How to Easily Create Curved Text in GIMP | GIMP Basics Tutorial

[@WallyMoran]

After watching a half dozen poorly done (often out of date) videos, I found your channel. Thank you for a clear, well explained tutorial. Keep it slow, presume some of us, like me, are really lost in this, and help us to get it right, as you did here. Now, to find your video on centering text on a path.

[@TheElfishGene]

In 2022 I still can't believe nobody has made a simple plug in for this.

[@JeMone]

Right!!!

[@adamlasak1536]

I am just doi'n an logo for my friend, and I'm yelling to laptop, becuase it's brutal bullshit. Just curve the text. 100 steps and filling the color doesn't work, because probably I did some mistake in step 23.

[@TheRocky3613]

@@adamlasak1536 The fill option will work only if the new "curved text" is also inside the original text box, if it´s outside, it wont work. I just made the box of the text bigger, but not the size of the letters and then deleted the original plain text

[@ktennyson7108]

😢

[@clashofclaws1332]

​@@adamlasak1536That's funny and painful. Feel ya

[@thenorwegian76]

Your gimp tutorials are so helpful to me. Gimp is such a powerful utility, but learning how to use it is a high bar.

[@bl8388]

You walk us through every step. I truly appreciate it. I'm not the quickest learner and this is to the point, but thorough enough for me to get it.

[@Mayaserena.Blossom]

Excellent tutorial. Easy to follow and my results were exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you!

[@wselander]

gREAT VIDEO... oh sorry, I forgot to turn the caps lock off after creating my CURVED TEXT ;) You can tell thought was put into large buttons, cursor, and zooming on the steps. Well done!

[@ewagraphics]

Tutorials are always great, easy to follow, and a tutorial exists for just about every problematic situation.

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Thanks!

[@ewagraphics]

@@DaviesMediaDesign Quick question: How do we get the paths tool to layout our text evenly? I’m finding it a little difficult to do that because it will lay text across my path (path drawn as a basic hump) but will leave a few letters looking wonky, messy, or uneven until I manually readjust them (which is already challenging). Thanks in advance.

[@InspiredCreationsVivi]

This was very helpful thank you. my problem is that it takes me 10 times the time to get one project done as I am not tech savvy lol. i keep pausing your video and going back and forth haha Thank you for taking the time to teach.

[@Machtyn]

My biggest issue with Text Along Path is that it starts at the beginning of the node. I'd prefer the center of the text to be at the center of the path. Usually, I'm creating a single curve that would appear under an image. So I usually have to guess badly and offset my first node, put the second node some where near the end and a little higher than what I need, and, well, it's a lot of guess work and I don't do very well at it. If you're interested, I'll create a video and show what I'm trying to do, and, perhaps, you might have some suggestions for improvement?

[@lizabethrose415]

This is my problem and I losing my mind. I even tried placing my initial node in the middle and adding two on either side. The curve still started at the left most node.

[@dandelionadventures4747]

I had the same issue. Instead of fiddling with the node or path, just put spaces at the beginning of the text instead.

[@michaelwplde]

Would have to tinker a bit with the text node, there are no stretch and alignment choices?

[@budaroddy]

The better you can do here its to cut the curve text and rotate it

[@Kviktus-v1w]

@@budaroddy HOW

[@OdetteML]

This is always my go-to channel when I'm making my thumbnails. But it's always those blue eyes that I'm here for most of time! Kiddin! 😅 Seriously, thank you so much!

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Haha thanks for the comment and for watching the vid.

[@OdetteML]

@@DaviesMediaDesign you are welcome! You are helping us creators a lot & i think you deserve more than 100K subs. 👏👏👏😊

[@HeinerS]

Another great tutorial. Thanks.

[@soumyaripan5131]

Thanks brother! needed this for a tattoo design I am making. much love

[@OliviaRoseConfections]

This is the best tutorial I have found to text along path! thanks for sharing

[@ModernOak]

Incredibly useful, well presented, thoughtfully planned, and easy to understand 👍 keep up the great work! Helped me alot 😎

[@BOTRacing]

Hey Michael, it seems the latest version of GIMP does not work the same as before. Is there a new way to do this? I have the text, and a curved text layer, but when I right click on the text, I don't get the option to text along path. Hopefully you know the new way to do this.

[@POedLib]

Sometimes you need to go to the Layer tab on the top.

