How to Make Pop Out Text Using GIMP

Last Updated: September 5, 2019

Gimp can do a lot of really cool things. It's considered by many to be the poor man's Photoshop. Here is how to make the text pop out of your background using Gimp.

Steps

1
Start out by creating a new project or image in Gimp. A good size is 640 X 400.
2
Fill it with a texture. Do this by:
1. Click on the paint bucket icon.
2. Select Fill Type >> Pattern Fill and select the pattern that you want. This one is using maple leaves. The original tutorial used bricks. Use whatever appeals to you.
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3
Click on the Text tool (the big A). Select the appropriate size for your text. Because wikiHow is a 'longish' word, 103 was used for the size and the chosen font is Sans Bold.
4
After entering in the text, click on the Move tool and move the text where you want it.
5
Right click on the text layer in the layer toolbar and select Alpha to Selection.
6
Fill the selection with the background layer. To do this:
1. Click on the background layer and press CTRL C (copy).
2. Click in the text selection and press CTRL V (paste).
7
Anchor the floating text to the text layer. Do this by clicking on the anchor in the layer toolbar.
8
Add a new transparent layer. Click on the add layer button and make sure Transparency is selected.
9
Right click on the text layer and then select Alpha to Selection.
10
Left click on the transparent layer, go to Select >> Grow... For this image, it was 'grown' by 6 pixels. That will depend on the basic size of your text. Larger text would need a larger number of 'growth'.
11
Fill the text that you just 'grew' with black. Be sure that FG color fill is selected. Your texture fill is probably what is still selected at this point.
12
Select the entire layer by going to Select >> All. Alternatively, you can use CTRL A.
13
Go to Filters >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur... Set it to a blur of about 20. Depending on the size of your text, this may vary.
14
Move your text layer on top of the blurred layer you just created.
1. Select the text layer, (not the blurred one).
2. Click on the Up arrow in the layer toolbar and it will move on top of the blurred layer.
15
Right click on the top layer (the text layer), and select Alpha to Selection (yes, again).
16
Go to Filters >> Decor >> Bevel... Set the thickness of the bevel to 5 and be sure that the two boxes are not checked.
17
Move the text. To give it the raised look, your text will need to be moved a very small amount. Raise it up and to the left just a bit. To do this:
1. Click on the Move tool.
2. Move the text up and to the left slightly.
18
Save your work in the Gimp native format.
19
Deselect your text.
20
Merge/flatten all of the layers.

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