GIMPy text

[pheloniusfriar]

How to draw text around a circle in GIMP, and 101 other reasons I hate my life.

1. Image->Guides->New Guide (by Percent). Place horizontal and vertical guides at 50%.
2. Make sure View->Snap to Guides is selected.
3. Using the Ellipse Select Tool:
1. Left click on centre of guides and hold.
2. Move mouse to show ellipse.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift to use guides as centre and make it a circle.
4. Position circle edge to middle of where text needs to go.
5. Release left mouse button.
4. Select->To Path to create a path.
5. Select->None to remove selection (path will remain in Paths tab of layers list).
6. Go to Paths list tab of Layers list and turn on visibility of newly created path (it will show as a red circle).
7. Using the Text Tool:
1. Select the Font, Size, Color [sic], and spacing desired.
2. Type in desired text (a bit away from the path is best).
8. Go to Layer list:
1. Select the layer for the text just created.
2. Right click and choose “Text along Path” to wrap it around circle.
• If it is backwards: Edit->Undo Add Path (or Ctrl-Z). To fix direction:
• Select the Flip Tool (it's in the same tool group as the Rotate Tool and other transform tools).
• Click on the Transform: Paths button in the tool configuration.
• Go to the Paths lists and select the path for the circle.
• Click on the circle path in the image to flip its direction.
• Try Step 10 again... the text should go the other way around.
9. Create a new layer and make sure it is selected.
10. Go to Paths list, right click on new text path, choose “Path to Selection”.
11. Choose desired foreground colour, Edit->Fill with FG Color.
• The visibility of the original text layer and path for the text can be turned off.
• Selecting Select->None will clean things up visually at this stage as well.
• Alternately, you can just delete the original text layer and path.
12. Make sure new layer with text is selected:
1. Do Select->None (if not already done) to allow whole layer to be rotated.
2. Use Rotate Tool to move text to final position (make sure the Transform: layer button is selected in tool configuration).
• Grab layer anywhere with left mouse button and move mouse to rotate.
3. Press Enter to exit the Rotate Tool mode.
13. Select the layer just rotated from the Layers list, right click, select “Layer to Image Size”
14. Repeat from Step 7 for any additional text.

A video by the most excellent Nick is here (he really explains the details, which I love):

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[arlie]

Good to see you posting.

[pheloniusfriar]

Hi, yeah, life kind of imploded on me last November and it has been a slow and difficult time to get things back together again to the point where I was able to do stuff again. I hope you're doing okay, and a belated Happy Birthday!