Create Mosaic Type Part 1

The slightly offset characters of this mosaic-type text allow you to create a slightly irregular rhythm from an otherwise uniform mosaic. For viewers, this type of text is reminiscent of fun puzzles.

1. Creating a New Work Window

Press Ctrl+N to create a new work window. Click on the Preset box and choose 640?480 to create a 640?480-pixel workspace.

In the toolbox, click on the Default Foreground and Background Colors button to set up the default color and set the foreground color to black and the background color to white. Choose Filter > Render > Clouds from the menu at the top to create irregular black and white clouds. Press Ctrl+F to apply the command again. Every time the command is repeated, a different cloud shape will be created. Continue repeating the command until you arrive at the shape you like.

2. Creating the Mosaic

Choose Filter > Pixelate > Mosaic from the menu at the top and set the Cell Size parameter to 64. A square mosaic pattern with a cell size of 64 will be created.

Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Levels from the menu at the top to make the image sharper and more focused.

3. Saving the Source for the Displace Filter

All the work you've done up to this point will be saved as the source for the Displace filter. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to save the mosaic image as a PSD file.

4. Making the White Background

Press Ctrl+J to copy the mosaic background. You should see the new layer (Background copy) in the Layers Palette. (Change the name of the new layer to Background Copy if it was created with a different name.) Click on the Layer Visibility icon in front of the copied layer to hide the layer. Then, select the Background layer and press Ctrl+Del to fill in the selected layer with the background color (white).

5. Entering the Text

Choose the Horizontal Type Tool from the toolbox.

Type in the text as shown here. Press Ctrl+Enter when you are finished entering the text.

In the Character Palette, set the font to Tahoma, the font size to 72 pt, the font style to Bold, and the leading to 60 pt.

6. Adjusting the Text Size

Press Ctrl+T to apply the Free Transform command.

Drag out the handles on the text to make the text larger. Press Enter to apply the transformation.

In the Layers Palette, click on the Option button and choose Merge Down to merge together the text layer and the white background layer.