A quickie to transform any path into a neon sign, and more generally to draw a gradient across a path: Usage:

• Define path. For text: use "stroke" fonts, and "path from text" in the text tool
  (see also my "unclose-path" plug-in)
• Define current gradient, left color as darkest color, right color as lightest
• In Paths dialog, right click on path, and select Decorate>Neon
• Plugin will create layer with neon rendering of path
• If a "Glow value is used, a second layer is generated with a blurred image

Help yourself at the usual place: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gimp-path-tools/

Enjoy.

Ofnuts, GLAD is customizing your next Wilber. Many thanks for this plug-in!

Slinky meets Neon:

That is awesome (and I didn't think of using Slinky, how clever!)

slinky + neon looks very cool

SpyroGimp + Path Created + Neon

Very Odd Looking, whatcha guys think?

My stuff looks like a strange physics experiment, yours like a strange biology experiment, there is a trend there...

I hope PC Doesn't mind that I used one of their patters

Wow add some chips and instant mother board Willy!
ofnuts what can i say - Should i just keep the rain gear on?

Nice filter.
I love to see anything to do with Paths added to Gimp.
Hrmmm perhaps a Neon Wilber?

Fixed, see neon-path-0.2 at the usual place. Thanks for reporting.

What is the name of the font that ofnuts used in the first post image ?
I have trouble getting good looking results with my fonts.

That was an engraving font (a.k.a. 'stick font'). Unfortunately Gimp dropped all support for them since. So now you have to find a slim font that looks good, and make your paths over it.

Hi Ofnuts
This is my try on a botanical stuff.

If desperate, a couple of work-arounds if hand tracing does not appeal.



1. For linux users, Inkscape (0.9x version) has a trace centerline extension (plugin) that takes a png from Gimp and produces a path. Import the resulting svg back into Gimp. screenshot http://i.imgur.com/8s2eHyj.jpg

2. An very indirect route but CAD users will know the typical 'stick' fonts in use.
This for LibreCAD. Create the text. Export as a PDF. PDF into Inkscape. Export as a .svg file. Import the .svg into gimp. screenshot http://i.imgur.com/Rbh9ggg.jpg

looking at Rashid's drawing you could do that LibreCAD very easily as single lines, then there is a export as a 'engraving' svg that from memory Gimp will open. Unfortunately not true for text hence the route via Inkscape.

You can use type1 fonts (pfm+pfb). They won't display correctly in Gimp but running "text to path" creates single line paths of the font.
Or in Inkscape path/object to path.
I have lots of type1 fonts from old software, unfortunately they need to be installed into windir/fonts, because NexusFont or FontRunner won't load them.
edit: dropping them to Gimp fonts folder seems to work too, woohoo!
Tested Euro:



Inkscape 0.91 and later includes "Hershey Text" Extension but there's only few fonts.

Alternative title

NION: Neon Isn't Only Neon

[sic]




that was all kinds of awesome. Suffering windows (for certain steam games) here I used choco (what passes for a package manager) to install inkscape.

What I actually wrote was

For linux users, Inkscape (0.9x version) has a trace centerline extension