Welcome to Mr T’s first ever tutorial! You will only need very basic GIMP skills to complete this tutorial so you don’t have to be an expert to do it. Today we will learn how to create 3D text like shown below:

1) Start with a blank image of any size (For this I will be using a 420x200 blank white image)
2) Next create your text. Try and use a text that doesn’t have any thin bits on the letters. For this I will be using ‘Bookman Old Style Semi-Bold Italic’ font and I will use a nice bright green colour.

3) Next use the perspective tool (shift+P) and drag the edges of the text into a similar position as below. Then click transform.

4) Next open up the layer tab (ctrl+L) and duplicate the text layer.
5) Make the top text invisible therefore only seeing the original text and background layers. Select the original text layer.
6) Go to filters/map/bump map… and select the following settings:

7) Now duplicate that bump mapped layer 4 times so you now have the following layers:

Select ‘Text #5’ and with the move tool (M) selected and the text selected press the down arrow key once.
9) Now select ‘Text #4’ and with the move tool (M) selected and the text selected press the down arrow key twice. Do the same on all the bump mapped text layers pressing the arrow key down once more on each of the different texts. You should have this:

10) Now make the background layer invisible. Right click on any of the layers and select ‘merge visible layers…’ In the box select ‘clip to image’ and hit OK.
11) Duplicate your image that you just merged into 1. (should be the middle one in the layers tab)
12) Select one of the copies you just made and with the move tool (M) selected and the text selected press the down arrow key as much as desired (I do it 5 times)
13) OPTIONAL: If you want your text thicker duplicate your text again and with the original thick text selected move it down with the arrow key as much as desired.
14) Your image should now look something like this:

15) Finally make the background and original text layer all visible.
16) OPTIONAL: Merge the 3 thick layers together and lower the brightness on it. (Layers/colours /brightness-contrast)
17) OPTIONAL – FORGOTTON IN FINAL PIC (see very first pic in tut): Merge all layers together so you only have the 1 text layer and the background layer. Right click the text layer and select ‘alpha to selection’, go to scrip-fu/shadow/drop-shadow, I used the following: X and Y = 8, Blur = 8, opacity = 50, make sure to uncheck the ‘allow resizing box’
18) Congratulations you have now just made some lovely 3D text like the one you see below!
(If you would like to use it on other things delete the background and save as a png)

I hope you have enjoyed my first ever tutorial and I would love to see your results below, as well as any changes you make!

Thanks for reading/trying out,

Mr T

PS. Please ask my permission before using this tutorial on another site!

This is kinda like what Fencepost has in his sig. Except he has a pattern in it.

i wanna try this.

Really nice tut, i'll try it.

He posted a link to his 3D text tut but I only knew about it after creating this 3D text!

Thanks everyone so much, I am so glad that you like it (Experienced and unexperienced Gimpers )

nice im going to have to try this.
lol right now the only program I can do this in is Solid Works 2005 :l:

I like Fence's way better. http://www.gimpdome.com/forum/index.php?topic=459.0

I wonder what would happen if you just did the text with the bump map and perspective, then made a brush out of it with the spacing set to 1, then brushed along a vertical guide...

there seems to be some missing info??




nothing here.

Looks like a possible tutorial rip to me. There are steps that are far too similar to be a coincidence.

.
Not reallythey only things the are the same is the moving of layers.

Did you READ fence's tut? The tutorials are very different... In my POV anyway.

EDIT: Darn watup beat me....

Well I guess we each hold our own opinon on it? :h:

Not to hijack the thread, but I would like to know how Curly made that animated sig! Its great!

lol, it's actually easier to do than this tut.

</off topic>

well, i wanted to do some 3d text, so i'm gonna do that.

results soon.

Like I said before I never knew about Fence's tut when I made the 3D text, think what you like but I am proud of it!

Looks very nice CHB I really like the small shadow you put on it!



Thanks, that is fixed now!

This could provide real handy if any of us wanted to try some depthcore style lps.

Thanks Trap!
YAY I am so glad you all like it! (well most of you!)

That was uncalled for... besides I didn't say I didn't like it. I said it looked too similar. That's all.

Sorry about that :s:

I was just a bit angry that someone thought I would rip a tut.

Hmm, simple and effective! Sweet.

Thanks cgwyllie! :h:

Outstanding results.

btw made shadow using the mother layer first and then tried Artistic -> softglow filter and got following results.



and ya tutorial featured, it deserves...

thanks for your effort and time Mr T :h:

regards

I cant do it its hard i guess :a:

I think it is pretty simple.

let me explain in simpe words

1. Create text layer name it MAP
2. duplicate it, and name the duplicated one VLayer
3. hide the layer MAP (make it invisible)
4. select layer named VLayer
5. go through menus Filters -> Map -> Bump Map
6. When a window with title "Bump Map" appears, press OK
7. duplicate layer named VLayer, move it one pixel up, now repeat duplicating and moving duplicated layer one pixel up about 7 times. then merge down all layers. and is done.


is it still hard to understand ?
I hope no.


regards