[@stephenroberts2526]

I've had GIMP installed on my computers for over a decade and I still get frustrated that GIMP doesn't allow live text to be placed on a path. The text editor/tool really needs to get updated, or have an artistic type tool option like say Affinity has. I generally just don't work with text in GIMP and do all the layout in either Inkscape or Affinity Designer. Being able to edit text and add on basic things like an outline is critical to design projects. I don't really see an excuse that GIMP can't do this when even cloud based editors like Pixlr do.

[@MaximilianoNoriega]

¡Gracias!

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Thanks for supporting the channel Maximiliano!

[@MaximilianoNoriega]

Excellent tutorial! Noticed the little changes, they add a lot. Especially the huge cursor. I wish curved text would become a little easier in upcoming updates. It’s been just as hard since the beginning.

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

It's on their radar based on a convo they had with someone on Twitter, but, as per usual, the project in general just requires more developer help to get to it.

[@MaximilianoNoriega]

@@DaviesMediaDesign Oh, that would be great. I mean, you just can’t ask much more from a great free app, but if there is a possibility of creating curved text, might as well simplify it on or two steps. Your tutorials always come in handy to remember how to do this.

[@TwistedRootsVanVelzerPress]

@@DaviesMediaDesign Yeah man - I just want a basic arc for some text for book covers - and this is a MAJOR deal for me to get done - so much so - I say F-It and don't do it :( Can I hire you to create some arc'd text ? :) maybe some gold flaked arc'd text? I do a LOT in GIMP - but for book titles - this calls for much more learning time than I have :0

[@jesse7631]

Works like a charm! Thank you Michael - another great tutorial!

[@edgaralegre9725]

Thank You. That was very helpful.

[@felipecarvalho1038]

This video helped me so much, thank you Davies!

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

Excellent!!!!! This is very useful!!!! Thanks for posting!!!!

[@Alkorri]

Thank you! This helped me so much

[@christopherwells7295]

Thank you, very educational and very professional as always.

[@natjanaverhoek7337]

Great video, thank you! I noticed that the text doesn't follow the whole path though. Is there an easy way to adjust this?

[@ravencole2740]

Thank you, Mike.

[@zer0sk8]

It was really helpful. Thank you so much ;-)

[@GhostlyGhoulee]

How do you keep it from warping the text? It keeps squishing the first letter on the first node no matter what the text size is

[@hananack]

i learn from you so much thank you

[@AlparslanDuman]

Very helpful, thanks a lot... subscribed...

[@deucebucket]

thanks , needed to find out how to do this.

[@clashofclaws1332]

Good video!

[@Musebore]

If you're having trouble with the text being warped make sure the text box is flush with the text. The path curve is curving the box not the actual text!

[@hazardlogan]

Subscribing. Thank you for your help!!

[@wesleycolvin7158]

Great work! I probably should have stretched out mine a bit more...

[@daminguez]

you are awesome! THX!

[@skelebro9999]

I really wish if I know these features.

[@Aprendizaje_Autodacta_Digital]

Gracias! From colombia

[@ethanmingolelli2530]

I don't have the option to text along path it's just not there when I right click

[@sirick93]

I had the same problem but found a solution. Click the text tool first and then click on your text and click modify.

[@aserialchiller]

Well explained, thank you :) Question: how do I apply the layer I created on another text?

[@DiegoWeb13]

Hi Michael, beautiful tutorial. 🔝🔝👏👏👍 A big hello. 😉👍

[@irminverhoeff5592]

Thank you soo much

[@latinbooker]

It's good when your are working on GIMP, but I prefer INKSCAPE to manipulate text along path, so I can to manipulate that path "on the road", then, I export that text as PNG, and after it can be added as a layer con GIMP 😅 and I know that is more work to do, but on INKSCAPE, I can to modify the path as needed. 👍

[@KuromiDarklord]

3:31 I can't do that part. Using that tool is way too hard. I need to make the text go in half a circle but I just can't make that tool work

[@MrTezzytaughtu]

Did they take away text along path ?

[@m.daniels]

How do you compensate for things like ampersands? They always get jumbled up when I do this.

[@TAZUTRA]

So the path I make doesn't curve at all I'm supposed to click and drag so the path can add curves to the node but it just doesn't happen

[@TAZUTRA]

I found the issue. I just unchecked the checkbox for polygonal in the path tool options

[@joyroc885]

How to you adjust the text after you put it on a curve and can you change the size?

[@milanvlogs112]

Very nice sir

[@InsomniaRoleplay]

when i try to select text alone path it doesnt show for me?

