Making your text stand up - shadows in psp

(PSP Version 5 and above)

When text is added to an image in Paint Shop Pro, it is a two dimensional object. You can make it appear to be placed slightly higher by adding drop shadows.

But what if you wanted the text to appear as if its standing?

Here is how we do it in Paint Shop Pro

Step 1
Start PSP and open a new image 300 X 150 pixel dimensions with a trasparent background.

Step 2
Using the Fill tool , color the background white (R:G:B::255:255:255 or #FFFFFF).

Step 3
Change your foreground color to black (R:G:B::0:0:0 or #000000).
Add a new layer (Click on Layers-New...) and name it Shadow

Click on the Text tool , and then click on the image. Select a good thick font (I've used Arial, size 72, style Bold) in the Add text window. Be sure to check the Antialias checkbox.
Click "Ok" to put the text on the image. Align the text to the center.

Step 4
Deselect the image (Click on Selections - Select none or alternatively use the Control-D key combination.)
Apply the Gaussian Blur filter to the Shadow layer. Click Image - Blur - Gaussian blur..., set the Radius to 4.00. Click "Ok".

Step 5
Add another new layer and name it Main Text. Choose a color for foreground. I use a dark shade of blue (R:G:B::0:0:192 or #0000C0).
With the text tool, add the same text with the same settings as in step 3.
Place this text directly on top of the blurred text.

Step 6
Deselect the image (CONTROL-D) and click on the Shadow layer icon in Layer palette.

Step 7
Click on the Deformation icon . A rectangle appears with small squares at its corners and center. These small squares are called handles.
Click and drag the top-center handle so that the rectangle is one-third its size in height. Click on the Apply button in the Control Palette. The Shadow has now been vertically squeezed. Align the shadow below the blue text as shown below.

Step 8
Make sure that the shadow layer is activated then click once again on the Deformation tool. With the SHIFT key pressed on the keyboard, click and drag the top-right handle to the right and the top-left handle to the left. Refer image below.

Click on the Apply button in the Control Palette

The final image should resemble the one below: