The smart way to write and save captions

<back to menu

This information is for members preparing image files for the Port Now! exhibition.

You'll notice in the Photoshop File info... dialogue panel that the fields for the captions show only 3-4 lines at a time. This is inconvenient to use when the caption is long. It's much easier to create your caption in a text editing program (like Notepad) and then to copy-and-paste it from Notepad into the relevant Photoshop File Info... field. If you write your caption in Notepad, you can see it all at once and it's easier to edit and check before pasting it into your Photoshop file.

Using Word? If you're more comfortable using MS Word, or some other word processor, to write, spellcheck and word count your captions, feel free to do so. But use the cut-and-paste guidelines below to copy and paste your captions from Word into the Photoshop File Info... dialogue panel.

Here's how. In the example below, Notepad has been used to enter the instructions for this step...

Click the links below to see example text for long (Exhibition booklet) and short (Gallery card) captions, and follow the instructions below the links.

Example exhibition booklet caption

Example gallery card caption

1. Click one of the links above and then Copy and paste the text that appears into a new Notepad file on your computer, like the example below.
   
    
2. Make sure 'Word wrap' is on.
   
    
3. Resize the Notepad window so it just contains the caption plus a blank line at the end. You now have a Notepad window of the required size for the type of caption you're writing.
   
    
4. Delete all the example text - Ctrl-A and press [Delete] - and write your own caption.
   Important: Allow the Notepad program to put line breaks in. Don't press [Enter] at the end of every line. Only press [Enter] - and press it twice - when you want to start a new paragraph. If you put unnecessary line breaks in a caption it will display with random breaks when the booklet or gallery card is produced, creating more work for the producers.
    
5. VERY IMPORTANT When your caption is complete, turn 'Word wrap' off before doing the next step.
   
   If you don't turn Word wrap off, line breaks will appear in the wrong places when you copy your caption into the Photoshop field.
    
6. Copy and paste your caption into the relevant field in the Photoshop File info dialogue panel.
   
   The quick way to copy is Ctrl-A to select all of the text, then Ctrl-C to copy the text to clipboard, then Ctrl-V to paste the text into the File info... field.

Too easy!

To create a caption of the same type (short or long) for another of your images...

Delete all the text in the Notepad window - Ctrl-A then Ctrl-X - and create you next caption using the same process, and paste that caption into your next Photoshop file.

SUGGESTION FOR SMART PLAYERS: Have two Notepad windows open at the same time: one for your short (Gallery card) captions and one for your long (Booklet) captions.

Here's a fully illustrated example

<back to menu