[CALUG] gimp : layers and text boxes

[Bonnie Dalzell]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2011, Walt Smith wrote:

>
>
> --- On Wed, 3/16/11, Bernard Karmilowicz <karmilow at intencorp.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Bernard Karmilowicz <karmilow at intencorp.com>
>> Subject: Re: [CALUG] gimp : layers and text boxes
>> To: "Smith, Walt" <waltechmail at yahoo.com>
>> Cc: "CALUG newsgroup" <calug at unknownlamer.org>
>> Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 7:29 PM
>> Hi Walt:
>>
>>> I have simple line drawing in a layer called
>> background. I have many names entered using text
>>
>>> Should they remain in separate layers?
>>

if you create a layer for the textbox objects and set up the first one 
with the font. color etc that you want. Then for the other object you 
do a copy of an existing object and a paste - you now have a new text 
box object with the same attributes. it will probably be pasted right on 
top of the old one so you can move it with the arrow keys or with the 
mouse. you can then edit the text in that object. it will be in the same 
layer as the previous textbox object. this is very similar to the way 
desk top publishing programs work.

if you save in gimp's internal format the objects will remain objects

Personally I use a commercial Desk Top Publishing program called 
PageStream which I originally learned to use on the Amiga (which has a 
linux version) for complicated editing tasks in which there are a lot of 
text objects overlain on an image.

It may be that you would want to look at a desk top publishing 
application rather than an image manipulation program if you have 
enougth text objects.

With a DTP program you do not have the problem of accidentally merging the 
objects into a bit map with the picture. Open Office word processor is 
actually more of a DTP program than it is just a text editor.



>> That depends on what your intent is for the names. For
>> example, whether to display them all or in subsets
>> simultaneously, or whether to apply
>> scaling/stretching/rotation unequally to each name. If the
>> list of names is always handled as a single complete list,
>> then a single text layer for the list will make the names
>> easier to manage.
>>
>
> yes, (catchall answer)..
> <g>
> I want everything displayed.  I see there is an "eye" in the "layer"
> gimp window to select what is displayed.  All will be.
>
> I want each text object (each is now a layer ) to have the same
> attributes ( font ) and same size and rescale rates, except I'd
> like to edit the text in each object
> occasionally, and perhaps resize or move the text object.
>
> ( "rescale rate" meaning if I shrink or shift the entire bitmap).
>
> I do not want to merge the text into the background layer( bit draws
> of lines ), as it would not be easy to edit the text.   Think of the
> whole bmp as a tree; lines and text.
> I suppose I neglected to mention the context of the lines and text.
>
> I see there is "merge layer" and "merge down" and "flatten".
> Don't quite know what they really mean.  I tried merge layers one time
> and it appeared as though all the text became just bits on the canvas,
> but still separate as a layer from background.
>
> I guess I'll have to do a  little trial and error, but right
> now it's no skin off my teeth if I have 20 names and 20 text objects.
>
>
> thx,
>
> Walt .. . . .
>
>
>
>
>> - Bernie
>>
>
>
>
>
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        Bonnie Dalzell, MA
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