There are several ways to curve text in Photoshop. Some can be achieved with a few clicks, while others require more effort but give you more control over the curved text created. Here are the three best ways to do it.
Method 1: Curving Text Using A Warp Preset
This method allows you to bend text with a few clicks. What’s more, there is a variety of presets to choose from.
Step 1: Create A Piece Of Text
First, you need to write any text on the canvas.
To do this, enable the Type Tool (T) in the Toolbar.
Then, enter the desired text on the canvas.
Step 2: Activate The Warp Tool
With the Type Tool active, go to the Options bar and click the Warp Tool button. The icon looks like a T letter sitting on a curve.
After selecting the desired warp style, some options will appear within the Warp text panel for you to customize the warp. You only need to adjust a few settings, as you will see next.
Step 3: Adjust The Warp Tool Settings
Within the Warp Text panel, select one of the arch styles available in the Style drop-down menu. To get a curved text, it’s better to stick with the first three options.
Leave the Horizontal option checked so you can have the text curved horizontally.
You can also select the Vertical option, but it won’t curve the text; just warp it vertically.
You can control the curve’s prominence and orientation by adjusting the Bend. Positive percentages bend the curve downwards, and negative percentages bend it upwards.
The lower the value, the less prominent the curve, and vice versa.
In Horizontal Distortion, you can make the curve more warped on its left or right side. If you want both sides equally distorted, set the Horizontal distortion to zero.
Adjusting the Vertical Distortion slider will make the text appear vertically farther or closer to the screen.
Method 2: Creating A Curved Pen Path To Curve Text In Photoshop
The Pen Tool (P) allows you to create any path or shape that comes to your mind.
With the Pen Tool, you can also create curved text.
Step 1: Draw A Path
First, enable the Pen Tool (P) from the Toolbar.
Then, go to the Options bar and change the pen mode to Path.
After that, click once on the canvas to add the first anchor point.
Then, click another part of the canvas to place the second anchor point, but this time, hold Shift while dragging with the mouse down. That will create a curved path.
Step 2: Type Any Text On The Path
Once the curved path is created, enable the Type Tool by pressing T. You can also customize the text using the options available in the Options bar if you want.
You can find a complete guide on creating and customizing text in Photoshop here.
Now, hover over the path until your cursor is crossed by a curved line.
Next, type any text in the curved path.
The text in the curved path has a start and end point. An X icon represents the start point.
And the endpoint is represented by a circle icon.
Step 3: Add More Text To The Curve
You can change the text start and end points so you can add more text to the path.
To do this, enable the Path Selection Tool (A) from the Toolbar.
Then hover over the text until an arrow pointing to the right appears next to your text.
Position the cursor at the beginning of the text and drag it to the left. That will bring the starting point to the left and make room for more text.
Method 3: Using A Shape Layer To Curve Text In Photoshop
You can easily create curved texts using circular shapes since the text follows the curvature of the shape. You won’t have to worry about the shape as it will disappear at the end of the process.
Step 1: Create An Ellipse
First, go to the Toolbar and select the Ellipse Tool (U).
Then, go to the Options bar and change the shape mode to Path.
After that, click and drag on the canvas to create your ellipse.
Step 2: Type Text On The Path
Once the shape is created, enable the Type Tool by pressing T on your keyboard.
Then, hover over the shape until your cursor is crossed by a curved line.
Next, enter your text on the curved path.
You can adjust the text start and endpoint following the steps learned in the previous section to change a curved pen path.
Step 3: Adjust The Text Position
After typing your text in a circular shape, you may want to adjust its position.
You can move your text along the path by doing the following. Select the text layer in the Layers Panel.
Then, hit Control + T (Win) or Command + T (Mac) to enable the Transform Tool and then activate the Move Tool by pressing V.
That will select the text on the path.
After that, hover over one of the handles around the circle until it turns into a double-curved arrow.
Then rotate the text in the direction you want. In my case, I turned my text to the center of the canvas.
When you’re finished adjusting the text position, hit Enter on your keyboard to confirm the action, and the text will be ready to be used in any way you want.
Curving text is one of the most popular ways to stylize text. It adds an aesthetic appeal to it, which is why I often use them in posters and ads, and I also recommend you use it whenever possible. With Photoshop’s customization options for curved text, your result will surely meet your expectations.
Happy Editing!
