Gimp: Text

[last updated: 2026-07-31]
Gimp home page
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• On this page:
  • add text
  • exiting the text box
  • edit existing text
  • vertical text
  • transparent text
  • move a text layer

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• Add text:
  Click text tool icon (large 'A' in toolbox)
  Position cursor where you want text to start. Left-click, hold, and drag to define box. Release left-click.
  Set text size etc as desired.
  Type text
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• EXITing the text box:
  • Getting out of the text box is convoluted.
    There surely are other ways to do it, but this works:
    Windows (top menu) > Dockable Dialogues > Layers
    See the layers menu open (in right sidebar on my system)
    Select the main drawing window.

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• Edit existing text:
  Best guess from reading documentation and forums is that this is not possible in the normal sense of editing text.
  You can of course delete and re-write text, or move pieces of it around like you would any graphic object in your drawing.
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• Vertical Text:
  • draw your text in standard text box, edit parameters as desired
    (you can't change them after rotating)
  • select the text layer
  • open the rotate tool:
    Tools --> Transform --> Rotate
    - or - shift-R
  • enter angle or position values desired
    click Rotate
  • click to a different layer (?)

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• Create Transparent Text:
  • from gimp forum: how to make a transparent background:
    • Select the area you want to make transparent. ...
      In the Layer window (the one showing your image), select Layer – Transparency – Add Alpha Channel. If this is blanked out then it's already done.
      Select Edit – Clear. ...
      Save the file.
    • Lower the opacity of the text layer in the layers dock.
      (link to:) forum
  • make transparent text:
    • First, to aid in later adjusting position of text box, increase canvas size as above
      and reposition drawing into the center.
    • Tools -> Text
      click and drag to define size/location of text box
    • Click lower right corner of text dialog box
      to select color, then click OK
    • Windows -> Dockable Dialog -> Fonts
      select desired font
      note the name is displayed in the text dialog box
    • Type desired text (click in text box if necessary)
      drag to highlight and change font size if desired
      press escape (twice?)
    • In far right menu bar,
      select the new text layer that was created
      click Opacity and scroll to desired
    • At this point it still seems to be floating...
    • Tools -> Rectangle select
      drag around text block
      Tools -> Move
      dragging moves main image, not the block ???
    • but: Tools -> Rotate correctly rotates the text selection
      click Rotate
      Layer -> Anchor Layer
    • Select -> none to cancel/anchor the float... ???

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• Move a Text layer:
  • Select the layer in the right side menu bar
  • Select the move tool (top menu bar)
  • In left side-bar, select 'move active layer'
  • drag to desired location
  • ctrl-h
    Actually not sure this is required, and haven't tested it, but it's JWID

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