How to Have White Text With a Black Outline in Photoshop CS6

By Naomi Bolton

Convert text to a shape to add an outline.
i Screenshot courtesy of Adobe.

The Type tool in Photoshop allows you to add text to your images, and then adjust the text to suit your goals. To make the text more visible, you can add an outline, called a stroke, to prevent the text from blending in with the background. In Photoshop CS6, you can achieve the outline effect by applying a style to the text layer. You have full control over the color of the outline, as well as the width of the stroke.

Step 1

Launch Adobe Photoshop CS6, and then create a new image or open the image to which you want to add the text.

Step 2

Select the Horizontal Type Tool -- styled like a capital "T" -- from the Tools panel.

Step 3

Select the font, style and size of the text from the text options panel at the top of the screen.

Step 4

Click the text color box, and then select white -- hex color code #ffffff -- from the Color Picker window.

Step 5

Click the canvas, and then enter your text.

Step 6

Right-click the text layer name on the Layers panel and select "Blending Options."

Step 7

Click the check box next to "Stroke," and then click the color picker box.

Step 8

Select black -- hex code #000000 -- from the Color Picker window, and then click "OK."

Step 9

Click and drag the "Size" slider to the right to increase the width of the black outline around the text. Make sure the check box next to "Preview" is selected to see a preview of the changes while you make the adjustments.

Step 10

Click the "OK" button to apply the effect once you are satisfied with the preview.

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