Want to make a particular thumbnail

For an FYI, this is how it works in InDesign with Paragraph Borders. You can also use thick ruling lines with the baselines shifted up. Unfortunately, Photoshop does not have this kind of control with text formating because it is, at its core, an image editor.

Hi DJ_Editor,

I've modified Dave's good start to pop the person out to the front of both shapes. Note that the people will be masked out for the transparency.

I'm not sure if there's an automatic way to get three black shapes behind each of the three lines using PS — it would be possible in Illustrator and a cinch in InDesign. Would you be okay with one big black box? If so, just draw it and add the text on top as Dave shows. Or draw three boxes and fiddle with it with Alignment and Distribution. Or maybe someone else knows how to do it automatically using Photoshop.

Jane

As Jane said build it in layers with an embedded photo layer and shapes plus text. The example below showing the layers may help you

Dave

Hi

You might use guides to help you. I think you are asking about the two shapes and the white line?

• Go to View > New Guide
  50% will add a guide to the middle
  You might want guides a bit to the left and right of center, so add two more: 45% and 55% (or so)
• Use layers
  The shape on the left can be a rectangle and put it on its own layer
  Draw the shape on the right with the Pen tool on its own layer. Use the guides to assist.
• Draw the white line with the Pen tool as a shape. You may or may not need new guides.

Photoshop does not have angled guides like Illustrator, so you are creating a pair of guides and using one for the bottom and the other for the top.

Is this what you are looking for?

~ Jane