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vu2016
Participant
July 13, 2014
Question

How do create superscript and subscript text?

  • July 13, 2014
  • 2 replies
  • 49084 views

I am using Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and would like to add superscript and subscript text to a poster I am designing. The Ctrl + Shift + + shortcut does not work--I found this shortcut with a google search. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you.

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    2 replies

    hatstead
    hatstead
    Inspiring
    July 14, 2014

    Consider creating the text with sub & super scripts for the poster in a text editor, e.g.WORD.

    Save this as a file on disk, then import into the poster which you are creating in PSE, along with graphics.

      K
      Karen5CE4
      Participant
      March 26, 2021

      I agree that Photoshop Elements is great. However, superscript and subscript are essential type formatting capabilities. Please add these to PE ASAP. 

       

      MichelBParis
      MichelBParis
      Legend
      March 26, 2021
      quote

      I agree that Photoshop Elements is great. However, superscript and subscript are essential type formatting capabilities. Please add these to PE ASAP. 

       


      By @Karen5CE4

      You know that you are not speaking to Adobe in this user to user forum?

      The volunteers here will be glad to help you if they can, but I suspect they will answer that if Adobe reads your request, Adobe will answer "Please upgrade to the full Photoshop - ASAP"

      Elements is primarily a photo editor or drawing tool;  as suggested by @hatstead , there are ways to import formatted text from your preferred word processor.

      M
      Mark_Sand
      Inspiring
      July 14, 2014

      I tried the Ctrl + Shift + + and also didn't work. Where did you see it?

      Anyway, here is a workaround.

      Enter the text including the sub- or super-script.

      Simplify the text layer.

      Use the Rectangular Marquee to select the script.

      Activate the Free Transform tool (Ctrl-T). Use the arrow keys to position the script, and optionally resize it as in this example.

      Downside is that you cannot edit the text since it has been simplified.

      A
      AutoMatters & More
      Known Participant
      August 13, 2015

      Mark,

      Thank you for telling us how to add superscript to text. It works. I used your technique today to add a superscript to a graphic that I was added type to,with Elements 13.

      I discovered a further workaround while I was doing that. You wrote: "Downside is that you cannot edit the text since it has been simplified." While using your workaround today I discovered that this is not necessarily the case.

      Multiple undos are possible, even to the extent of undoing the "Simplify" command (which I had to do several times before I had everything exactly the way I wanted it). Of course, you will have to rebuild whatever you'd done after undoing that simplify command, but even that is better than having to start over again and rebuild the graphic from the beginning. By saving the finished file as a .PSD, I could even do undos after I'd left the file and gone on to do something else. I also saved the finished file as a .JPG so that I'd have something that was easy to work with.

      There are all sorts of workarounds in Elements. I like the program a lot -- and there is no monthly subscription required!

      M
      Mark_Sand
      Inspiring
      August 14, 2015

      Rather than doing a bunch of undo's to get back to the original text layer ( and thus wiping out other changes to your file) you can make a copy of the text layer before simplifying it. Turn off the visibility of the copy layer. Then later if you decide you want to "undo" the change to the super/subscript you can delete that layer and turn on the visibility of the copy text layer.

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