How to Make See-Through Texts in GIMP

Making see-through text documents is a useful technique for writing on photographs and other images without obscuring the image. These texts are also referred to as watermarks. You can write your name, for example, or "Do Not Duplicate" across the entire image to prevent it from being used by others without your permission, or you can simply write your name in the bottom corner. Use the Xach-Effect in GIMP to make see-through text more noticeable with a frosted glass appearance.

Instructions

1. Open any image in GIMP. Decide where you want the text to appear.

2. Select the "Text Tool" from the Toolbox. Click the "Color" icon in the Text Panel and type "FFFFFF" in the "HTML Notation" field to get white or choose whatever color will work best with your photo. Click "OK."

3. Select a font size and style as desired in the Text Panel.

4. Drag the Text Tool across the image to create a text box. Type your text in the text editor. Check the "Use Selected Font" box. Adjust the size of the font as needed in the Text Panel. Click the "Close" button in the text editor when finished.

5. Click the Text Layer in the Layers Panel. It will have the name of the text you just typed. Click the text field beside the "Opacity" slider and replace "100" with "12."

6. Make the text more noticeable if desired by giving it a frosted glass appearance. Click the "Filters" menu, select "Light and Shadow" and select "Xach-Effect." Set both Offsets at "-1." Set the "Opacity" at "20." Set the "Drop Shadow Blur Radius" at "12" and the Drop Shadow Offsets both at "5." Click "OK."

References

• Scott Photographics; How to Make a Simple Watermark in GIMP; April 2010
• GIMP Tutorials: The Basics
• GIMP Documentation: Xach-Effect