Digital Signature or Name for copyright

[lynweber]

Are there places to create a nice signature? I have been just using a brush that i created in photoshop but I feel it needs something so can you share with me how you got yours? Thanks!

[Rich F]

I signed my name on a blank 8.5x11 piece of paper with a Sharpie marker. Then I took a photo of the paper, filling the frame with the paper.

Then, I opened it in Photoshop and created a duplicate layer which I inverted. Next, I created a new blank layer and dragged it to the bottom of the layers panel. Using the selection tool of your choice (I used the magic wand), select the background on each signature layer and hit Ctrl+X to remove the background, leaving ony the signature on a transparent background.

After saving as a PSD, I now have white and black signature layers that I can drag onto a photo and resize using free transform. Then I adjust the opacity of the signature layer to keep it from being too distracting.

I hope this is what you were looking for.

[lynweber]

too bad my handwriting isn't all that great.

Do you have a photo with you signature? or an icon of some kind?

[morgandavis]

Its been awhile since I did a watermark for my pictures (last year actually).It would take me forever to try to figure it out again. HAHA!
Basically, I found a font that I liked that resembled handwriting (from one of the various font sites). I just did a simple "Photo by Morgan 2009" and put it in a transparent layer on my pictures (using my Photo Editing Software). For a cute little symbol, some of the fonts have those as well.

[Mytusi]

Here's a summary of how to make an embossed watermark layer from The Photoshop Elements 6 Book by Scott Kellby & Matt Kloskowski (great book, btw). It's for Phototshop Elements but I imagine the process would similar with other editors.

1. Create a new blank file (in RGB mode with your typical working resolution – 72 ppi for low-res, 300 ppi for high-res).
2. Click on the Foreground color swatch at the bottom of the Toolbox and choose a medium gray color in the Color Picker. Fill the layer with this medium gray (Option-Delete).
3. - Set your Foreground color to black (D).
- Take the Horizontal Type tool (T). In the Option bar, choose a fond like Arial Bold from the font pop-up menu.
- create a copyright symbol (click on the gray background, press-and-hold the Option-G keys, type “0169”, release
- type the name you want for the copyright
4. Go to Effects palette-Filters-Stylize-Emboss. A warning dialog will appear letting you know that the Type layer must be simplified. Click OK.
5. - In the resulting Emboss dialog, set the Angle to 135 degrees, height to 3 pixels, amount to 100%.
- To smooth the edges of the Type layer: Layers-Lock Transparent Pixels. Then, Filter-Blur and add a 2 or 3-pixel Gaussian Blur
6. - Make the watermark transparent: Change the blend of the text layer to Hard Light
- make the background layer visible again
7. move the layer to the photos that need a copyright ant resize as needed (Command-T)

[pAthdoc]

For those of us that have a hard time following written instructions, here's a tutorial that I found helpful for creating a watermark using PS

Watermark Tutorial

[Jim Poor]

There is a fairly current article on the DPS home page about this very subject.

[Rich F]

Originally Posted by lynweber

too bad my handwriting isn't all that great.

Do you have a photo with you signature? or an icon of some kind?

Here's two that I have put my actual signature on

I adjusted the opacity of the white signature so it wouldn't be too distracting...

[lynweber]

Rich,

That last photo is amazing I really feel like I am in a spirling tunnel. It messed with my eyes for a moment. Thanks for that. I think i am looking at getting a logo made and have had some great ideas from some DPS members! I am playing with them further to see if it will work for me.

Lyn