[@eggricer]

thank you

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

You're welcome

[@brenellaitalia]

This is the same thing as "convert text to vector graphic" right? I'm trying to learn how to prepare a file for dry transfer rub-on lettering

[@TheMuricanMerc]

Ok so something is broken on my end I guess. When I do 'TextAlongPath' it just throws it at the top right of the entire project despite the path being almost completely centered in the project. Doesn't even matter where I put the path at, it just throws it up there with ill regard to my path shape even.

[@Lipiec-hi2fd]

There is a way to modify pats cervature that path was already created ealier?

[@stephenroberts2526]

You can always modify the path by selecting the path in the Paths dialog, then select edit mode. However, to get the text to follow the changes, you have to redo the text along path edit.

[@mrmalio]

Good work

[@JOEZEP54]

Thank you. .👍 # 76 Stay safe, Joe Z

[@alisonfindlow1898]

Thankyou for this tutorial. I understood, however for me as an amateur it was a little too fast for me. I had to keep pausing and rewinding lol.

[@NoobAlchemist]

My two sections of paths won't connect to each other like in the video, it's just two different paths. Help?

[@FarmFamGaming]

Thx!

[@SKMRify]

GIMP has the potential to be immensely powerful and useful. However, relatively simple tasks such as this one simply cannot continue to be this difficult in the future.

[@DrachHeinz]

Agreed - It's embarrassing that this convoluted process has been required for years, and completely fails to function as expected when trying to center text along a path as many other commenters have pointed out.

[@SKMRify]

@@DrachHeinz You can do this much faster even in MS Word, PowerPoint and Publisher.

[@tommytuomaala9087]

What m I doing wrong when wrapping text along a path only creates a blank text icon above the intended path line?

[@victordia099]

I just dont have the option to do text along path like wtf its my 5th tutorial on how to do it everyone has text along path except for me Can anyone help me?

[@zackfelix2766]

Davies, is there a way to do this trick but on images? As an example, say I have a serpent in a straight line…can I make the snake go up ‘n down once or more times? ‘N if not, could you suggest me ‘nother free program that does it? Thnx 👍

[@laurang2550]

How do I do a repeated pattern in a curved / circular way? For example, instead of doing Text Along Path, we do this smiley "😀" pattern repeated Along Path. Anyone has any idea? Thanks!

[@tylerschannel1560]

That option isn't there

[@tristanmcgregor2593]

dude... yes this works and I appreciate your videos. This is the same complaint I'd have about Photoshop or any of the other digital programs but man.. it shouldn't be this hard. There's ten steps between every single goddamn thing you want to do and it being done. Let me curve the goddamn text. just let me do it. Just let me curve the fucking text. I can't stand this 9 ways to sunday horse shit that we have to go through this every time we want to do anything on any of these systems. Good god i swear i'm going to re-pioneer using bits of paper. Okay, cool, we have every option in the world and we should be able to be like gods and create anything we need.. now beat your head into your laptop for an hour, smoke half a 30g of tobacco and then go back to beating your head into the laptop for another hour when we could have done it- Jesus, make it stop. This is the 4th rung of hell. This isn't Gimp's fault and I get it's pretty much like learning a language with the macros n all that but with the lord as my witness I will throw this computer out the window if i have to keep using this bs.

[@SuperDantedmc]

Thanks for this tutorial, I literally would rather jump off a bridge than work with text in GIMP, but I have no options right now.

[@ishukalia1099]

Sir, do you know when 3.0 is release?

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Later this year at the earliest. I haven't seen any clear timeline thrown out anywhere. They are getting close to having something ready, but are low on volunteers lately so it's taking longer than they'd like.

[@keybladegames_real]

The path only fills the part that's selected so I got text with half color and half empty

[@kingzflames]

What a hero 5 ⭐s

[@robinh4]

Gimp makes EVERYTHING so complicated when it doesn't have to. Why can't they just add a button in the text options "Curved"? I shouldn't have to watch a how-to video to do a basic thing like this. But, thanks to you for the help!

[@TheRusselmuscle]

Please tell me there's an easier way to make a basic curved text. I followed all this until I got to Fill Path. There is no Fill Path or anything in that window in the left of the window. It's just blank. There is nothing to click there. Anyone know why? I don't have a Tool Options tab even though I'm selecting Add Tab - Tools Options to show. But I'm getting nothing. It just won't show up so I can't get to the Fill Path tool. Thanks.

[@bsjett]

This, I think, is GIMP's sole weakness. Every other program I know of has a way to do this in one step (and without risking distorting the text).

