When designing scrapbook pages, titles often play a big role in the visual story. While the photos are the real stars, a well-crafted title can almost steal the show. One fun and eye-catching way to treat your titles is by using a cutout effect—a technique that gives the illusion that the title has been cut through the top layer, revealing what’s underneath.
Let’s explore how to create this effect in PaintShop Pro, and then how to take it even further with a flexible variation that gives you more control.
The Traditional Cutout Effect
To get started, you’ll use your text as a selection that punches through the top layer. Begin by activating the Text tool and making sure the mode is set to Create as Selection.
Then type your word—don’t worry about the color at this point; it won’t matter.
As soon as you apply or accept the text, depending on your version of PSP, it will instantly become a selection.
The color will disappear, and you’ll be left with a marching ants outline. If you want to position this selection somewhere else, activate the Move tool and hover over your selection until your cursor turns into a four-arrow icon. Then right-click and drag the selection into place.
Want to change the size of the selection? No problem. Look for the Edit Selection icon near the top of the Layers palette, or use the menu path Selections > Edit Selection.
Your selection will turn pink, allowing you to resize or adjust it using the Pick tool—just like you would with a regular raster object. When you're done, toggle off the mode to return to the regular selection view, with a selection.
Next, make sure you're on the layer you want to cut from, then simply hit the Delete key. Voilà! The area within your selection is now gone, and whatever is below that layer will show through the opening.
Once you’re satisfied, deselect to get rid of the marching ants.
To really sell the 3D look of a cutout, you’ll want to add a drop shadow—but not to the cutout itself. Instead, add the shadow to the top layer (the one with the hole). This creates a sense of depth, like the layer is lifted off the background.
Your end result should look like a paper with the title neatly carved out, and the background peeking through, separated just enough to give it realistic dimension.
A More Flexible Variation
As effective as the traditional cutout is, it has one limitation: once the area is deleted, you can’t move the cutout around. But with a little trickery, you can recreate the exact same visual effect—without ever cutting anything out.
Start the same way: use the Text tool to create your selection. This time, though, go to the bottom layer (or whichever one you want to appear through the cutout) and right-click > Promote Selection to Layer.
You’ll now have a new layer containing just the area within the selection.
Drag this newly promoted selection above the top layer.
From a viewer’s perspective, it will look exactly as if the top layer has a cutout, even though it hasn’t been touched!
But what about the shadow? If you add a drop shadow directly to the promoted layer, the shadow will appear outside the letters, which ruins the illusion. Here’s how to fix it: while your selection is still active, press Ctrl + Shift + I to invert it.
Now apply the same shadow as before. Since the selection is inverted, the shadow will fall inside the edges of the cutout area—just like a real hole. At first glance, nothing would change, but if you look in the Layers palette, you will see that this new shadow layer appears below your promoted selection layer. Simply move it above your photo, and it will show up. Even better, that shadow will be linked to the cutout. This means, you can move this cutout anywhere on your page. That is the advantage of this little "cheat".
Deselect once you’re done. For even more flexibility, merge that "shadow" to the cutout, and now you have a faux cutout that can be moved, rotated, resized, or reused however you like. Want the cutout to reveal part of a photo? Just promote a section of the photo instead of a paper layer. This flexible technique opens up a world of creative possibilities.
You can now dress up your scrapbook pages with cutout titles that feel dimensional and custom-crafted. Whether you go with the traditional method or the more flexible workaround, both will add charm and polish to your digital projects.
Ready to try it out? You’ll find this effect and more creative tricks inside the full Master Class called Title Work. This is only one of the 100+ classes available inside our DIAMOND membership.
