Cutout
Tutorial
I have been asked several times recently how to make the 'Cutout' effect with graphics. Since I was unable to find the tutorial I used when I learned how to do cutouts, several months ago, I have resorted to writing my own 'Cutout' tutorial. I will try to make it as simple to understand as I can, but if you have any questions, problems, or you don't understand something, please feel free to email me. Cutout graphics lend an elegant and different look to graphics, and are relatively easy to do, especially if you are comfortable with working with 'layers'.
First download the Graintexture Zip file, containing the Graintexture Jpg (see link below) Then unzip the file using an unzipping program, into a directory where you can easily find it.
The next thing you need to do is open up a new image with the following settings. Make sure your background color is white.
Now
open up the 'graintexture' image and keep it open ( you can minimize it
to keep it out of your way )
Next
step is to click on the toolbar, on the Paint Bucket, and then choose
'Pattern' for your fill type. Click on the options button and choose 'graintexture'
from the drop down menu.
Next, click on your toolbar and open up your 'Layers' palette, and make
4 additional layers. The first should already be named 'background'. Next
add a layer and name it FILL, another named TEXT, a third one named CUTOUT,
and a fourth one named SHADOW. It should look like the image below. 
Ok, now we're ready to do the fun stuff. While having the Layers palette
in view, make sure you are on the 'FILL' layer and flood fill the background
image with your textured pattern. Next you click on the TEXT layer and
you are ready to apply your text to the image. Click on your 'Text' button
on your toolbar, making sure that 'Floating' is NOT checked. Choose your
text and click ok. The one trick is, that by using the text as 'not floating'
you must click on your image, exactly where you want your text placed,
'before' you click on your Text button, because you won't be able to move
your text once its applied.
This is what it should look like. Do NOT deselect your text.
Now click on your layers palette and make sure you are on the CUTOUT layer.
Make sure that you do not have the Fill interior with color checked. Apply
the Cutout with the following settings. 
Now click
on your SHADOW layer on your layer palette. 
With your
text still selected, apply the following drop shadow. 
You can now
deselect your text and you have the cutout effect. You can click on
the layers palette and 'merge' all layers, or it will merge the layers
automatically when you save the image to a file. The thicker the font
the more the cutout effect will show up. You can see the difference
in the next 2 images.
If you have any questions please feel free to email me.
CandeeKis
Click on the E-Book button below, to download and work on this tutorial offline
