6/9/2007 9:30:12 PM

Hey, I'm new to the forum and have already learned much.  I thought I'd share one thing I've figured out as I've been using SSP7.  I used to do this with the previous version too, but it was much more cumbersome (If anyone really wants to know, I'll post the instructions later).

Here is what I mean:

The verses at the top have only a regular shadow.  The middle title text "glows" white, and our pastor's name at the bottom "glows" black.

 

I'm using SSP7 and the shadow effect.  Personally, I think this should be added as a third shadow style (drop, block, and maybe glow).

1.  Make some text.

2.  Go to the effects menu.

3.  Click add an effect and then shadow.

4.  Make the shadow style block.

5.  Make the shadow a 0.1 or 0.2 in depth.

6. Leave blur at 1 and intensity at 100%.

7.  Make the color whatever color you want it to glow.

8.  Set the Light source to top left.

9. Click add an effect and then shadow.

10.  For the second shadow, do steps 4, 5, 6, and 7. (be careful, both shadows are called shadow and can easily be confused).

11.  For the second shadow set the light source to bottom right.


Your text should now glow.  For really big text, a .4 or .5 depth might be appropriate.  Too large of a depth and the glow looks stretched.  I tried to put the glow in four directions to fix the stretched look of a larger depth, but then it gets huge all of a sudden (four directions meaning four shadows with the light source coming from 4 corners). 

I'll only be around about once a week, but let me know if I'm confusing in some area... 

6/10/2007 5:08:39 AM

We've been plalying with this, also.

I've had good result setting the light source to center.

6/10/2007 5:45:44 AM

I like what you did with your background.

6/11/2007 6:58:16 AM

In playing with this in SSB I notice that the Effects Shadow can be used to apply depth or thickness to make 3-D text and the Shadow shadow applies an actual shadow (or blur) of the 3-D text against the background (although there is some coupling interaction between the two; they are not 100% independent). This is yet another completely different look from your glowing outlined text example.

You can polish the looks further by playing with Fill > Fill Type > Texture, playing with the Categories, and applying a Colorize color. Using an image file gives you even more choices; I chose one with some horizontal gradients.

Now apply a Rotate effect and then a Hinge effect. With Rotate on top you get a curved row of 3-D text (which is probably only a fluke of the arithmetic being performed), and with Hinge on top the row of text is a straight line. I like the curved text.

Now once you come up with something you like, how do you remember how to do it again a few weeks later?