Navigation Image

Here, I can show you how I managed to make the text graphics in the navigation bar above.  This is considered a navigation bar with images.  In order to complete your navigation bar in it's entirety, please follow through this instructional blog to find the link to the next Navigation Tutorial at the end.

1. Open your photo editor (I will be using Photo Pos Pro).
2. Open a new document, and pick the text tool.
3. Choose your text (I am using bold, Nyala, 44).  If you are in need of new or different fonts, please visit DaFont.com.  Also be sure to choose the color of your text.
4. Deselect the area.  Then use the Standard Selection tool (looks like a square made of dashed lines) to select just the area directly around the text.  If in Photo Pos Pro, you will need to click Selections, Deselect, then the selection tool. 
5. Crop the area (Photo Pos Pro'ers Selections => Crop Selection.  This will make your text simpler to work with.
6. (from this point on, if you become satisfied with the appearance of your graphic, simply merge with parent layer being sure parent layer is transparent and save as a .png image) In your Layers window, select the text layer.
7. Select Effects from the menu above or from the layer window.  Here you can use any number of effects on your text.  For this particular example, I am using Shadow, 3D, Outline, and Glow.  I highly recommend playing around with your numbers in your effects to learn what they do.  The Undo button is there to save you, but I urge you not to take too many steps ahead lest the Undo stop working on half-way through your undoing. 
8. Once you are done with the editing, merge text onto parent layer (be sure parent layer is transparent, or it will not work properly).
9. Save as .png image.  Mine is on the left. 

Should you need more information on how to create graphics such as these, please feel free to ask.  When you do so, please include the photo editor you will be using, and I will do my very best to help you out.  Photo Pos Pro is highly recommended at least as a reference, and is free.  More in depth tutorials on the methods used here will be posted in the future.

Create Your Own Navigation