How to Letter Comics in Photoshop

Stop using Comic Sans for your comics! Here I talk about all the tips and tricks I've learned lettering my own comics for the past... listen I don't want to talk about how long, but let's just say it's been a *while*. With these tips, you'll be lettering your comics like a pro in no time.
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[@OGFitzRoy]

I haven't lettered in years & when I did I was using Photoshop. I appreciate u doing this video.

[@kosovo6280]

Can you help me?

[@OGFitzRoy]

@@kosovo6280 huh?

[@1stockyboy]

Scott, thank you so much for posting this videos. I am learning to letter because of you! Also, it's very gratifying to be able to learn to do it in photoshop. I know everyone says Illustrator is the way to go, but photoshop is the program I most use for my comic book work, as well as Clip Studio. Question: would you be willing/able to do a vid talking about how to create custom word balloons using photoshop? Y'know, the 'spooky' wavy balloons, etc. Or, would you be able to recommend a vid where I might see that? Thanks again for doing these! You are doing GREAT work !!! Happy holidays!!!

[@ScottD]

That’s a good idea! I’ll have to do a quick on on that. :)

[@balladofthecats.]

I did't quite understand the part of the process of the tail 16:30 . Do you have any other video about that?

[@chrismacafterdark]

Thank you! I've been banging my head against the wall trying to make these for our Clubs Event slides. Saves me so much work, appreciate it!

[@ibeechannel]

This is exactly the kind of tutorial I was looking for and answered so many questions. Perfect!

[@InkSpots]

The align feature for text and balloons no longer works in the current versions of photoshop when you click on text and shape all the align buttons are grayed out.

[@e.christopherclark7367]

Dude! As a teacher (of creative writing) but also a lifelong learner who’s trying to brush up my skills and get back to my comic book roots, I’m nodding along with this whole thing-even as I’m taking notes. I’m appreciating this on both the student level (you’re teaching me so much) but also on the fellow teacher/educator level because you are doing everything so well in terms of imparting information.

[@shizyninjarocks]

So damn helpful.

[@TheLongFrenchman]

Awesome tutorial mate, I just got into video editing and photoshop, and this video has provided me with amazing tools

[@janiewigglesworth]

That was really helpful - thank you!

[@duranimusprime5989]

Man! I really loved this page! thank you so much! This really answered a lot of questions I had about inking-- I like how you demonstrated everything. I've been looking for a video like this for a long time. And the video quality is excellent. Gotta get a camera like that! Subscribed! 👍

[@ScottD]

Awesome! Glad to hear it! :)

[@zelgados8122]

Excellent tutorial thanks for all the tips. I'm doing it wrong apparently. You did not over explain it was something I needed. Thanks.

[@ModernGuitar]

Hi ! thanks for the video ! One thing I don't get with the pen tool is how you get the pointy ballon tail. When I try I only get rounded end tail.

[@gapon8921]

amazing tutorial, very helpful!

[@shaneluttrell532]

Nice!! Thanks! I'm always looking to improve my lettering. I letter in an older version of photoshop which doesn't have vectoring. (this is a pre-subscription version which I'll keep forever lol). I'm happy with it but would like more organic balloon shapes and tails. I have an older version of illustrator too, but I just can't get a handle (no pun intended) on the shaping the balloons and tails. I'll keep on learning and practicing.

[@N-Tuk]

Hey Scott, your videos make me want to do more lettering and have helped me so much! I was curious if I could have my thoughts on this. if the font I’m using doesn’t have a different looking letter and they’re used side by side, would changing the size of the letter just a hair help with differentiating or would it muck other things up like line height, etc. and this is regarding a regular comic bubble. Thanks!

[@johncollado1151]

Hi Scott.... Thanks for the Photoshop tips.... I actually learned a few things. But all said, I'm hooked on Clip Studio Paint and really like the way it handles the balloons and text. I guess they call the software the poor man's Photoshop. Looking forward to your next video. Happy New Year and stay safe.

[@ScottD]

Oh for sure. I love Clip Studio Paint and do all my pencils and inks there. I’ve tried lettering in it a little bit, and it’s got its idiosyncrasies, but works pretty well, too. I just have to turn off the setting where it puts text in a balloon, because that takes too much of my control away. Haha

[@johncollado1151]

@@ScottD I haven't done a lot of comics lately but plan to this year, so I will keep your Photoshop tutorial in mind. Thanks again.

[@rottensquid]

None of my editors want me to letter in Photoshop anymore. It's all about Illustrator. Though lately, I've been seeing people teaching how to letter in InDesign. You can resize the balloon, and the letters will automatically adjust inside it, instead of doing them separately. That seems like the next step.

[@ScottD]

Oh yeah, Photoshop is not the "best" way to do it, by far. But if someone can only afford one Adobe product, I'd say this is still it. Illustrator is definitely the preferred way, and InDesign seems like a good solution, too, so long as your computer can run the High Graphics mode. Making masks, etc, are the reason I like Photoshop, personally, since I like to have the balloons and text interact with the art, and it's just easier for me to do in PS. Definitely can be done in the others, too, though!

