Labels

SOFTWARE: Adobe Photoshop
NOTE: I used Butch Curry's techniques as well as online material regarding labeling theory.

If you haven't been following along with the posts. At this point in time the map has gained a lot of features. The mountains and forests have given it some character but it needs people or some kind of critter to give it that unique feel.

The beautiful thing about photoshop is the ability to change what you've created. Butch Curry uses the phrase "flexibility and fix-ability" and I'm happy to use just that phrase.

To keep this map simple I will be using a simple dot to acknowledge a city.

When placing the city labels there are two theories. I will show you those theories below.

Step 1: Place the cities where you want them. This can be based on a sketch you have or where you feel that a city should be. I placed a few just to give us some examples.

Step 2: Start typing using the text tool in Photoshop. It will automatically create a new layer. If you notice the text just blends in with the other maps. This could be a problem. So you will be using the options associated with the text layer.

Step 3: A quick fix would be to add an outer glow: do this by double clicking on the text layer and adding the effect.

Step 4: Adjust the outer glow settings specifically to create a more defined contrast. This will allow you to label your map as desired. Repeat this step as needed.

Note: You can also erase elements underneath the text layer by using a low opacity eraser. As Butch Curry says "Once it'gone, it's gone forever".

This is an effective way to label your map with the cities and features that you desire.

Some things to remember: your features should have different font sizes. So your mountains should be labeled in a smaller font than your cities. You can look up the font theory on your own. I will post later about this topic.

Not all of your labels have to have an outer glow or have the same intensity. Again the customization is a beautiful component to photoshop. Play around with the "warp text" feature that is available to the text layers. You can also rasterize the layer and manipulate the letters individually if you desire.










Update: 12/20/2014 -- link to Label Theory PDF