"Arrow text box" with GIMP?

[Karl Self]

Often I would like to add to an image a text box that points to
something with an arrow.
Here is an example of what I mean by "arrow text box":
http://www.jfklibrary.org/jfkl/cmc/cmc_u2_photo.jpg
Can this be done with GIMP?
Note: I know that I can add text to an image with GIMP, but that's
just not good enough for me! ;)

[Karl Self]

PS: is there a proper name for "arrow text box"?

[Floyd L. Davidson]

Karl Self <karl...@gmx.net> wrote:
>Often I would like to add to an image a text box that points to
>something with an arrow.
>Here is an example of what I mean by "arrow text box":

>http://www.jfklibrary.org/jfkl/cmc/cmc_u2_photo.jpgCan this be done with GIMP?

>Note: I know that I can add text to an image with GIMP, but that's
>just not good enough for me! ;)

GIMP is not the easiest way to do it, that's for
sure... but it can be done, and even look nice.

I'm using version 2.4rc3, and if you are using 2.2 you
might find some of this a little different.

First, create a "new" transparent layer, and label it
"boxes". On this layer you can build the boxes to
enclose the text. It's probably easier to do the text
first though. But eventually you can scale the text to
fit the box exactly.

So pick a place you want some text, and use the Text
Tool to generate it. Generate each line of text
separately, so that each can be manipulated
individually. The result will be that each line of text
is in a separate layer. You can scale the layer, or
scale the object. Once you do anything to edit the text
other than with the text tool though, you can't go back
to the text tool without backing out of whatever edits
were done. So first do whatever you want with the text
tool, then scale either the layer or the object to
roughly the size you want.

Then go to the "boxes" layer, and use the rectangle
selection tool to select an area around the text. Then
select a color, and use the Fill Tool to fill the box.
By going back to each text layer, each line can then be
positioned and scaled as needed.

To make lines pointing at something is a bit of a trick.
Use the Paths Tool to mark an area that amounts to a
straight line. Arrows can also be put at the end of the
lines by using the Paths Tool. Then go to the Select
Menu and click on From Paths to select the area marked
by the Paths. Then fill the area with an appropriate
color.

It might be easier to import the image into xfig, which does
very nice lines and arrows, or some other similar drawing
tool, rather than use GIMP.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) fl...@apaflo.com

[Karl Self]

Thanks, I will try to follow your very detailed instructions, and also
give xfig a go.
I'm not hooked on GIMP, do you know any specialised arrow drawing
tool?

[Floyd L. Davidson]

Karl Self <karl...@gmx.net> wrote:
>
>Thanks, I will try to follow your very detailed instructions, and also
>give xfig a go.
>I'm not hooked on GIMP, do you know any specialised arrow drawing
>tool?

Virtually any CAD type drawing program will do good
arrows, and probably no paint or image editing program
will.

Since xfig is free, relatively good, and fairly easy to
learn, it's a good choice. It isn't great when it comes
to text, and is probably worse that GIMP. Unlike GIMP
it is easy for lines and arrows (it will automatically
make arrows, in several different styles). Both are
pretty good for making rectangular areas filled with any
color you like, though xfig is probably better if you
want odd shapes made up of straight lines. GIMP is
better of you want gradients, swirls, or whatever in the
fill colors.

Here is what I did to your example.

http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson/cmc.jpg

The text and rectangles were done with GIMP. The lines
and arrows were then done using xfig. I used every
arrow style at least twice... :-)

There is a trick to this! Do the text first... and do
it again last.

Do the text first to show the size and locations for
boxes, lines and arrows. But save the whole set of
layers in GIMP as an XCF file, and then save it again as
a PPM or TIFF file to edit with xfig to add lines and
arrows.

Text usually suffers from virtually any kind of size
manipulation of the image. Hence editing the image with
xfig is likely to result in text that doesn't look too
sharp.

Go back to GIMP and edit the XCF file. Open the newly
edited PPM/TIFF file with the lines and arrows as a
layer just above the background layer with the original
image. Then delete the original background layer! The
new image may not be an exact fit over the original, so
you have to go to each layer and move the text around.
Use the rectangle selection tool to remake the
rectangles and fill them again, to get rid of the
previous text (which will very likely be somewhat
distorted with artifacts from changing image formats).

When everything is lined up, save it again as an XCF
format, and then save it as a JPEG too, for use.

[Lyle Walsh]

> There is a trick to this! Do the text first... and do
> it again last.
>
> Do the text first to show the size and locations for
> boxes, lines and arrows. But save the whole set of
> layers in GIMP as an XCF file, and then save it again as
> a PPM or TIFF file to edit with xfig to add lines and
> arrows.
>
> Text usually suffers from virtually any kind of size
> manipulation of the image. Hence editing the image with
> xfig is likely to result in text that doesn't look too
> sharp.

Thanks for the tip! I've been "redoing" the text but never quite put
together why I needed to.

As for simple arrows I like to freehand a path in Gimp and then stroke the
path with whatever brush seems to fit. Not perfect arrrows but good enough
for simple labeling and instructions and I imagine that this would be
helpfup for layout too.

Lyle

[Animesh K]

I love GIMP. But I would use Inkscape for doing this sort of task.