In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create the following text effect which I call Windshock:
Create a new image (CTRL+N), mine is 620×240. Fill the image with black (#000000). Using the text tool (T) enter some text making sure the text is white; I used Sans Bold at 50px. Be sure to center the text to the image with the move tool (M).
We now need to expand the text layer boundary, go Layer > Layer to Image Size. Now we’ll distort the text a bit using a cool little tool called IWarp. Go Filters > Distorts > IWarp. You will be presented with a window like this:
Use the settings as shown in the image above. Click and drag on the text in the little window on the left to warp the text (make small movements so not to distort the text too much). You should have something similar to this:
Duplicate your newly warped text layer twice (Layer > Duplicate Layer), then go Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set both horiz and vert to 12px and click OK. Name the layer ‘glow’ (double-click the name in layer stack). Move this layer below the first text layer (the bottom one) in the layer stack by clicking and dragging on the layer name.
Now select the last text layer (the top one), then go Filters > Distorts > Wind and set like so:
Repeat this step (on the same layer) only changing the direction to the right, you’ll have something like this:
To get the effect to work across the top and bottom we’ll rotate the canvas and repeat the previous steps. Go Image > Transform > Rotate 90° anti-clockwise, then repeat the wind effect you done previously. Once that’s all done rotate the canvas back to its original position (Image > Transform > Rotate 90° clockwise).
Rename this layer ‘windshock’, then lower the layer opacity to 70% (top right of the layer stack). To finish off the Windshock effect, duplicate the ‘windshock’ layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). You can increase the intensity simply by duplicating the ‘windshock’ layer as many times until you get your desired effect.
Create a new layer called ‘colorOverlay’, and fill with a color of your choice (I chose #008aff). Change the layer mode to Overlay (using the drop-down bar at the top of the layer stack). Right-click your text layer (named the same as what you typed) and choose ‘Alpha to Selection’, then create a new layer called ‘hollow’. Move this layer to the top of the layer stack, then go Select > Shrink and shrink by 2px (this will vary depending on the text size you chose). Fill this selection with black, then deselect (CTRL+SHIFT+A) or Select > None.
And there you have it, a really cool text effect. You can change the color overlay to whatever color you wish the effect to be, here are a few I tried:
Hope you enjoyed this tutorial 
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dude thank you sooo much i found that but the other way was so much harder and annoying cause the image had to be perfectly square….thats really dumb way and urs was great.
Hey man,
This is one of my all-time favorite tuts. I love the way you explain it like we’re all incredibly stupid (which I’m not, but to GIMP I am). Sometimes when I look at tuts they say stuff that i have no idea what to do, but yours is so step by step. Love the effect as well. Keep makin’ ‘em, man!!
@sdkelso
Glad you like it
I try to make my tutorials accessible to all.
p.s. I plan to make many more tutorials
Sorry, not sure if i can ask questions here but i have it all done to the last step, i shrunk the text and filled it black but can’t get the dotted cut lines to go away. So i am kinda stuck! Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I’m so stupid!! Never mind just got it. Thanks a bunch would have never been able to do it without the your tutorial!
@rleaton
I’m glad you found the tutorial helpful.
I didn’t understand how to change the color… Help?
Nice! A great a tutorial!
@Jazzy
At what point, the text color or the overlay color?
@MicK
Thanks
The overlay, mine turned out nice, but too much white, so i wanted color into it.
@Jazzy
To give the text trails color, fill the overlay layer with the color you want.
Here’s how
Click the color swatch:
(At the bottom of the tool box)
then choose a color you like and click OK. Use the fill tool (
SHIFT+B) or pressCTRL+,to fill the layer with your chosen color.Any problems, let me know.
I did do that, but when I put fill in it gave me the whole work purple O_O
Which layer was i to choose? =]
@Jazzy
That’s no problem, you’ve just got to change your layer mode to Overlay.
Here’s how
Select the ‘colorOverlay’ layer. At the top right of the layers window there is a drop down bar next to the word Mode, click it and choose Overlay. You’re text trails should now have color in them.
