PSP X2:Text with a white background

**OldNick** · 30 September 2008, 06:56 AM

While I have used PSP for years to adjust photos, I have made very little use of the raster and vector parts.

My wife wants to annotate several hundred photos with info about where they were taken and such. This needs to be on the photo, so if it is printed it still shows.

I need to be able to enter text into a background field that fits the text. I can't see how to do it.

I have tried entering the text, moving to the background layer selecting a box to fit and then clearing the selection, but this is a lot of mucking about over hundreds of photos. I then tried scripting, but two problems occurred; text entry is not considered a Dbox, and the selection size is always the same

So it's been interesting but fruitless so far.

Any help appreciated. There is probably a really simple way.....

Nick

**steve.ledger** · 30 September 2008, 07:41 AM

Nick PSP X2 isn't as intuitive as it used to be I agree. I rarely use it now and have no desire to upgrade it again

What I used to do as far back as version 6 of PSP was to make sure the swatch bg colour was white, create a rectangular selection on the photo the size I wanted, then hit 'delete'. This made a white box to which I added the text via the text tool (after switching the bg colour to black).

But as you say, you have to do this for each photo, but then again, you do need to type the various different text for each photo as well, so it's only one step per photo for the box (which, if you made a standard size you can copy to the clipboard and paste to each successive photo)

I must say, Xara Xtreme has made many things so much easier and less of chore now for me.

**OldNick** · 30 September 2008, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by sledger

Nick PSP X2 isn't as intuitive as it used to be I agree. I rarely use it now and have no desire to upgrade it again

What I used to do as far back as version 6 of PSP was to make sure the swatch bg colour was white, create a rectangular selection on the photo the size I wanted, then hit 'delete'. This made a white box to which I added the text via the text tool (after switching the bg colour to black).

But as you say, you have to do this for each photo, but then again, you do need to type the various different text for each photo as well, so it's only one step per photo for the box (which, if you made a standard size you can copy to the clipboard and paste to each successive photo)

I must say, Xara Xtreme has made many things so much easier and less of chore now for me.

Ok. Thanks. I thought there may be a straight way.

However, I will check Xara again. I tried it a few years back and it was buggy and strange. I think it was right at its inception (??) . Ahah! We are talking of different beasts. I was using Xara 3D and was pretty disappointed.

Nick

**steve.ledger** · 30 September 2008, 07:59 AM

Xara Xtreme was born from Artworks many moons ago. Was released as CorelXara in 1995.

Yes it's a different beast to PSP for sure.
Xara is fundamentally a Vector Illustration application, but works very well with photos indeed (even better since the release of version 4), dare I say *better than* PSP?

This image was 'faked' in Xara Xtreme. There really was only one car on the track at the time of each photo.
The beauty of Xtreme is that none of the editing is *destructive*.
When saved as a .xar file I can undo all edits (even if I crop the photo!) I can also re edit the text at any time and export as a JPG again, any time.

Click image for larger version.

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Give Xara Xtreme a try for free

Yes, Xara3D is not in the same class.

**OldNick** · 30 September 2008, 08:00 AM

Just to top up. I wanted to do the select last so that it could be made to fit the text, rather than vice versa. Hence the extra steps.

Nick

**OldNick** · 30 September 2008, 08:08 AM

Steve

I was already downloading the trial before I got your reply!

I remembered Xara as being more paint orientated, so I will be interested to see about what you are saying.

Very reasonably priced too.

Clever tricks, mate!

Nick

**steve.ledger** · 30 September 2008, 08:34 AM

Xara's vector drawing software background can be read at Wiki and of course at the Xara website.

CorelXara and Xara Xtreme are fundamentally vector based drawing application rather than pixel based (raster/painting) apps.

Though being able to use Adobe type plugins and (now) selecting an external raster editor of your choice for pixel based editing (yes, even PSP can be selected) which again is *non destructive* of your original photo, makes Xtreme extremely useful.

And yes, I agree about the value for money.

**OldNick** · 30 September 2008, 08:49 AM

Ahhh! OK. Nice. I can grab dear old PSP in there and use the familiar stuff. I like non-destructive. I have been asking for PSP to only have the ability to save the history with the file, let alone _keep_ it!

Just playing with Xara now.

Nick

**steve.ledger** · 30 September 2008, 09:03 AM

Excellent Nick.. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

For further discussion, help hints and examples, please visit the Xara Xtreme and Xtreme Pro forum (the busiest forum at TG

)

**OldNick** · 30 September 2008, 10:10 AM

Arrgh! I need to get this done!

So I decided to script in PSP :
open photo, select a small strip, Clear, then deselect and Save As, then saved to another (\Titled) directory, same file name.

it works for one photo, but when I try to batch process, it just keeps saving to the same directory (luckily these were just copies I was working on).

I edited the Save As part of the script, and it quite plainly says c:\OpenDirectory\Titled as the save directory.

It was altering the filenames to suit the opened one. It seemed to be that clever, then it dumped over the top of it!

What do you reckon Steve?

I really cannot believe that I can't simply enter text in a growing white box, in any programme I have tried this afternoon (including Xara) . I would have thought this was given at some stage or other.

Nick