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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAnd if you read my \u201cTitle Tip<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post from September of 2024, you know how I feel about titles taking over a layout. So, you might be surprised by the title (no pun intended\ud83d\ude0a) of this post. Clearly, you\u2019re thinking that a thick title may be at least a little \u201cdistracting\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know a lot of people shy away from thick or bulky titles. But they do have their place and when done correctly, they can look quite nice on a layout. And sometimes, though not often, the title can be the focus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you take a look at the featured image at the top of this post you\u2019ll see a partial view of a recent layout of mine. You should be able to tell that the lettering in the title looks somewhat thick. If you\u2019d like to get a look at the entire layout, you can find it in my 2025 Gallery<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today I want to show you how to create a chipboard look for a thick title that doesn\u2019t end up being too much of a distraction\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I \u201cgrew up\u201d scrapbooking in the traditional era. I used chipboard a lot back then. I had a die-cutting machine so I could make just about anything I needed. Especially letters for titles and cute elements. Now that I\u2019m a digital scrapbooker I don\u2019t do that anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today there are a fair amount of digital chipboard elements available. I tend not to use too much of that these days; especially when it comes to titles. I think mostly because the majority of digital chipboard seems to look more like puffy stickers than traditional chipboard. At least in my opinion. Here\u2019s an example of what I mean:<\/p>\n\n\n On most layouts (especially busy ones) I don\u2019t necessarily want my title to be front center. But I do want it to be \u201cnoticeably\u201d visible. There\u2019s a lovely way to accomplish that even if I\u2019m using chipboard-esque letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before I move forward, just a quick reminder that I use Photoshop Elements (PSE) 2024. If you use a different version, some of my screen shots may not look the same as what you see on your screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I do have some very realistic chipboard alphabets from \u201cChipboard Alphabet Soup\u201d by Kim Jensen:<\/p>\n\n\n While these all look very nice, I don\u2019t want the plain chipboard look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve created a 12×12 file with a white base layer (Layer 1) and pulled in the chipboard letters to spell TITLE. I\u2019ve zoomed in very close so you can see just how thick and beveled the letters appear:<\/p>\n\n\n Watch what happens when I clip a paper to these letters:<\/p>\n\n\n I\u2019ve lost the dimension that makes them look like chipboard. So, you\u2019re probably wondering why that didn\u2019t work. Clearly, the designer created the look using some kind of bevel. We can see it in the original letters. But once the letters are saved as a PNG file, the bevel becomes almost an optical illusion of sorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever we save an image, it is for all intents and purposes a flattened image. The bevel looks like it\u2019s still there but in reality, it is a flat image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I was completely happy using a solid color, I could desaturate the letters (remove the color) and use a Solid Fill Layer as I did in last week\u2019s post about \u201cColoring Grey-Scale<\/a><\/strong>\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n This time, I still see the bevel! However, there is a slight issue with that option. Because I have to use a Blend Mode to see the bevel, I also still see the fibrous texture of the natural chipboard. And that may not work all the time. But at least it\u2019s a viable option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few designers who have created chipboard styles that can give the look of thicker chipboard. But those typically also include not just a color but usually a texture and sometimes a border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have one set \u201cAfternoon Stroll Chipboard Styles<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by Ooh La La Scraps at Gingerscraps. Here\u2019s how those look:<\/p>\n\n\n And there really isn\u2019t a distinct bevel. To me they just look puffy. So that may not always be the best option either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time I have found that for me the thing that works best is to just type my title using whatever font works best for the project and then give it the look that\u2019s reminiscent of those bygone chipboard days. And bonus\u2026I can use whatever font I like!