Is it possible to trim the outside portions of a layer when it's the subject of a clipping mask?

[mynameiso_8710]

Happy Halloween!

I'm hoping to get some insight to see if there's an easier way to produce the desired results in this image..

I'm using this shape as a clipping mask for my text (as seen in the top image example). 

The desired end result for the text will be stylized like that in the bottom image example. I ended up converting the text to a shape and manually adjusting the path along the outside edges of the letters (where the mask clips the letters) so they have more of a rounded profile like the original font. But doing so is more time consuming than I'd like...

This being said, is it possible to:

1.) Somehow trim the portions of the text outside of the clipping mask so the text paths will only show inside of the cliping mask?

2.) Is it possible to simultaneously round the sharp text profile to give it a roundover like I manually made?

I know Adobe Illustrator has that ability. I'm not sure if I should be working between the two programs. I just have more experience in Photoshop than Illustrator (and not much experience in Photoshop at that). I'm designing all of the images at their maximum size in PS so I don't have to worry about scaling up in the future.

I really hope this makes sense.

Thanks everyone!

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

Hi mynameiso_8710,

What you’re trying to do is a bit tricky in Photoshop because clipping masks in PS don’t actually trim the underlying layer they just hide the parts outside the mask. So there’s no native way to “cut” the layer path to match the mask while keeping it editable like in Illustrator.

How would I approach it (probably wrong but here I go)

Rasterize and trim

If you’re okay with losing editability, you can rasterize the text layer, then use the mask to cut it (Layer > Layer Mask > Apply). This permanently trims the outside portions to match the mask.

From there, you could use Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur or Filter > Other > Minimum to soften/shrink the edges slightly, giving a more rounded profile.

Work in Illustrator

Illustrator handles paths and rounded corners much more naturally. You can create the text, apply the clipping mask, round the corners with the Offset Path or Round Corners effects, and then bring it back into Photoshop as a Smart Object.

This preserves vector quality and makes the “roundover” much easier than manually editing paths in PS.

Smart Object + Mask workaround

Keep the text as a Smart Object in Photoshop.

Apply a mask to it matching your clipping shape.

Use Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur on the mask itself and then adjust levels to get the rounding effect on the edges. It’s a bit of a trick, but you can soften the hard edges without converting the text to shapes.

In my view Photoshop can hide content outside a clipping mask but can’t truly trim vector text paths or round them automatically Illustrator is much better for that kind of precise path work. A Smart Object workflow is probably the best compromise if you want to stay mostly in PS.

Hope that helps.

[mynameiso_8710]

This is super inciteful for me. Thank you!

[Trevor.Dennis · Accepted solution]

I wonder if the Warp options might be a better fit than a clipping mask in this instance.  I have probably got the text wrong but it is OK for the demo's sake.  What is that font btw?

You could give yourself more flexability by breaking the text into multiple layers and processing the differently.

So here I have placed just the first character on it's own layer, and converted it into a Shape layer.  I was then able edit the shape of the first letter with the Direct Selection tool (white arrow). 

Having said that, I am a huge fan of using a clipping mask to create complex outlines.

Placing a page of text onto an open book is a good example of where this makes life much easier. So long as the clipped layer overflows the 'clipped to' layer ever so slightly, you don't need to be 100% accurate.

Veering ever more off topic here, but you could use Blend If, and/or set the clipped layer to Multiply to hide the background