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Cut-out Text

No need for scissors and glue - the computer can do all the cutting for us.

First, create an object to make cut-out. To make this interesting, I chose a wood texture for the background, and then inserted some text with a marble fill. Solid colours will work as well, but avoid very dark colours - the shadow won't show up then.
Next, create a mask around your text object. You might want to save the mask, although it shouldn't be essential. I also feathered the inside of the mask by 4 pixels, to give the shadow a softer edge, but you don't have to do this.
Now invert the mask.

Copy the contents of the mask, which should be everything in the picture, except for a hole where the text was. Note that for big pictures, this can take the computer some time - it may be best to adjust your mask to use a smaller area.
Now invert the mask again.

Paste the copied area back in as its own layer or object (depending on your program), making it slightly offset from its original position - this determines where the shadow falls. Make sure that it only pastes into the masked area - i.e. on top of the text. Fill this object with black.

We almost have it now. Lastly, make the new object 60% transparent. Picture Publisher users should use the Selector tool, other programs will have other methds for adjusting layer transparency. This gives us a soft shadow, showing the background behind it. Perfect.

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This page was created by James Corrin. All pictures and text belongs to him or the appropriate author. Permission to use any pictures or text from these pages must be sought from the work's author. This page was last updated Saturday 22 January 2000. Email: webmaster@imageeffects.8m.com

	First, create an object to make cut-out. To make this interesting, I chose a wood texture for the background, and then inserted some text with a marble fill. Solid colours will work as well, but avoid very dark colours - the shadow won't show up then.
Next, create a mask around your text object. You might want to save the mask, although it shouldn't be essential. I also feathered the inside of the mask by 4 pixels, to give the shadow a softer edge, but you don't have to do this. Now invert the mask.
Copy the contents of the mask, which should be everything in the picture, except for a hole where the text was. Note that for big pictures, this can take the computer some time - it may be best to adjust your mask to use a smaller area. Now invert the mask again.
	Paste the copied area back in as its own layer or object (depending on your program), making it slightly offset from its original position - this determines where the shadow falls. Make sure that it only pastes into the masked area - i.e. on top of the text. Fill this object with black.
	We almost have it now. Lastly, make the new object 60% transparent. Picture Publisher users should use the Selector tool, other programs will have other methds for adjusting layer transparency. This gives us a soft shadow, showing the background behind it. Perfect.