Justified Type
A regular text box gives you a straight edge of type on one side and a jagged edge on the opposite side. Learn how to make both sides straight by using justified type. You’ll also learn how not to fall prey to the 3 No-No’s of justified type!
Video 07-06: Justified Type (2:24)
In this lesson we'll learn how to make the type perfectly straight on both sides of a textbox by using justified type. If you want to follow along you'll find this image Santorini-Vacation.jpg in your Part 7, lesson six practice folder.
Here I use the Type tool to click and drag out a text box and add some type that is left aligned. This makes the left side of the type align perfectly. But the right side has a variable length of line making the right side jagged. Now there's nothing wrong with having one side jagged, but occasionally you may want both sides to be straight. And for that you need justified type. If you open Tool Options, you can see that Photoshop Elements has left middle and right alignment options but it doesn't have a Justified icon. However, it does respond to the Photoshop shortcut for justified type.
In the Layers panel, double click on the thumbnail of a type textbox layer to highlight all the type. Press Ctrl Shift j in Windows or Command Shift j on a Mac and your textbox will become justified. Press Enter or click on the checkmark to commit the type.
If you want to adjust the proportion of the text box, click on the type layer to activate it and click and drag from a side handle to adjust the text box. I'll move that out a little bit. And then let's drag this down some also and that automatically commits the text.
There are three things to avoid when creating justified type. Don't use a fancy flowing font. Keep the font standard, even utilitarian. You're creating a strict rectangle which goes better with conventional type.
Don't make the textbox too narrow, you'll end up with unsightly spaces between words.
Don't add a drop shadow to your type. This is true of most type but especially a block of text. A simple well-executed block of justified text can be a beautiful addition to your project.
So use a keyboard shortcut and avoid the nose to enjoy the solid look of justified text. And if you ever want to change the alignment, you can do so at any time by clicking on a different Alignment icon in Tool Options.