There already is a GIMP tutorial for this but I can never get it to look good. Half of the time I can see it, the other half it looks like it's lying on top. So I translated a Photoshop tutorial. For now just text, but I think it's clear.

Links to the existing GIMP tut:
http://gimp101.co.cc/?p=82
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsBWCN3u1xA
Link to translated PS tut:
http://creativenerds.co.uk/tutorials/qu ... xt-effect/







Here's the result of the translated tut.



LETS START!

Open a new image with size 800x600.
Fill with color b3b3b3.

Use a bold font with lots of straight lines. It works better on these kind of fonts. Use a darker grey color.

You need the layer effects script. Most people here have it. Otherwise you can find it here http://registry.gimp.org/node/186

Make sure you're on your text layer and Go to Script-Fu -> Layer effects -> Drop shadow.
Use the following setting:
color white
opacity 41
size 1
offset angle 120
offset distance 1

Leave the rest at default and press OK.

Go to your white drop shadow layer.
Right click on it and click Alpha to selection.
Go to Select -> Shrink -> set it to 1 -> OK
Go to Select -> Invert
Go to Edit -> Clear
Select -> None

Go back to your text layer.
Go to Script-Fu -> Layer effects -> Inner Shadow.
Use these settings:
opacity: 52%,
blend mode on multiply
size 6
offset angle 120
offset distance 2

Leave the rest at default and press OK.

Go back to your text layer.
Lock the transparency. It's right under Opacity in your layer dialog.

Set your foreground color to 969696 and background color to 4d4d4d.

Go to your Blend tool.

Make sure the gradient is set to FG to BG, the Shape to linear and Repeat to None.
Now stroke from the top of the text to the bottom of the text.

Crop the image to the size you want and you're done.

One more link to the tutorial Letterpress effect in GIMP http://sotak.co.uk/blog/letterpress-effect-in-gimp
Inspired by: http://sixrevisions.com/tutorials/photo ... photoshop/

That one looks good too!

Nice outcome -
I use this one a lot too which seems to work better with scripting fonts.

My brain doesn't want to see that one. Well at first it did, but not any more. It looks like bevel and emboss to me.

Looks like gimp 2.2. You'd think they'd uncheck allow resizing by default by now. Have you ever seen a tutorial when drop shadow was used and people did NOT say, uncheck allow resizing?

Don't be too quick to dismiss it. If you make a drop shadow within an image that doesn't have enough canvas to support the drop shadow, you get ugly cutoffs of the drop shadow if you do not allow resizing.

I allow resizing most of the time, and I would not like to see the feature changed to do not resize as default.



Here is a case where I did not allow resizing because I didn't want it on the outside of the frame. When I merged all visible layers, I checked clipped to image and that removed the resizing of the layer of the dropshadow.

Don't allow gives me this result.




Allowing gives me this result. I made a screenshot because you can't see transparency on the forum.


Drop shadow both set to the same values.
If you're working on an image that has to be a particular size it can create a PITA if you notice too late that you forgot to uncheck allow resizing. I never allow it, especially not if I'm working on edges of the image.

Just tried it with a huge drop shadow and then it does indeed do what you show. Looking at my examples above it seems to resize a bit to soon maybe...

edit, I always make sure to leave some room for the drop shadow though, so maybe that's why I've never had troubles with it.

I don't have the DropShadow script, but I do have FX-Foundry/Layer Effects/Inner Shadow and after following your explanation until the moment before I call a script I used the one I have (I took a wild guess/hope) and here is the result:



Looks good to me
Thanks.

@Rod.....

WOW !
fantastic tutorial here, I love these types, they are so helpful....thanks

Drop shadow is under filters -> light and shadow.

That's a good idea. Some are not aware of that.

Yes, if your image is resized and you don't want it to be, it is a bother. But if your image IS resized, that's a sign that the dropshadow can be cut off on some edges.

ah, I found that one....he had his under script-fu
thanks
too many flippin' scripts all over the place. very messy!

There's something to be said for both I guess. To be honest, because I never had a problem with it I thought that it was caculated differently so there wouldn't be a cut off when you unchecked allow resizing.

cecelia,
Rod posted an old tutorial that was made for gimp 2.2. Back then the same script was in a different place. Back then GIMP's menus weren't neatly ordered like they are now, in fact they were even messier then Photoshop's menus and that's saying something.

I had to try your written tutorial, Jolie. I happened to have the dressmaking font already selected when I typed Gimp Chat in the text entry box and thought it would be interesting so I kept the font. I like the tutorial and there is some good learning in your tutorial.

I figured it seemed like an older tutorial....still, quite informative.

and one reason my menu is overflowing with scripts is because I sometimes grab some like a starving child figuring I will play with it later.....the mess is mostly mine to be honest

anyway, looking around I noticed I had access to scripts right from the layers window - after making the text I could right click on that text layer and get at the bottom of the menu Layer Effects/Inner Shadow

made by JonStipe
I like this one because it has a preview and if I pump up some of the numbers I can get some really nice shadowing




ps, I'm not trying to make disparaging insinuations with those two letters - I just typed them out that way

I don't like that python script. The previews messes up the undo of GIMP. At least for me. I can undo anything after I've used it.

I use the script-fu version instead. That's actually the one used in this tut.

O, A dressmaking font? Cool.

Did you do the step where you you you shrink the white drop shadow layer with 1 pixel? Could be me I'm terrible in seeing what I'm supposed to see with this letterpress effect. The white edges seem a bit thick?

edit, I see it now. Looks like a stencil for dressmaking shapes.

Yes, I did the shrink white dshadow.

Actually the font is named Sewing Patterns. You can get it at daFont here.

I should probably update that tutorial with Gimps new menus.
Sorry if it confused you guys.
Still some very nice results with the inner shadow script cecilia!
Care to share your dialog settings?

I left most of the default values. the trick is to turn on the preview and monkey with the Distance and Size.....it depends on your font. and i'm no expert. this is the first time I really am using this function.

In case anyone is interested, the shadowy script does this pretty well.

http://www.aljacom.com/~gimp/script_fu.html (scroll down a bit on the page)

Just uncheck the gradients and use colors instead.