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I often will use a bevel on a title that mimics the look of chipboard. Generally, I use one of the standard PSE Bevel styles. I\u2019ll show you how some of those work in the next section. But today I\u2019ll also show you how to create a lovely bevel without using a standard PSE Bevel style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve created a 12×12 file with a blank base layer (Layer 1). And I\u2019m going to ensure that my Foreground and Background color chips are set to the default of Black and White (press D).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For my base, I\u2019m going to use a paper from \u201cWatercolor Paper Textures Craft White<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by Julia Dreams at Creative Fabrica:<\/p>\n\n\n I\u2019m using the paper that is next to the last on the right:<\/p>\n\n\n Next, I\u2019ll open the Horizontal Text tool and select a simple sans serif block font. I\u2019ll be using Impact Regular (a pre-installed font on Windows and Mac operating systems) with the Color set to Black, Size set to 165px, Leading to Auto, Tracking to zero and justification set to Center align text. I then just click in the center of the page:<\/p>\n\n\n Note<\/strong>: If you\u2019re following along you can use a different font if you like. I just wanted to start with something simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I simply type the word TITLE (all caps):<\/p>\n\n\n I\u2019m going to zoom in pretty close and change the color of the font to a bright red (#ff0000) for the rest of this so you can more easily see the effects I\u2019m going to display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, I want to show you what three of the standard PSE Bevels look like. All I have to do is click the Styles Icon below the Layers Panel:<\/p>\n\n\n PSE will open whatever style set I used last. For me it opened Glass Buttons So I just click the down arrow next to that Style name and scroll up until I find Bevels:<\/p>\n\n\n PSE now opens the selection of Bevel styles:<\/p>\n\n\n I\u2019m going to start with the Simple Sharp Inner Style (far left in the third row down). After I select that style, I return to the Layers Panel and double-click on the effects icon (fx<\/em>) at the far right of the text layer. PSE opens the style settings dialog box:<\/p>\n\n\n As I\u2019ve mentioned in prior posts, the default Lighting Angle for all standard PSE styles is 90 degrees (at least as far as I am aware). I change that Lighting Angle to 120 degrees, ensure that the Preview box is checked and set the Size to 6px. I leave the Direction set to Up. With the Preview box checked, I can immediately see how the bevel looks:<\/p>\n\n\n This looks fairly close to the effect I saw on those chipboard letters above. So, I think this is a good bevel. And I click OK to confirm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note<\/strong>: I almost always use a lighting angle of 120 degrees. If you\u2019re following along and your project is using a different Lighting Angle throughout, you are welcome to play with that setting. And if you want your \u201cchipboard\u201d to appear thicker, feel free to increase the size as you like. Just be careful so it doesn\u2019t end up looking too thick!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few other styles that I want to show you. Here is what it looks like if I choose Scalloped Edge (middle in the first row) and settings as follows: Lighting Angle = 120 degrees, Size = 6px and Direction = Up:<\/p>\n\n\n At first glance this looks very similar to the first example. But what you may not be able to see in this small image is that this gave a much more defined and layered edge\u2026hence the word \u201cscalloped\u201d for the style name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what it looks like if I choose Simple Emboss (last in the first row) and settings as follows: Lighting Angle = 120 degrees, Size = 10px and Direction = Up:<\/p>\n\n\n Again, this looks very similar to the first two examples. What you can\u2019t see too well on this white background is that there\u2019s a bit of a glow added to the effect that the first two don\u2019t have:<\/p>\n\n\n This also seems to make the edges look a bit softer\u2026not quite as crisp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last one. This is what happens if I choose Simple Inner (far left in the second row down) and settings as follows: Lighting Angle = 120 degrees, Size = 7px and Direction = Up:<\/p>\n\n\n This is very similar to the Simple Emboss example but the glow is not as pronounced. As you can see, just about any of the bevel examples I\u2019ve shown can work well to create a chipboard effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest issue with all of these is that I have no control over a glow or shadow effect using these standard PSE bevels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As promised, I\u2019m going to show you how to create a \u201cfreehand\u201d bevel without using a style. To do this I first ensure that my Foreground\/Background color chips are set back to the defaults (press D). Then I go to the top tool bar and select Layer->Layer Style->Style Settings:<\/p>\n\n\n PSE opens the Style Settings dialog box:<\/p>\n\n\n This time the Lighting Angle is already set to 120 