[@jesse7631]

Is that really a weakness? In one step you can select the size of your font, the font-face, and the type of curve? Frankly, I would prefer to have a little more control over all those things, even if it takes a few more steps. This entire tutorial - including the plug for his site - was under 7 minutes, and he went from creating the document all the way through. Once you learn how to do it, and can do it yourself, I dare say it would take any more than 2 minutes tops. Granted, GIMP has a greater learning curve than some other image creation / manipulation software products. But it's still pretty powerful, it's free, and once you learn it, you can do a lot with it.

[@bsjett]

@@jesse7631 Sure, it is a weakness among many, many strengths. Getting your text created is simple enough, but actually getting your text onto the path correctly isn't as straightforward as it could be. This video and others are a gigantic help with that - I couldn't begin to figure it out myself when I was learning GIMP years ago. But even with the technique in the video, the method still often results in warping, backwards text or text misplaced within the curve, etc - and yes, that's probably user error - because it isn't as user-friendly as it could be - as other programs are - in a simple, editable action. GIMP is very powerful. Don't think I'm dissing on GIMP. It's just THE thing that I have long hoped they would implement.

[@zackfelix2766]

M8, is there a free program that I could use to do this but easier? I have FireAlpaca but don’t know if this works there or if it’s easier

[@bsjett]

@@zackfelix2766 The program I used to use to do it was Gravit Designer, but at one point they nixed the software and just transitioned it into a web app and I haven't used it since - so I don't know if it's still free, or even still available.

[@butwhole3669]

So i did it, original wirtten text is there after exporting, and my curved vanished. idk what to do jesus why is it so difficult

[@ThornOfSociety]

For some reason when it makes the curved text it is warped and has gaps in it.

[@EhurtAfy]

Oh wow early

[@DorkieShorty]

its 2024 why has this system not improved! The text editing to make a curve is ridiculous!

[@SKMRify]

Insanely ridiculous.

[@lyk.a.burggraaff]

TOP

[@gotowarcrew7694]

every time i click text along path or text to path it doesn't follow my FULL path it shortens it

[@katieclaar]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@zedbruh7212]

i dont get the handles to bend it...

[@scooble]

first time here.. ...ooh, what lovely eyes you have!

[@toushiferasool7068]

Please make a video to make PDF in gimp under 100KB without degrading quality. I'm not abling to do this.

[@EATHinNZ]

How do you curve an image?

[@JHattsy]

Great tutorial but man, curving text in this program is one of the most finicky things to do. Lets say you're trying to match the curve of text to curved object, it's so difficult to get it not looking terrible.

[@shawng461]

I don't mean to knock gimp, but why couldn't they make it similar to Photoshop, where that tutorial is about 5 seconds. lol just crazy.

[@Promthanius]

I cannot move my bent words.

[@tomlathrop4094]

Alas this video is useless for the current Gimp version. Anybody know of a tutorial as good as this one for 2.10.38?

[@zbob8991]

it doesnt fill the letters in, they stay red outlines

[@donbeech2564]

you have to make the path outline hidden, then it will go away. its under the paths tab.

[@gamertag2338]

cool

[@captainspire9094]

Holy hell people. Really? This is the how things are? I tossed my image into Office 2000 and use a curved word art and did this in 20 seconds. How is this a fking improvement in graphics design and development? Now I see why people are using AI generators, these new graphics programs are freaking stupid.

[@Dusty338]

This literally DOES NOT WORK. I followed your steps to the letter, and the text just remains in a straight line.

[@queenbvanity727]

Sorry it doesn't work try it a few times

[@Dusty338]

I doesn't work at all.

[@electrflix]

Hi there

[@michaeldean-jackson8242]

If you believe that at the speed you did this demonstration, the average person could follow, you are tripping!

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

You can always slow down the playback speed using KZbin's video controls/settings directly on the video player.

[@hennas87]

Could not get this to work well no matter how hard I tried.... I just went on canva and did it - it was so simple and took me about 2 minutes. There needs to be a simple tool for this function because this is ridiculous.

[@SuccessfulMiranda]

Doesn't work, doesn't fill nothing at all.

[@nooiq]

It's good but your camera (selfie) video is only hiding things we need to see.

[@freekvanzuiden]

For me it is better that you dont speak so fast -but thanks anyway !

[@terminalvelocity4858]

Why is GIMP so unnecessarily complicated? Photoshop can do this in 3 steps. Makes no sense!