How Tracking Works in Adobe Photoshop

Tracking in Adobe Photoshop is a typographic feature used to adjust the horizontal spacing uniformly across a selected range of characters, full words, or entire paragraphs. This guide explains how tracking functions within the application, how it alters text layout compared to kerning, and the exact steps required to apply both positive and negative tracking values to improve visual hierarchy and readability in your graphic design projects.

Understanding Tracking vs. Kerning

To use tracking effectively, it is essential to distinguish it from kerning:

  • Tracking applies a consistent, equal amount of space across every character in a selected sequence or across an entire text block.
  • Kerning adjusts the specific spacing between two individual, adjacent letters to correct optical irregularities (such as the gap between an uppercase "A" and "V").

Tracking is measured in units of 1/1000 em, a unit of measurement that scales relative to the current font size. A tracking value of 100 in a 10-point font adds space proportionally identical to a tracking value of 100 in a 60-point font.

How Tracking Modifies Spacing

When you modify tracking values in Photoshop, the software alters character spacing in the following ways:

  • Positive Tracking Values: Entering a positive number (such as +50, +100, or +200) expands the space between all highlighted characters. This creates an open, airy typographic style. It is commonly applied to uppercase headlines, captions, and widely spaced display text to enhance aesthetic balance.
  • Negative Tracking Values: Entering a negative number (such as -25, -50, or -100) contracts the space between characters, pulling them closer together. This is primarily used to fit headlines onto a single line, tighten loose display fonts, or reduce excess space in large titles. Over-tightening can cause glyphs to touch or overlap, negatively impacting legibility.
  • Zero (Default): A value of 0 applies the type designer’s default built-in spacing for that specific font.

How to Adjust Tracking in Photoshop

You can adjust tracking across specific words or entire text layers using the Character panel:

  1. Select the Text: Choose the Horizontal Type Tool (T) from the toolbar. Click and drag to highlight the specific words or lines you want to modify. Alternatively, select the entire text layer in the Layers panel to apply tracking globally across that layer.
  2. Open the Character Panel: Go to the top menu and select Window > Character if the panel is not already visible.
  3. Locate the Tracking Control: Find the tracking option, represented by a "V/A" icon positioned over a horizontal double-ended arrow with vertical markers.
  4. Set the Value: Choose a preset value from the dropdown menu, click directly in the field to enter a custom numerical value, or hover your cursor over the icon and scrub left or right to increase or decrease the spacing dynamically.

Best Practices for Applying Tracking

  • Uppercase Text: All-caps text often benefits from increased positive tracking (between +50 and +150) to offset the heavier visual weight of capital letters and improve readability.
  • Body Copy: Long passages of paragraph text should typically remain at the default value of 0, or be adjusted very conservatively (between -10 and +10). Excessive tracking in body text interrupts the natural rhythm of reading.
  • Small Font Sizes: Smaller text sizes (below 10 points) often require slight positive tracking to keep letterforms distinct and clear on low-resolution screens or in print.