Just got PS Elements 2 three months ago with a laptop and I like it a lot. However, my type tool is doing strange things. When I hit <enter> to start a new line of text (since it is running off screen) I get multiple line spacings–the cursor drops way down instead of one line. At first it produced single line spacings. Fine. Then I was getting a double line spacing. Type a few words, hit enter and the next text line dropped down two line spacings. NOW…holy cow! The line spacing is something like 10. Type a word and hit enter and the text drops off the screen. I did a test on a 5000 pixel high doc and the second line drops at least ten line spaces. Searched high and low for "line spacing" help and get nowhere.
Operating system and operator: Running new Toshiba with 256 RAM, 2+ GHz, Win XP. The operator is moderately skilled–I have been using various PS products for a number of years and reasonably knowledgeable. Used PS LE for 2 years, also PS 5 at work previously. I have 20,000 jpegs on two computers. I get around quite well.
Hi, Clive. Nope, that’s just the way type behaves in PE. The best way to deal with it is to put every line on a separate layer so you can control the spacing, which is a pain. Some people report good results if they cut and paste from Word, but I don’t care for the result much, myself.
Barbara, I’ve tried the Cut and Paste from Word; like you, I didn’t find it to be very satisfactory. Had better results going the other way: moving the edited picture to Word and printing from there.
Barbara and Chuck: Thanks for your replies. What is strange is that it was single line spacing at first–am I right here? I am positive it was okay at first because it got my attention when it changed to double spacing. The past two days it is simply nuts….just drops off the page. (Backspace Backspace Backspace Backspace to get back on the first line….can’t see the cursor off the bottom!)
Yes, I have been typing on separate lines–different layers and it is a pain.
By what you both say, this is a serious flaw in Elements and needs addressing by Adobe. I use "type tool" on images frequently and would like this solved by Adobe.
Thanks again. I’ll mess with it and report back if I am able to "solve" it. Unlikely.
Actually, Clive, I think you just got lucky the first time. I don’t think this is probably a very high priority with Adobe, unfortunately, since they don’t intend PE to be a page layout program.
well, maybe we ought to consider starting our own software biz. Too bad I know nothing about programing…otherwise i would !!! I would start by designing a graphic program designed especially for little kids ( 5-7 years ).
Barb…sort of ironic that they added all of those cool "speech balloons" so we can add silly saying to our fishing and grandkid images…yet the type tool that goes with those–to fill in text–you does not work better. I also add text to web images now and then, so multiple lines on technical images is handy.
Jodi…you wrote, "start by designing a graphic program designed especially for little kids ( 5-7 years )." Amen.
AND….I like to draw things now and then…add drawings to pictures or explain stuff to people. I used to use Corel Presentations for rudimentary drawings. I did okay stuff, but it’s a pain to go to one program and then another to do stuff.
I downloaded a freeware kids draw program about two weeks ago…sort of awkward…called "Drawing for Children"..may have link here somewhere…Google will likely show that link. Don’t think it will allow saving drawings as jpegs. Clive
Thank you both, I’m going to start looking around. My daughter is doing ‘OK’ with the Arcsoft photo impressions but there are too many menus and pages with it depending on what you want to do. I want to try and find a program where all the tools are on one page. A kiddie version of Elements if you wish.
Clive I also have a problem with spacing and inserting objects within elements. My work requires that I place text and objects upon aerial photos. After I enhance, adjust, whatever, I move the photo to Microsoft Word. See the method I use below. Word does not let you rotate text boxes. but if that’s required and if you can use MS Publisher instead of Word, you can rotate text boxes there.
