How to angle text in Photoshop?

[Yorkie]

I furtle about with Photshop as best I'm able, and am presently trying to add a scale to a meter dial. As it stood, the dial was scaled from 0 - 50 as can be seen on the upper scale. I've added a lower scale, scaled from 0 - 100, and want to angle the numerals to follow the same arc as the upper scale, and haven't found the 'Help' screen in Photoshop to be very helpful. I've tried 'Image' 'Rotate' Custom Rotate' then tried to enter the extent of rotation that I think may be needed, but this option is greyed out. The other options such as 'Arc text' simply distort the text but leave it horizontal, and that isn't what I want to do.

Any ideas anyone please?

Confused of Cottingham

[Aerodyne]

Hi David
You should be able to select the text by clicking on it with the arrow (the top) tool. Then move the pointer around the text to find either a 'dot' on one of the handles or where the pointer turns into a circle. Hold this with the mouse as you turn the mouse and the text box will follow.
I think that's right...
_Tony

[Robert Darwent]

Tony is more familar with Photoshop than I, but essentially the method he describes is the same on the Picture Publisher software I use with only minor differences.

You can get good results doing it that way but it does mean individually rotating each character, or small group of characters, one at a time and its quite tedious to rotate them all by equal amounts.

Plus on some scales you will end up working with the characters at horizontal or greater, which is a good deal more difficult a position to judge the correct amount of rotation from!

I personally add any curved text, etc at either side of the 12 o'clock position, where it is much easier to judge the required rotation, then rotate the entire grouping as an object around the centre point of the scale to the correct position.

I know that sounds quite complex, but its far more difficult to explain in writing than to do with the software.

Trouble is, I'm not sure how to direct you in detail to achieve it with Photoshop. It is broadly similar to Picture Publisher but not exactly the same in terms of functions.

Regards

[Andrewausfa]

Hi David,

I asked our graphic design team and they immediately said do it in Illustrator. I said you'd probably not got that so they suggested duplicating the layer with the second lot of text in it, dump it on top and then use Free Transform to adjust, then Merge down.

I have CS4 at home so may try a meter face myself when I have some time.

Andrew

[Robert Darwent]

...they suggested duplicating the layer with the second lot of text in it, dump it on top and then use Free Transform to adjust, then Merge down.

You've basically just described the method I use and was referring to in my earlier post Andrew.

However, with all respect to his considerable abilities, I fear we may already have lost David with the terms used. The terminology is quite confusing and can be very off-putting.

For the meter scale David is trying to produce, the method described by Tony earlier is the simplest to follow and attempt, giving good acceptable results.

Regards

[Yorkie]

Thanks for the guidance guys - sorted!

I am not worthy!