This semester in Desktop Publishing, we learned how to use Adobe Creative Cloud to localize audio and visual contents, including pictures and videos.

For my final project, I chose to localize the title logo of the TV show Game of Thrones into simplified Chinese using Photoshop.

Image Source

Localization Process

Use content aware

The easiest and most efficient way to remove the original text without compromising the visual effect is to use content aware. This is also my favorite feature in Photoshop. It’s very good at recognizing boundaries.

First, I used the rectangular marquee tool to select the original text area. Then I went to Edit>Fill>Content Aware to apply the content-aware fill, and it worked without a hitch. I was able to remove the original text without damaging the background.

Create a text layer

Before I removed the original text, I used the eyedropper to get the original text color. Then, I created a text layer and typed in the Chinese translation “权力的游戏”. Originally, I chose the font FZYaoTi, set kerning to 200 and font size to 150 pt, and applied the original text color to the Chinese characters with the paint bucket tool.

Apply glowing effect

As you can see in the source image, the original text has a kind of glowing effect. Although I can’t completely replicate that effect, I can make the Chinese text glow. I went to Layer>Layer Style>Blending Options and chose Outer Glow.

Font diving

However, I’m not happy with the font, so I went to search for another font online. I found a kind of gothic font called “LILINgete” which has a unique artistic design. I downloaded and installed this font, and then applied it to the Chinese characters.

Also, I changed kerning to 400 so that the first Chinese character would fall in to the box in the background like the original.

Recreating text effect

As you can see in the source image, there are 3 bars inside each of the 2 Os and the stroke on T is also extended. So I started to recreate the bars and stroke. I used the rectangle tool to draw the bars and stroke. I perfected it until I was happy with it. This is what my final version looks like.

Problems Encountered

When I was using the paint bucket tool to apply the color of the original text to the Chinese characters, there was an error message saying that “This type layer must be rasterized before proceeding. Its text will no longer be editable. Rasterize the type?”. It reminded me that I should do this after I edit the text in the future. This step was also necessary to draw the bars and stroke because I couldn’t draw on a text layer.

Also during this process, the paint bucket tool couldn’t recognize where to apply the text color, so I used the magic wand tool to paint the outline of the Chinese characters. After that, it was able to recognize most of the characters, but there was still some tiny bits I couldn’t get, so I zoomed in a little more and got them all.

Another problem I encountered was that the Chinese text was a little pixelated after applying the original text color, especially when you zoom in. So I went to Type>Anti-Alias and selected smooth. It softened the pixellation a little bit, but it’s still a little pixelated. I think it’s related to the font because it has some sharp edges.

Conclusion

Doing this project has made me realize that desktop publishing is an art. There are so many skills involved and so many things to consider. You have to be both technically and artistically intelligent and also try your best to recreate the original effects on the localized version.