Comic Witchery

[flv]http://vid231.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/witchytech/sketch%20out/How%20To/EasyPhotoshopTalkBalloons-1.flv[/flv]

Discussion of each step below:

Step 1: Create an Ellipse Beneath Your Text.  The ellipse tool can be found in the Photoshop tool box (the little window where you select brush or eraser, etc.).  If you’ve never used the ellipse tool, you will find it under the symbol that looks like a diagonal line (the “line tool”). Click and hold the line tool and the other options will pop up. Select “Ellipse Tool” from the list.

At the top of your Photoshop window are the options for the shape tools.  Check to make sure “Shape Layer” or “New Layer” is selected.  It will be an empty square with dots in the corners (see image).  Make sure the color selected is white.  Click and drag the ellipse tool to the size you want and let go (you can adjust the size and position now if you need to).

Witchy Tip:  The tool will automatically create the ellipse on a new layer ABOVE the layer you currently have selected. So do not have the text layer selected when making your talk balloon.  Have the layer directly under your text selected. Now when you make your ellipse, it will appear under your text.

Step 2: Rasterize the Layer. This changes the shape from a vector layer to a regular layer.  It is important to do this before outlining to insure that your outline is nice and smooth. From the “Layer” dropdown menu, select “Rasterize” and the select “Layer” (you may also select “shape”).

Step 3: Style the Layer with a Stroke: This adds the black outline to the balloon. From the “Layer” dropdown menu, select “Layer Style.”  From the styles listed, Select “Stroke.” A new window will pop up.  In the “Position” box, select “Inside” to make our tail’s point nice and sharp. You can also change the width of your outline (in the video, I change 3 to 5).  The stroke color defaults to red so you can see it. Change it to black and hit “okay” to close the window and apply the stroke.  You should now have a talk balloon with a black border around your text. It’s time to make the tail!

Step 4: Make the Tail with the Polygonal Lasso. If you’ve made adjustments to your art, make sure you are still in your ellipse layer. From the Photoshop tool box select the polygonal lasso tool. (If you don’t see it, click and hold the “lasso tool” until the others pop up. You DO NOT want the “magnetic” one.) Create a triangle from the talk balloon to the character with the lasso tool.

Witchy Tip: Make it a little wider than you want it because the stroke goes INSIDE your selection.

Step 5: Fill the Selected Area to Complete the Tail. Using the paintbrush or the fill bucket, fill in the triangle you just made. If you use the paint bucket, you may have to tap it on the inside line of the balloon.  As you can see, the stroke goes around the tail for you.

Step 6: Deselect the tail. That’s it! You’re done with that talk balloon. It should be looking pretty snazzy.

To make a curved tail requires a few more steps and making more ellipses, but I find this works just fine and is easy for Photoshop beginners to grasp.