GIMP/Text Tool

The Basics

Default text settings.

Shortcut: T

The text tool is used for creating and editing text layers. On the right side you can see default settings for text tool. Here's short ( and then long ) description about everything there:

• Font - select the font you want to use
• Size - set the size (height) of the font
• Hinting - modifies the characters to produce clear letters in small font sizes
• Force auto-hinter - tries to automatically compute information for better representation of the character font
• Antialiasing - renders the text smoother
• Colour - the colour of the text
• Justify - set the justification of the text
• Indent - controls the indent spacing from left margin
• Line spacing - controls the spacing between the lines of text
• Character spacing - controls the spacing between the characters
• Text along Path - puts the text along path
• Path from Text - creates selection path from selected text

Font

There's only one way to select a font in the GIMP -- by using the font selector in this tool

Size

To set the size of the font just enter a value in the box, or use the arrows. You can choose from a few units, by default in pixels, size of 18.

Hinting

Using the indices of adjustment, modifies the characters, to make them look clear in small sizes.

Auto-hinter

Auto-hinter, tries to automatically compute information to make a better representation of the character font.

Antialiasing

See Antialiasing for more information

Renders the text with smoother edges and curves. This option can improve the visual appearance of the rendered text.

Colour

Colour of the text, default is black. The colour of the text when writing, won't change instantly. You need to rewrite the text in that colour, or select the text and change it then.

Justify

Justifies the text according to the selected option. The options are:

• Left justified
• Right justified
• Centered
• Filled

Indent

Controls the actual spacing from left margin. By default set to 0.0

Line spacing

Spacing between lines. By default set to 0.0, although the spacing is not in fact 0 pixels then. The value can go under 0.

Character spacing

Spacing between characters. By default set to 0.0, behaves the same as line spacing settings.

Text along Path

You need to create a path first. The path becomes visible when using this option. The text is bent along the path, representing letters with their outline. Each of them is a component of the new path. All path options should apply to this path.

Path from Text

Creates selection, using the text. Every letter is surrounded with paths, so you can modify the shape of it, by moving the nodes.

Text editor

Text editor window.

This dialogue is opened when you click with the text tool on the image window. The text you enter directly appears on the image. If the option "Show Layer Boundary" is checked in the view menu, the layer will be surrounded with black and yellow dashes. You can easily move the text with the Move tool, but you need to click on the text - it's not selected. As soon as you start writing, the layer appears in the layer dialogue. After that you can easily resume the text, if you are still editing the image, or if it is an .xcf file. To add more text to the image, click on a non-text layer, and a new text editor appears.

So there are these five options there:

• Open - loads the text from a file
• Clear - clears the text area
• LTR - the text will be entered from left to right
• RTL - the text will be entered from right to left
• Use selected font - whether it will use the font from options dialogue

Open

Using this option, you can directly load the text from a file.

Clear

Clicking this icon, will cause erasing all text from the text area.

LTR and RTL

LTR - the text will be entered from left to right, as with most Western and Eastern languages
RTL - the text will be entered from right to left, as with all Arabic and some Eastern languages

Use selected font

By default the font from the options dialogue is not used. Check this option if you want to use it.