GIMP Version: 2.8.0
Operating System: Windows
OS Version: Windows 7 Home Premium
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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Hi.

I have a picture of some computer error/warning (for example "Windows cannot find path specified.."). I want to change that text, i.e. write some nonsense/joke and retain the same font, style and size so that it seamlessly fits into the original text's place. How can i do this? There are tons of such pictures floating around the web but i'm struggling to understand how they are made. Don't even know what keywords to use in search.

I tried to erase the text with Clone tool and then type in the text with Text tool but the result is usually very poor. Also tried to clone each letter and change their order in the text but in this case it's very difficult to align letters properly and also some letters simply do not exist in the original text so there is no way to clone them

I don't think you can do that unless you identify the original text. Now I may be wrong, but I would think you would have to have the text that you want in your font files.

OK, great. Seems that knowing the font of original text is the key. For example, i've found out that Blue Screen of Death uses the Lucida Console font. Problem solved

kiedis: i think there is a hard way and an easy way to do this type of thing. the hard way is doing what you have already tried, clearing away the original text, then typing in new text or even cloning the letters (i'd clone them on separate layers and then use guides to get them in place, that might work) - but all of that means heaps of work! the easy way is to find image generators that someone has put online for constructing this type of joke messages or greetings in. like this, for windows error messages: error message generator
or this for windows crash screens:
windows blue screen generator
and here's a whole collection of sign generators of different kinds, some of them downloadable: sign generators
image chef is another fun collection of generators.


that clipping came from this site: fodey.com newspaper generator

Yeah, you find the font, that's key. Depending on the error, you can color pick and blot out the original text with a rectangle of that color. Windows isn't very sophisticated when it comes to error message color schemes. Something like this, though you want to do from scratch.

I thought it was courier new, it must be close. I would do it the way EK says and start from scratch.

And in case you're not binary savvy only use A--F characters in addresses.
Gerard.