Gimp Tips: creating web banner

Tutorials - GIMP

GIMP Tips: Creating a web banner

1) Open a new blank page

Click on File > New
Create a New image dialog opens.
Click on the template drop down box
Select web banner huge 728x90
press OK

2) Select a background image
click on file > open as layers
the file selection dialog opens
select the image that you want to add as a background image to your banner
press Open

3) positioning the background
Now the background image will show up in the 728x90 area.
In the right dock you will see a new layer added with the name of the image that you just added.
Now go to Toolbox (the left doc) and select the Move Tool
Now click on the image and press the left mouse button, you can move the image around whie you keep the left mouse button pressed, position the image according to your liking.

4) Adding Text

Click on the text tool in the Toolbox and then click anywhere in the image area, you will see a small text input window opens, you can enter the text here. and press close

You can change the color of the text, Font, size, font width height etc form the Toolbox, all the changes that you make will be immediately reflected in the new text layer.

You can use (Ctrl z) keys to undo the last change

5) Adding gradient color effect
If you want to add gradient colors to your text, you can do it as follows.
 

a) select the text layer in the right dock, and check the Lock box
  b) now go to Toolbox (left doc) and select the Blend Tool, that should display blend dialog in the  bottom half of the Toolbox. Cliek on the drop down box named Gradient, you will see a list of different color gradient, select any one
  c) now go to the image area, you will see a small rectangle alongwith your mouse pointer, Now click at the left of the and keeping the left mouse button pressed, drag the mouse pointer till the right end and then lift the mouse button, you will see the text filled with gradient of your choice.
  Press Ctrl z to undo the last change and you can choose another gradient to see how it looks, you can repeat the procedure till you get the desired effect.
  d) Once you have chosen desired gradient effect you can move the text layer to desired location in the banner, use to move tool in the Toolbox to move the later.

6) Once you are happy with the banner design you can save it. click on File > Save as. It is helpful to save the image as XCF (Gimp image format) first and then save the image in another format. XCF format will keep all the layers settings intact so that you can always edit the image later if required. Other image formats tend to merge the layers.

Sanjay C Rajure