I'm not sure if this belongs here. But I'll proceed anyway.
All right. Amaryllis wanted to know how I make a border around my text in GIMP 2.6, so I'm making a tutorial here for everyone to use. ^^ GIMP 2.6 is a free program that I love using to make graphics. Find it here: http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
Step 1: Open a new canvas to put your text on. The size is entirely up to you to decide. Mine is 400x200.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/391/gimp1.png
Step 2: Now that you have your canvas open, create a new la
yer. Make sure it is transparent (default setting). Name it "Text" so you don't get confused.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/4972/gimp2.png
Step 3: Making sure you have the "Text" la
yer selected, add your text. I usually choose a light color first. When we outline it, it'll be a darker color.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/1608/gimp3.png
Step 4: Now, you may notice that the text is just floating there. The next thing to do is to merge it down onto the "Text" la
yer.
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/5695/forgottenimage.png
Step 5: You will need to select your text now. What I do is right click on the "Text" la
yer, and choose Alpha to Selection.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4029/gimp4.png
Step 6: This step lets you choose how thick you want your outline/border to be. Look for Select at the top and click Grow. I usually stick between 1px-3px. I'm using 2px in this tutorial. Feel free to experiment with it.
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6007/gimp5.png
Step 7: It's time to make a new la
yer named "Outline" or "Border." I chose "Outline." Make sure it is transparent like last time. You will have to drag it underneath the "Text" la
yer. Refer to my screenshot to see how this looks.
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/790/gimp6.png
Step 8: Choose the color you want the border to be. Select the bucket tool. Make sure the "Outline" la
yer is selected. Click anywhere on the text to make the outline.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6048/gimp7.png
Step 9: Find Select at the top, and click None.
http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/6200/gimp8.png
Step 10 (if it's needed): Here's the bad news. Sometimes fancier fonts aren't completely outlined. They'll look like they're faded. You'll have to zoom in and fix the problem using a small brush.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2208/gimp9.png
Step 11 (optional): If you want to make the text have a transparent background, just delete the "Background" la
yer.
Before: http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/6594/gimp10.png
After: http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/2545/gimp11.png
Here's the finished product: 
If you need additional help or have any questions, feel free to send me a message. I won't be checking this thread very much. And please be patient. I'm not always online. I hope this was helpful to at least one person. ;D
Normal User
Normal User
Normal User
Content Manager
Normal User
