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Making Patterned Text

In a review of Cerilica's Insignia program, Chris Williams talks about filling text with an arbitrary pattern or texture:

There's normally a lot of hassle involved in doing this in other art packages as you generally have to mess about with masks

(Acorn User, Feb 2002, p30)

Not in Photodesk.

• Load your pattern image, and ensure it's in RGB format (Channels>Change image mode>RGB). I emphasise this because a lot of textures are in indexed form, as BMPs or GIFs, and Photodesk needs both images to be in the same format when cloning
• Create a blank canvas, and open the Special effects:Cloning window. If you're using a seamless texture ensure Wrap around source is selected
• Click on Sample and click anywhere in your pattern image
• Open Drawing tools:Text, choose your font and type your text in...
• ... and just place the text in your blank canvas. It will be filled with the pattern, as above

Notes

• This illustrates a very powerful feature of Photodesk, one not available in Photoshop. Cloning is an effect, not a tool, so it can be used with all the tools available: airbrush, paintbrush, the drawing tools, and - very usefully - the magic wand. It can also be used in conjunction with gradients and textures, of course.