When filling your titles with photos, the cut outs in letters (i.e. a, b, d, o, and p) may prove to be an obstacle when you are trying to position your photo. These simple steps will show you how to eliminate the cutout, but keep the detail of the letter. Objective: Create live photo holders that resemble letters and use the shape editing tools to remove the cut out increasing the visibility of your photo.

Video Notes:

You can use live text, a Text Shape or word art to do this technique. Chunky text is recommended. A Text Shape is used in this video and the instructions are written for a text shape. After the first step, all steps are mostly the same no matter what type of text you started with.

Add text to your page, resize and position on your page.
- Remove the Stroke.
- Click Create.
- Fill text as desired with paper, color or a gradient.
With the text selected, go to Cut Ribbon> Shapes, use the rectangle cutter to select a letter with a cut out, "Keep the selected area" and Copy.
- With the copied letter selected, go to Insert Ribbon> Outliner.
- Right click the Outliner shape> Shape> Edit shape.
  - Click on the cut out.
  - Remove this figure.
  - Click OK.
  - Right click> Fill> Convert to photo drop point.
  - Fill with photo.
- Repeat these steps for any additional letters.
Delete all copied letters (not the live photo holders or the original text).
Select the original Text Shape and the photo holder letters and use the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) to give the selected elements a uniform stroke.
- Do not add a stroke to your original text if it was not a Text shape.
Optional: Apply Shadow to the original text
Select original text and alpha photo holders, Right click> Grouping> Group

Pixie Power Minute Video: Photo-Filled Cut Out