FontSlab Tabbed Guide Part 5: Repeats & Reversals and Applying Colour

[Skinnyhouse]

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This is the last set of options.

The pdf version of the guide:

Tabbed_FontSlab_Guide_Part_5_Repeats.pdf

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There is also a zipped Resources folder to accompany this guide which includes:

Copasetic_GoldStrap_letters_only custom font file
spirangle path path file
top oval path path file
bottom oval path path file

Resources-Repeats.zip

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Unpack the resources folder and save it to your preferred location. The path files should be imported to the images (I used a new image size of 1000x800) you create for this project.

Fire up the Gimp and add a bowed path to your image either by using the path tool or by importing the relevant path file from the path tool dock.

Repeated text

This option simply repeats the available text as many times as it can along the current path.

Call up the FontSlab dialog:

Filters>>Custom Font Tools>>FontSlab v0.14-tab

Enter your text (with a trailing space character).

Choose the custom font that you want to use.

Set the Font size value (110)

Set the ‘Repeat text’ option to ‘Yes’.

If you are using the spirangle path from the resources folder, set the ‘Text size step’ option to a small value.

[Skinnyhouse]

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The repeated text option works with most of the other options so feel free to try different variations along the path.

My example below uses a gradual increasing text size step with a rotating jitter amount of 90.

Slide_2_tab_Repeats.jpg (287.69 KiB) Viewed 2165 times

Reversed Characters

This option was created for one specific purpose; to draw letters as they would look from behind, as if they were placed on the far side of a circle. If you need to do this you will find the option useful.

My example deals with the text ‘STONES’ placed on the far side of a circle (viewed as an oval). Add a suitable path to your image (or use the top oval path from the Resources supplied).

Open FontSlab

Enter the text.

Set the font size value of 180.

Set the ‘As Reversed Writing’ option to ‘Yes’.

Set the ‘Adjust spacing’ value to 85 in order to pad the characters out along the path.

Press ‘OK’.

Slide_3_tab_Repeats.jpg (275.55 KiB) Viewed 2165 times

[Skinnyhouse]

To complete the illusion we need to add the text on the near side of the circle.

Slide_4_tab_Repeats.jpg (328.75 KiB) Viewed 2165 times

Applying Colour:

Custom fonts are all about colour and texture, so it might seem strange to want to apply colour to the characters along a path. The colour can be applied by either shading i.e. sampling colours from the current foreground and background colours or by taking colours from the currently selected dialog gradient. (Obviously if you want to just apply one colour set both background and foreground to the same shade.)

The effect of the colour change is determined by the nature of the existing custom font and the mode used to apply the colour. One useful technique is to fade the custom font into the background colour.

The example below uses custom fonts in shades of grey created with the Embossible filter.

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