If your graphic is in Elements, open Microsoft Word. In Elements > Move Tool, drag and drop your graphic onto Word. With the graphic selected > Format > Picture > Layout > Behind Text (this allows you to move the graphic. Then insert a text box, Insert > Text Box >Format > Text Box > Colors and lines > Fill > No Fill > Line > No Line > OK, Then type your text into text box and use Words formatting tools like in any Word Document. Hope this helps. Ben
I have a similar problem with multiple lines of text in Elements 2 that I did not have in Elements 1. When I hit "enter" to go to the next line, it only goes about 1/10" of a line so that I have to hit the enter key 10 to 20 times to get a "normal" line spacing. If I then try to select all of the text on the multiple lines (to change the font, color, etc.) Elements freezes up and has to be restarted. Any solutions? Thanks!
One way that works out quite well, since PSE is not great when it comes to text (it is an image editor), is to put each line on a different layer. This way, with the Move tool you can have infinite control (sort of) over determining the relative postition of each line to each other and to the image. Just type one lines worth, create a new layer, click on image where you want to begin line 2, and carry on like that.
Are you adding a very large amount of text when the program freezes? This sounds very odd. How much memory do you have and what system are you running?
That’s odd, my PSE2 works fine in line spaceing, don’t supose its the dreaded preferences file again, or what about the numbers in the gutter and column sizes. Mine show 180.7 and 12 points
This is weird. The last few times I have added multi-line text in Elements images the text tool has spaced lines properly. Perfect line spacing. (Versus the wide wide line spacings.)
To whomever wrote that lines were jambed together. I saw that once as well.
As noted, maybe there is some dreaded "property" to set to make it work consistently..like the "caps lock" on/off to make the drawing tools set as precise or as selected. Maybe it’s the old <alt><~><ctrl><shft><caps lock><F10> sequence. Kidding!
Funky coding or stuff I don’t understand.
I find it frustrating that Adobe does not a) jump in and offer solutions or b) solve the issues and offer patches.
Maybe it’s the old <alt><~><ctrl><shft><caps lock><F10> sequence.
Kidding!
<grin>
Clive,
I think you will find that most people purchased PSE for photo editing and were very happy to be able to put one word or one line of text.
Maybe since so many people are using the program for so many purposes beyond photo editing Adobe will develop an all encompassing program. (But then again maybe the price will not be as inexpensive as PSE π
I believe there already are Adobe products that would handle text better than PSE.
Thanks Pete. The situation is livable. I understand your comments WRT Elements being low key. True, but they did put the typing tool in the program and therefore it should do very basic tasks like line wrap. What I find confusing is that the performance is intermittent. Works okay and then doesn’t and then works again. That indicates a coding flaw to me.
I use it every day and still like it. Cheers! Clive
Clive I think you may also find some variation in how well the type tool functions that’s dependent on the font chosen and resolution of the image to which it’s being applied.
As Pete says, Adobe never designed Elements as a good text editing program. They figured that anyone who needed that function on a regular basis for quite a bit of text was well beyond the amateur status and would be using full Photoshop or one of the other high end products.
Thanks Beth . . and all. I thought you were on to something. One possible confusing issue is that the font sizes are measured in "points" (fixed at approx 72 pts per inch). In Elements that is based on physical inch dimensions of the images and has nothing to do with pixels. Of course we talked about pixels and there is no DIRECT relationship between points and pixels. (Got that?)
I converted one image into four sizes: three were constant pixel dimensions and just varied in dpi and therefore in physical dimensions. The other was reduced to a small pixel dimension. I really though I had cracked this…but alas the line spacing stayed "Okay" for all four setups. (The relative font size changed with the physical dimensions as it should, but line spaicng was dead on one normal spacing in all set ups.)
So the coding that manages line spacing is a tad wonky and may be related to some hidden or weird preferences combo that is causing it to be okay sometimes (like right now) and crazy at other times. Right now my LS is just fine. Weird.
I am going to post a new thread WRT using a stylus to write on Elements images. It’s cool.
Can anyone help me evaluate higher end ink-jet printers, like epsom 2200’s and others of that sort. Lysom Inks, dedicated meda etc. Have checked out all the googles, FLAAR what’s the lowdown on them. Questions? Comments.
