons typically have the "pointy" part. If you are are using the built-in presets that come with Photoshop, then you might choose from the category called "Shapes" instead of "Talk Bubbles" and then proceed as others have said. If you don't see these in PS 2020, then open the Shapes panel from the Window menu and enable Legacy Shapes. Then they will be available in the options bar when you are using the Custom Shape tool.

~ Jane

[Jay Chow @ Pierry]

Here are the criteria for my solution:

1. No extra layer.

2. Consistent margins.

Steps:

1. Create a Text Box layer by selecting the Horizontal Type Tool.
       
2.  Click and drag in the Canvas to create a Text Box.
3.  Enter the text.
        
4. With the Text Box layer selected, select the Outer Glow from the fx Dropdown menu.
        
   
5.  Set the followings: Blend Mode: Normal. Opacity: 100%. Select desired Solid Fill Color. Technique: Precise. Spread: Adjust the slider in conjunction with the Size slider until the Outer Glow becomes a solid rectangle.
        During:
        
        
        Final:
        
        
6. Return to the text and ajust the font size relative to the desired margin. (The adjustment may be limited.) You may need to Reveal All to see the entire Text Box afterwards.
        
        
        (Font Size changed from 200px to 220px.)
7. Trim away unused Canvas area.
        . 
        
8. Right-click on the Layer Name and select Convert to Smart Object. 
        
9.  Click on one of the Corner Anchor Points. Hold down the Shift key and resize the Smart Object to desired size.
        

This method is not perfect. But at least it maintains text editability, albeit in the Smart Object source .psb Window. The margins are consistent and the text is always centered in both dimensions. Best of all, one Layer only.

Please comment and suggest a better alternative answer.

[JJMack]

You started with

"

Here are the criteria for my solution:

1. No extra layer.

2. Consistent margins.

"

Then end with and extra smart object Layer.

[Jay Chow @ Pierry]

@JJMack, Thank you to be the first reply.

>extra smart object Layer.

To clarify, the Smart Object and the source .psb window are considered as a single entity in this case because in the normal Panel view, the .psb is embedded. Upon double-click, the Smart Object opens an additonal winow for editing with one layer, not an extra layer. And if it is done correctly, you shouldn’t need to reopen the .psb to perform edits. The key reason to conver to Smart Object is that the layer can be scaled without worrying about font-resizing, line-height… and other type-related issues.

If you have a better idea, the community would like to hear it. Please share. Thank you.

[JJMack]

You do not have to clarify that a Smart Object Layer is a single layer. The name alone shows that.  Or that there are different object type that some object types are Photoshop objects like  a PSB file or other Photoshop supported image file type  while other are are not Photoshop types like AI vector file types and Other are ACR Camera RAW image file.  Or that Place will scale  Smart object based on Print PPI resolutions. 

You seem to need to understand better how Photoshop Smart Object Layer Scaling work.  Photoshop objects are scale via Interpolation this includes text in the PSB.  The smart object is the PSB composite rendered Pixels.  Text is not scaled via text layer font size being changed.  Text is Pixel Image Data in Photoshop Objects.  Text in RAW files objects is Camera sensor Pixels not a text layers.  Only Vector Smart Object  AI file types are scaled via Vector Graphics.  Users have been using Smart Object layer for  Logo and Watermarks for decades. 

To help user with their Logo and watermarks.    Users like myself have posted  Scripts and action user can use to place in their Logo and Watermarks Scaled for the image size the mark is  being Placed on with margins appropriate for the image size in the location the user want their mark in. 

All the user need to do is change a few variable in the being of my Script to set the users  object file,  set mark size relative to Image Size,  set Location and relative margin size.  Once that is done the user can set a shortcut for the script.  They can just click their shortcuts to add their mark on their Image.  The script will place in their object in,  Scale it for the current image size and position it over the current image. If use in an Action after the mark is place by the script step the action can add a layer style change the Layer blending etc.

The thread you posted you use a smart object layer to is nearly two years old.]