How to Make Bloody Text in GIMP

Give your text a bloody effect to make a creepy message

A good image is all about its details and original effects; in the same way, text can convey different messages depending on its style and appearance. With GIMP, an image-manipulation program, users can create different effects to add extra meaning to their words. For example, GIMP´s advanced features allow users to transform simple words into creepy messages designed to convey a scary or uneasy feeling to its readers.

Instructions

1. Open a new file in GIMP.

2. Click on the text icon in the toolbox dialog box (which is represented by a large "A") at the left of the file. Choose the size of your text box and write some words in it. In the toolbox dialog box, select the Trebuchet MS Bold font; adjust the size to 140 and choose a color.

3. Click on the pencil icon in the toolbox. The brush size should be between 7 and 10. The color must be the same as the text.

4. Go to the text and draw vertical lines from each letter. At the bottom ends of each letter, click on your mouse and let go: This is your starting point. Without moving the mouse, hold down the Shift key and you will see a silhouette of a straight line appear. Mark the end point of the line by clicking on your mouse and then letting go of the Shift key.

5. Click on the "Layer" tab and choose "Merge Down." This allows the text and lines to be in a single layer, which makes them easier to manage.

6. Go to the "Filters" tab and select "Distorts." A drop-down menu will appear. Choose the "IWarp" option.

7. Check the "Grow" box in the "Deform Mode" menu. Adjust the "Deform radius" to between 9 and 12 and the "Deform amount" to between 0.26 to 0.30.

8. Go to the preview window on the left and click on it. Hold down your mouse button and make small round movements at the start and end point of each line.

9. Select the "Shrink" box from the "Deform Mode" menu. Hold down the mouse button and trace a single stroke over the body of each line. Click "OK." Your bloody text will appear on the screen.

References

• GIMP: The Basics Tutorial: Adding Text

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish