Text Mask to Embossed Watermark for Photos

A reader in the Photoshop 911 Emergency Forum posted this request:

> I'm trying to emboss my Logo into my photo's.
> But I don't want to loose any of the picture, so
> I thought using text mask would be best.
> But I'm having trouble figuring out how
> to use the text mask tool period.
> Anyone know?

Text Mask Tool makes a Selection...

There's an easier way to do this than using the Text Mask tool, if you'll take a few minutes to set it up according to this tutorial. The Text Mask tool is fine if you only plan to do it once. But if you need to do it again, a Custom Shape will be better. No sense in reinventing the procedure each time you need it.

But first, we'll show you the Text Mask version, to fulfill your request...

Open the file you wish to modify
Click on the new layer button at the bottom of the Layers Palette
Now, select the Text Mask tool from the Text Tool pull-out drawer.

Select the type style, font and size from the Options bar
Click in the document window and type in your text. Use typical PS text editing techniques to adjust the type the way you want it. Be mindful not to leave this mode until you have it the way you want it.

You'll see the text being set on a RED mask. What's actually happening is the text letters and shapes are actually holes in the mask -- but it's not really a mask. As soon as you click on another tool, or the Move tool, the text becomes a selection. This selection is available for any process you can perform on a selection.

Click the Move tool and the type becomes a selection:

For your watermark task, the most simple thing to do is hit Command/J (or, Control/J for Windows. You didn't say.) This will float a copy of the section of the photo up to a new layer for further processing. With the image on its own layer, go to the bottom of the layers palette and select the Layer Styles pull-down and select "Bevel & Emboss" ... presto, embossed watermark.

You can apply or change any of the criteria on the B&E Layer Styles dialog you wish. Here is where you set the personality of your effect -- and once done, you can save it to the Styles palette for future use. However, for this presentation we just left it to the default settings.

Also notice that you cannot "see" the floated image until you apply the effect...

There are many other ways to accomplish this task. This is the most simple and direct. If you have a favored method to accomplish this task, we invite you to post it here in the Photoshop 911 forums.

If you've followed along so far, you'll realize you've now created a fully scriptable event. Each step could be rendered to an action, and your watermark will be automated. However, there's one problem: the size? This won't work in all files because you've got to set type size on the fly. That's why we want to create a custom shape....