2 Questions that I keep having problems with!

[alysmom]

I have a couple questions that have been driving me nuts!
I am using PS CS3

1) I am trying to write text. I use the text tool and draw a box, then I start to write. The first line is fine, then when I push Enter to start a new line the cursor goes to the bottom of the box, which is not where the next line should be. How do I fix that so it will go to the next line and not the bottom of the bounding box?

2) I drag a picture. Then create a new layer and make it a mat for the picture with the bounding box and the paint bucket to make it the right color. Then later I decide I want to change that mat color but I can't. I click the paint bucket, I'm on the right layer and it shows up in the history that I did that, but the color stays the same-the first color I made it. So I end up creating a new mat in a new layer and deleting the old layer because I can't change the color. What am I doing wrong that I can't change the color of that layer?

Thanks for any help. I seem to have these problems on almost every page I do.

[Abby]

I'm almost sure your typing problem is a 'leading' problem - also if you draw a text box, you don't need to click enter at the end of your line, you just keep typing and it'll bop down a line when it reaches the end of the space. If there is still a huge gap, go to your 'character palatte' and change the values of the leading so your lines are closer together. If that doesn't work - shout again and someone will help
The only thing I can think of with your flood fill problem is that perhaps you've changed your paintbucket to the gradient tool somehow, in between uses ?? Makes no sense to me - you can always use 'hue and saturation' to change the colour of your mat too ... shout if these don't work for you

[alysmom]

You were right with the first problem. The character palatte was the key to fixing this. I'm still working on the second. Thanks!

[Emma]

is your mat still a solid color? If not, then the bucket will only fill some of thepixels, whichever match the single pixel you clicked on. If it is still a solid color, perhaps the MODE box in the options bar was changed to Behind or somethign like that. When you have a tool problem, check the Options Bar first, and if nothing pops up there, then click open teh tool icon in the Options Bar (top left) and open the preset menu (little arrow in a circle) and click Reset Tool. Then try again. If that fixes it, then it was in fact a tool option you had changed. Familiarizing yourself with the options up there at the top will reall help troubleshooting too w/o having to reset all the time.

let us know if that helped!

[alysmom]

You're right it was the mode that was the problem. I do need to become more familiar with those options to trouble shoot better, as well as to just improve my skills in general.

Thanks for the help!

[Emma]

glad that was it! Don't be afraid to poke around up there and play with things, that's how you familiarize yourself with the options. You can always reset that tool back to default if you really mess it up. You can also use Window>Tools to see the palette for the tool you're using and can reset the tool there as well.