Create this popular glass effect to transform boring text into stylish text using GIMP.
Open GIMP and create a new image (CTRL+N), mine is 525×100. Change the foreground color in the toolbox to the color you want your text, I chose #0077F8 for my text. Press T for text tool and click on the canvas to enter your text. Choose a suitable font and size (I chose 70px Sans Bold) and add your text, if you need to move the text use the move tool M.
Now we’ll add the two borders to our text. To make the first border, right click on the text layer in the layers stack and select ‘Alpha to Selection’. Create a new layer (Layer > New Layer) named ‘dark-border’ with a fill type of transparency. Then go Select > Grow, set to 1px, then fill the selection with #221C1C using the fill tool (SHIFT+B or by pressing CTRL+,). Lower the layer in the layer stack (Layer > Stack > Lower Layer).
To make the second border, right click on the text layer in the layer stack and select ‘Alpha to Selection’, then go Select > Grow, set to 3px. Create a new layer (Layer > New Layer) called ‘light-border’, apply a linear gradient (L for gradient tool) of #FDFEFB to #A8ABA7 from top to bottom of the selection while holding CTRL to keep the gradient aligned vertically. Lower the ‘light-border’ layer below the ‘dark-border’ layer in the layer stack (Layer > Stack > Lower Layer).
Now we’ll add the highlight that will give the glossy look to our text. Right click on the text layer in the layers stack and select ‘Alpha to Selection’, create another layer and call it ‘highlight’. Move this layer above all other layers in the stack (Layer > Stack > Layer to Top).
Using the rectangle select tool (R), hold CTRL then click and drag from the lower left to the upper right going about half way up the text (holding CTRL will temporarily change the selection mode to subtract, so we can deselect the lower half of the text without losing our text selection). You should have a selection like the following:
Press D (to reset the colors) then X (to swap the colors), the foreground color should now be white. Use the gradient tool (L) and change the gradient type to ‘FG to Transparent’.
Click and drag from top to bottom of the text while holding CTRL. Yours should now look like this:
To finish off we’ll add a drop-shadow. Deselect (CTRL+SHIFT+A), then select the ‘light-border’ layer in the layer stack and go Filters > Light and Shadow > Drop Shadow (GIMP 2.2 users go Script-Fu > Shadow > Drop-Shadow), set x and y offsets to 0, set the blur radius to 6 then click OK.
NOTE: The text related layers must be linked together if you wish to move them as one (toggle the chain icon on in the layer stack, just right of the little eye icon).
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
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I used the same font, but having jagged edges. Any thoughts? Using GIMP 2.2
@TechZilo
At what part of the tutorial do you get jagged edges?
This text is simplier to make in some vector graphics editor (for example inkscape) but this is not bad too.
I cannot get this to work. When making having to use the gradient tool there is no obvious way to select the color range. Unless I am missing something completely.
To create the glossy highlight it says: “Hold CTRL then click and drag from the lower left to the upper right going about half way up the text (holding CTRL )”
But what tool are you supposed to have selected in the toolBox.
This is vague.
Please clarify.
THANKS !
@Sab
To change the gradient colors simply click on the color swatch at the bottom of the tool box:
The black swatch is foreground color, and the white is background color. Make sure the gradient mode is set to FG to BG (foreground to background) as shown in the above tutorial.
Hope this helps you.
@b3zra1y
I must have missed that, thanks for letting me know. I meant for you to use the rectangular select tool (
R).I have since updated the tutorial.
After I hold ctrl and make the rectangle to split the text, what do I do? All it does is make the rectangle, it doesn’t split the text.
When you hold the
CTRLbutton it changes the selection mode to subtract mode. If this is not working for you, then you can change the selection mode in the tool options (directly below the tools box) like so:simple and easy, even a non-graphic person can do it
The effect is Cool, Good tutorial!
BRILLIANT TUTORIAL! dont know why other tutorials arnt as easy to follow as this.
Great little tutorial!
Very simple and very clean!
Thanks a lot, it works perfectly. I’m going to use it for an application I’m developing
Cheers from Argentina
Tnx man, helped me allot
Great tutorial, well done. Simple to follow.
Just used this one… turned out great. Easy to follow, and the pics are amazing. Thanks much.
Superb tutorial. Worked first time. Many thanks
Great tutorial - really easy to follow, and most of all, it worked!
anyone knows how to bevel text?
Great tutorial takes a while to find some details for all of those who need help always make sure your border layers are below text layers
very nice nice. easy to follow. i’ll have to check out your other tuts!
Great. Same with Neo. I’m hoping another tutorial on how to creating Mac Like Text Effect. Thanks Guys.
yea thx alot, i jus tried this, and managed first go… wohoo
Thank you for this!
Thanks for the tutorial!
This tutorial is amazing, he is fantastic.
Its a very good tutorial
Thank you for this tutorial, even an italian girl completely new to GIMP (but coming from photoshop) has been able to do this!