degrees. The reason for this is because I am creating a new style \u201cfrom scratch\u201d and already have \u201cactive\u201d styles using that setting. I want that Lighting Angle so I move on to the other settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I click the Drop Shadow box and PSE expands the settings for that option and the Color is already set to black. I then set the Size to 18px, the Distance to 2px, and the Opacity to 50%:<\/p>\n\n\n I click the Bevel box and PSE expands the settings for that option and I set the Size to 10px and Direction to Up:<\/p>\n\n\n I click OK to confirm and here is my bevel:<\/p>\n\n\n This looks fairly similar to the PSE Simple Emboss bevel style. The bevel is a bit more pronounced yet a bit softer. I could make it smaller by adjusting the size to what I used for that standard bevel. There\u2019s no glow like what happened with the Simple Emboss. And there\u2019s a soft shadow. And I have complete control over all of these settings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I\u2019m going to zoom back out and show you the best part:<\/p>\n\n\n I clipped a piece of paper to this and retained not only the bevel but also the shadow. How\u2019s that for a nice chipboard title? And I could also clip a paper to the title with any of the standard PSE bevels I showed above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note<\/strong>: Clipping paper to a text layer with a bevel will only work as long as the layer is not simplified. If the layer is simplified the result would be the same as trying to clip a paper to a purchased chipboard letter or word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now let\u2019s take a look at a finished chipboard title\/caption:<\/p>\n\n\n The word HAPPY was created using the same font and \u201cfreehand\u201d bevel settings that I used in the \u201cTITLE\u201d example above: Lighting Angle = 120 degrees. For the Shadow Size = 18px, Distance = 2 and Opacity = 50%. For the Bevel Size = 10px and Direction = Up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word Birthday was created using the font, Marisha<\/a><\/strong> at Creative Fabrica. The bevel settings are as follows: Lighting Angle = 120 degrees. For the Shadow Size = 10px, Distance = 6 and Opacity = 50%. For the Bevel Size = 15px and Direction = Up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yes, you can use a script font and give it a chipboard look. It won\u2019t work well with all script or other highly decorative fonts but it should work on most others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t be afraid to use thick titles on a layout. Just always remember that unless the title is the focal point, don\u2019t make it so large and thick that it detracts from the actual layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most fonts will work well when creating chipboard words. Try to avoid highly decorative fonts or script fonts that have a lot of curly ligatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t feel confined to using only block fonts or all uppercase letters for a one-word title. Be creative!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experiment with using a mix of different fonts or font cases when creating whimsical titles. This alone can add interest to your layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Play around with different bevel size settings to increase or decrease the thickness of your chipboard. Be carful that you don\u2019t make the bevel so large that you lose the \u201cwhite space\u201d inside letters that have openings such as a, p, g, e<\/em><\/strong> and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not clipping a paper to your \u201ctyped\u201d chipboard letter\/word feel free to use different colors for different letters in a word to add some extra whimsy to a funny or \u201cparty\u201d layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When using a purchased chipboard alphabet, remember that clipping paper to a letter will eliminate the thickness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When re-coloring a purchased chipboard alphabet, remember to simplify the letter first. To retain the thickness, remember to desaturate the letter(s) and use a Solid Fill layer and a Blend Mode (Overlay) to apply the color rather than using the paint bucket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you like the look of natural chipboard but you still want to create your own letters using a specific font, just clip a nice textured kraft paper to your finished letter\/word. If you don\u2019t already have some, there\u2019s a lovely set of \u201cKraft Digital Paper<\/a><\/strong>\u201d available at Creative Fabrica:<\/p>\n\n\n Thanks for reading this week\u2019s Tuesday Tip. Remember, if you have any suggestions or questions please don\u2019t hesitate to “Message Me<\/a><\/strong>“. Check back next week for some tips on blending chipboard. Click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n\n\nUsing Chipboard<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nCreating Chipboard Titles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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