[@rottensquid]

@@ScottD I see what you mean. Masking is really important. being able to put balloons behind figures is one of those little touches that really makes comics sing. It's been really annoying to learn Illustrator. Despite the fact it's the same company, it seems like neither program has any idea how the other works, or expects anyone to learn both, so half the tools work in completely different ways. But these days, it seems like no one wants to deal with Photoshop lettering anymore. Out of curiosity, who publishes your work?

[@frankleemorris2431]

great stuff, really useful but what's with the muzak? beyond irritating!

[@InkSpots]

Are you reducing your page size to print dimensions before you letter or are you lettering at full resolution comic size?

[@ScottD]

Full resolution, for sure. I still need the resolution for printing, so I don’t want to shrink the pages unless I’m exporting for web right at the very end.

[@stephenwoolford3227]

My text keeps h Going behind my bubble, how do I fix that

[@uniquefilms4134]

Just curious whats the best app/software to use to letter for comics for an HP laptop? And do you have a link for it?

[@anamaandrew855]

This is very helpful, thank you very much!

[@ScottD]

Good! I'm glad! :)

[@danieldeanallen]

Great video! Thnx!

[@bamm86]

Could you do another vid like this for CSP?

[@ScottD]

A lot of the design principles remain the same regardless of where you create the balloons. I find PS much easier to work with, personally, and get frustrated with CSPs lettering tools. But if enough people Like this comment, I might take another crack at it and see about making one. I had some minor success with it when doing some quick B&W comics, so it can't be all bad.

[@bamm86]

@@ScottD I feel you. I figured it would basically be somewhat the same. Maybe a quick vid of the differences between lettering in PS and lettering CSP. I learned illustrator before PS and now I have a learning curve with PS that’s frustrating. I thought it would be easy but hey.

[@ScottD]

@@bamm86 I hear ya! I mostly try to do tuts on stuff that I know really well, so 1) I don't look like an idiot if I'm wrong and 2) can give the most efficient way to do stuff based on experience. CSP Lettering is something I don't do, so I just feel like I wouldn't know the best way to show someone how to do it, if that makes sense. haha :) And yeah, I went the opposite way, PS to Ai. Illustrator is amazing for vector stuff (and probably what I should be lettering in), but I'm stubborn and set in my ways. haha :P

[@bamm86]

@@ScottD haha yeah I feel you. That totally makes sense. I need to bite the bullet and get more familiar with PS since I could easily go between that and AI. But I started doing comics in CSP. lol I’m all over the place.

[@kasym.7057]

Thanks a lot for this video🙏🏿❤️

[@ScottD]

No worries! Glad it helped! :)

[@dougmaisner]

great stuff!

[@dollythakrar8346]

yes it does not make sense somewhere. but you made a cool video ! keep uploading new ways of lattering.

[@sakibshadman1448]

Pen tool shapes in photoshop are vector. Isn’t it?

[@ScottD]

Yep!

[@sakibshadman1448]

@@ScottD ❤

[@internationalicon]

Good stuff! Lucidly explained! / Hey, how are you getting that automatic center when you bracket for a cmd+T Transform box?

[@ScottD]

Hold Alt! :)

[@JoseVelez-dhumonio]

love it!

[@poochyboi]

connecting the two speech bubble is driving me fucking nuts. im doing exactly what you're doing but i cant seem to make the tunnel seamless. theres always one end that rounds off the tunnel.

[@ScottD]

It’s probably making a new layer. If you’ve already made the shapes, use the direct selection tool (black arrow, but not the main move one) to select them and then copy. Select the other layer and then paste. If you want to make them the same, make sure to hold shift as you’re adding shapes to a shape, if that makes any sense.

[@poochyboi]

@@ScottD ahh the copy and paste trick worked! thanks! almost tore all my hair out last night trying to figure this out. SHEEEEESH

[@ScottD]

@@poochyboi Awesome! Glad to hear it!

[@amemoore]

😂 spot on... Wisconsin here... today we have ice fog. #MidwestWeatherObsessed

[@ScottD]

There’s still some snow on the ground here, and it’ll be above freezing today, but I’m not looking forward to the second round that’s supposed to be coming Thursday.

[@k.rajpoot491]

👍🙏

[@TowDow3]

so why do I HAVE to have a straight I in a word?

[@ScottD]

Well, no one is going to come to your house and arrest you or anything, but it's generally considered to be more legible than having a crossbar I. The designers of the typefaces have created those separate glyphs with that in mind, so that's their intended use.

[@TowDow3]

@@ScottD thank you! I'll keep a note of that. It's interesting that they did and I would think it make sense.

[@rigoabell4863]

music too loud

[@QuinntheEskimo132]

Dump the background noise !

[@bramwelljohnsteele8187]

The yammering. Get on with it

[@DVHSE]

Bruh, you've successfully managed to explain 2 minute thing in an over 20 minute video smh 🤦‍♂️