Another Question for the Collective Brain

[callistra]

Ok.. I want to add words to an icon. I have a pic. Now what programme should I use? Preferably something cheap or once off, I don't need anything snazzy. But legible reading at the end would be lovely.

Comments

[alias_sqbr]

For free there's the Gimp (a linux program) though text is one thing it's not all that good at

You could also download a free trial of Paintshop pro or something.

[leahcim.livejournal.com]

Actually, with a small bit of work (to add the outline), GIMP's text tool is perfectly adequate for the job (see icon :P).

PS: I assume you've seen today's XKCD? :)

[callistra.livejournal.com]

No... and I have given up already.
:-)

It's only hard the first time

[leahcim.livejournal.com]

Aww. Try this (http://www.obscurasite.com/artstuff/tutorials/gimp-text-outline/).

Basically, you will want to end up with three layers:
- (bottom) your image
- (middle) text border, created by drawing a line following the edge of the text in the top layer
- (top) the text itself

Of course, once you're happy with the text you can merge layers down as you see fit.

Another alternative is to outsource. I'm sure there are multiple people (self included) who would be happy to have a go. :)

As Dave said below, Gimp is probably overkill for the kind of image manipulation you're trying to do. But on the other hand, I guess the same could be said for MS-Word for novel writing; Notepad+spellchecker would do 98% of what you'd need, right? :P

(Also, I believe Sophie's icon was created with a hand-crafted tool that I can't be arsed googling for. :P)

Re: It's only hard the first time

[callistra.livejournal.com]

But on the other hand, I guess the same could be said for MS-Word for novel writing; Notepad+spellchecker would do 98% of what you'd need, right? :P

Yeah, it does *grin*
I use Notetab and run it through word for the spellchecker afterwards LOL

[alias_sqbr]

PS: I assume you've seen today's XKCD? :)

Yes, part of me feels sorry for the poor sociologists :)

[caitlen.livejournal.com]

I'll second the GIMP recommendation. It's a really good little programme that's just like Photoshop (apparently - I haven't used PS, because it's rather pricey...)

[martinlivings.livejournal.com]

If you really want to do it on the cheap, Windows Paint allows you to put text into images. :)

Me, I use Paint Shop Pro 4. Ancient, but completely free. :)

[callistra.livejournal.com]

I did actually consider using Paint.
:-)

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

The GIMP is crazy overcomplicated for what you ask, IMO.

There is an online, in-browser, version of photoshop
https://www.photoshop.com (you have to lie and say you live in the US, though, I think)
There are other in-browser tools, such as the Aviary http://a.viary.com/tools

I could make lots more suggestions if you had a Mac :-)

[dalmeny]

I have a Mac and would like to know what you suggest, if Callistra doesn't mind :)

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

Pixen seems to be worth a look. Free, open source, designed for doing low res pixel art for screen use http://opensword.org/Pixen/
ImageWell is a little shareware app designed for exactly this sort of thing http://xtralean.com/IWOverview.html though I personally found that its lack of normal basic drawing tools frustrating

Skitch is currently free, and has some nifty innovative ideas - it is a sort of pop up window design that integrates screen capture and also makes it very easy to put photos up online either via their own service or others. http://skitch.com (actually by the plasq.com people, who do several other cool applications), I really recommend checking it out.

The two big contenders on the 'photoshop lite' category are Acorn and Pixelmator. Both are actually quite pricy for shareware, at $50-60, but you can often pick up licences cheap somehow - I have a pixelmator licence, I think via a macheist bundle, and I am happy with it, it has a nice interface. Acorn looks the potentially very interesting one for geeks who work with graphics, though, as you can write your own plugins in python. There are also some good shareware vector art programs around at the moment, I also seem to have picked up licences for both VectorDesigner and Intaglio (the latter is my favourite - it lets you edit PDF art).
For just effects and patterns and such, Image Tricks is free, but it doesn't have actual editing tools.

The reason there is a bit of an explosion in quality free/shareware graphics for the Mac at the moment is because most of the above use Apples Core Image technology, which includes a pretty solid set of filters and plugins. So most of them will benefit from adding additional Core Image plugins - and there is a nice free set available from people called Noise Industries, who mostly make video effects http://www.noiseindustries.com/products/index.html

The venerable Graphic Converter is also worth a mention, though I find its got a poor interface for editing. It remains a useful swiss army knife kind of thing, especially for weird graphic formats or batching.

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

Also, not quite what was asked for (as it is for creating art from scratch rather than editing, and doesn't appear to have a text tool) is ArtRage, http://www.artrage.com/
which is a painting app. Looks pretty damn awesome, especially if you have a graphics tablet. There is a free version, and a cheap ($25) pro version. Well worth checking out. And Calli, this one is cross platform.

Oh, and despite all the various fine free tools or ones that I already own, I am looking at Opacity http://likethought.com/opacity/ pretty closely, even though it is quite pricy ($89), because it does the very useful trick of incorporating all the workflow needed to turn art into icons for applications etc.

[azhure.livejournal.com]

http://co.ntagio.us/eljay/iconmaker/

:)

[callistra.livejournal.com]

You are TEH AWESOME!! LOOK AT MY ICON!!

:-)