Hahaha ok, I got it but looks Terrible. lol
I like the way ur colors are neon like. How’d you do that lol? =]
@Jazzy
To create the purple trail, I used two overlays. The first was filled with #008aff (blue), and the second was filled with #ff0000 (red).
The red layer was above the blue layer in the layer stack, and both layer modes were set to Overlay.
That’s all I did to achieve the neon look for the purple text.
Thanks! Other than that it ROCKS!
-Thank you.
@Jazzy
Glad I could help
Sorry I must be stupid. How do you get the dotted lines to go away in the last step?
@Ryan
If by dotted lines you mean the selection, then simply press
CTRL+SHIFT+Aor goSelect > None.let me know if you need more help
This is the first tutorial for the Gimp that I have been able to follow to completion. Being a Gimp newbie I discovered a lot of new techniques on the way. Blasting the text from different angles was cool.
Great Tutorial! This is a great effect. I am trying to learn more about designing graphics and have been following tutorials all over the web. I am really interested in styled texts like this one. If anyone could direct me to more styled text tutorials, I would appreciate it.
I love it! I made some that turned out quite well!
Wow. I love the detail on the blue one…The designs look like something they would use on a movie dvd cover. Awesome style, the designs…Keep up the good work.
Awesome tutorial!
I hope you don’t mind, here is a link to my end result
http://abadtooths.com/images/misc/technomo.jpg
“Right-click your text layer (named the same as what you typed) and choose ‘Alpha to Selection’, then create a new layer called ‘hollow’. Move this layer to the top of the layer stack, then go Select > Shrink and shrink by 2px (this will vary depending on the text size you chose). Fill this selection with black, then deselect (CTRL+SHIFT+A) or Select > None.”
I could not Get this part to work to save my life It looks great until this part I must be missing something I would like to put the Black in the middle of the white letters but, All I got was a new layer titled “Hollow” That was black & covered the whole 620 x 240 area I did do the part on Alpha Selection of the “ColorOverlay” but nothing happened it showed if I wanted to undo it that it indeed had been done but, nothing happened & then when I create The “Hollow” layer it just covers it up. Am I supossed to make the “Hollow” Layer Transparent? Or what am I missing, Sorry Thank You so much for making the tutorial I am positive it is merely my inability to read “Great Directions” but none the less I could still use a little help.
Thank You Again,
Benjamin Oliver
This is what I have before I do the Last Step…
http://tinyurl.com/32y66t
@Benjamin Oliver
It sounds like you’ve chosen the wrong layer on which to perform the
“Right-click your text layer (named the same as what you typed) and choose ‘Alpha to Selection’.
step.
In my case this layer would be named ‘TechnoMono’, yours should be ‘EyeoftheHawk’ judging by your image. From this point onward you’d create the ‘hollow’ layer and continue through the rest of the steps in the tutorial.
let me know how you get on.
Maybe I can help on the text issue. Here is what I did using the latest version of GIMP.
1) Follow the guide down to the last step
2) You will select the text just as instructed by
- Clicking on you text layer (the active layer will then become highlighted)
- Right click and select “Alpha to selection”
- You should now see your text outlined.
- Create a new layer (called hollow) and make it “Transparent” (This prevents it from covering everything when you bucket fill your text)
- Move layer to the top of the list
- Shrink the outlined text just like the guide says, then pick your color, chose bucket fill and make sure under bucket fill the mode is “Normal”. Fill the text in and there you have it.
The important things are to make sure the “Hollow” layer is “Transparent” and bucket fill is set to “Normal” (These are usually defaults, but sometimes not). Hopefully this helps some people.
This also looks really cool if you use a gradient fill using the blend option.
i have no text layer…
i got up to the last step but in my layers, channels window i have no text layer. so i can’t seem to finish the last step. the text is there all the effects are there. iam extremly new to this so it might be obvious
man this is really, I mean really helpful. Thanx a bunch!
This tutorial is fantastic.
Its a very good tutorial.
I love this tutorial so much. Thanks man! I made one of these with my name, and I use it as a wallpaper. I made a bunch of them and am using an Automatic Wallpaper Changer to change between the different colors I made. Some of them I used pictures on the overlay. That looks pretty sweet
some of them are the Pepsi Logo, Coke Logo, etc.
Thanks again!
Jake