GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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Uhm... help?

My text-along-path tool is misbehaving. Some of the letters develop strange deformities when they move to the path! I attach a screenshot - see how the "M" has an extra thick shoulder, the first "T" is missing an arm, and the last letters have small bits missing?

If anyone can figure out what I am doing wrong and how to avoid it, I would be very grateful!

Validate the font with FontForge or Microsoft Font Validator.
Also, 3.3. Font Problems

Thanks both! I'm not sure about "consistently", since I did manage to get ONE bit of text that looked ok. Also, it's inconsistent in the sense that changing font size or letter spacing gets me new and exciting artifacts every time. I tried out a new font just now and got a particularly wonky one that I thought I would share. In other words, I have no problem recreating the effect! I updated my GIMP to the newest stable version, by the way, when I begun getting this problem.

Odinbc, I am sure the font validation tools you link would be a good way to screen the fonts in gimp for errors and then try to find one that works with paths. I am a bit challenged on several levels though: I am a font ignorant. Trying to pick one that would look good on a t-shirt design based on some simple criteria. Simple, sans serif, not too blocky. But since I know nothing about fonts, I have been scrolling through GIMPs list and trying them out one-by-one. Finding a bunch of possible ones, figuring out how to validate them, understanding the results of the validation, finding one that works and then returning to the t-shirt-design-process seems overwhelming. Maybe I will try to find another program to do the text bit instead...

If you are unsure about validating fonts stick with Windows core fonts or have a look at Google fonts, (a good place to find quality free fonts).
BTW, attach your original font choice here so we can validate it and then we will know if it's a font or Gimp issue.

This could be a problem with the path, like barely visible loops. Is the path made with only two control points?

I think ofnuts has it: It probably was a problem with the path. Embarassing to admit, but I never learned to use the path tool properly, so I drew a curve, selected it and converted it to a path.

Meanwhile, I gave Inkscape a try, since I thought it might work more easily with vector graphics. In inkscape, I found out, any shape can work as a path, and text can be moved and re-shaped along with the shape it aligns to. I really appreciate your help, sorry I took a short cut. If you want to rule out issues with the font I could try to attach the file like Odinbc suggests, but they were all part of the native font package included with my Gimp download - Franklin Gothic Medium and Malgun Gothic Bold.

I am pretty sure ofnuts is right. So, lesson learned: Master the correct way to make paths before using align text to path. I apologise for taking the short cut to solve this, but I really did learn from your replies.

Hi... FYI, I'm still getting this in 2.8.22 on Mac... Please see attached... not sure what to do.

Thank you.
Paras.

Best guess, without seeing the whole story.

A composite screenshot.



1. You made some text
2. For some reason the layer has been cropped, maybe autocrop, maybe manually, leaving no room around the characters.
3. Probably duplicated the layer, and applied the outline which runs out of space at the layer boundary.

Solution, make the layer larger before adding the white outline.