Photoshop offers many different functionalities. But understanding how to navigate it can be difficult for a newbie. This article demonstrates a simple way to change letter spacing in Photoshop. 

To change the letter spacing in Photoshop, go to the Window menu and click Character. Next, select your text layer while using the Type tool. Click to position the type cursor between two letters, then use the Character panel’s kerning option to change the distance between them. Select the text, then change the tracking option in the Character panel to equalize the spacing between each letter in a text field.

Here’s a detailed guide on changing the letter spacing in Photoshop. 

Guide to Changing Letter Spacing                             

If you’d like to adjust the letter spacing in Photoshop, follow the steps in this section to get it right. 

The video below also covers the basics of text spacing in Photoshop. Check it out:

Step 1: The Character Panel                                                                                       

Although it’s not usually turned on by default, the Character panel is where you may make changes to your typographic design.

•  To start it, choose Character from the Window menu. Since they are frequently used together, Photoshop will open it alongside the paragraph panel. 

Because there are so many icons packed into such a small space, the Character panel may be confusing at first. You’ll get used to it with a little practice, though!

Step 2: Selecting Your Text

• Select your text layer by switching to the Type tool (or, if you haven’t done so before, by typing your text directly into the Type tool).
• If you’d like to use tracking, which gives each letter identical letter spacing, then choose your text layer. 
• Selecting a section of the text in your text layer with the Type tool text cursor and then modifying the tracking settings may also apply kerning to that area of the text.

Note: The Type tool text pointer must be positioned between the two letters you wish to kern. It just won’t work if you attempt to kern an entire text layer or just a few letters, except if you set the process to employ the automated methods: metrics, optical, or 0 kerning.

Step 3a: Applying Tracking

The procedure requires far more effort to set up than it does to use. 

• After your text is selected, you may apply a predetermined amount of tracking using the tracking dropdown option in the Character panel, or you could type in a customized value. 

You’ll realize that by modifying tracking, you can significantly reduce the overall length of your text area without compromising legibility. Even though there is only a tiny amount of extra space between each letter, the impact grows significantly over longer text sections.

Step 3b: Applying Kerning

Kerning might take a lot more time to apply, which can easily frustrate you. Although it is simple to make adjustments, it can be challenging to determine when they are perfect, especially for people who are new to the field of typography.

• Use the menu to choose a certain kerning amount while holding your Type tool text cursor between the two letters you want to change. 
• Alternatively, you may use the up and down arrow keys to change the value in increments of 10 or input a custom number using your keyboard.
• Applying metrics or optical automated kerning techniques is another option. Applying these settings doesn’t require moving the mouse between each individual letter pair; they function more like tracking. 

Both are available in the Character panel’s kerning dropdown menu, along with the choice to set the kerning to 0 for each letter pair.

Final Words

Adjusting letter spacing in Photoshop is a straightforward procedure that can greatly change the look of the design. This guide can easily take you through the whole process of adjusting letter spacing.