Episode 098
Episode 098 – A Few Simple Text Treatments
by Richard Querin
In this episode, I demonstrate a few simple text treatments using Inkscape 0.46.
Nothing too technically challenging here, just a few treatments I’ve done on text in the past that I find valuable. Hopefully it will help spur people to use typography more in their designs.
At the start of this screencast I point to a great web site called The League of Moveable Type. While they only have a few fonts on there at the moment, they are committed to providing a collection of high-quality open source fonts. I commend them for that. Thanks to Troy for pointing me to that site. I’ve already found a couple of fonts there that I’ve used in some of my projects.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:50 am
[...] Episode 098 is now up. This episode demonstrates a few simple text treatments that you might find valuable in your next Inkscape design project. [...]
October 27th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
[...] http://screencasters.heathenx.org/episode-098/ a few seconds ago from web [...]
October 27th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Nice work, Richard.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:27 am
hello,
thanks for this new episode.
i wana give you another link for some nice free font (for use) :
http://www.fontspace.com
.
October 28th, 2009 at 6:57 am
@eclipse
Thanks for the link. I’ve never been to that one before.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Another great cast. As per the apology ar the end… no worries. to be honest, I kind of assumed you guys were waiting for the next release… but that’s proving to be a longer wait than I thought as well. No need to apologize for not posting a cast.
Thanks again folks.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Nice fonts on that website, but alas, they don’t have Windows versions, unless there is some way to convert the files?
November 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
@Aurelian Design
Whatcha talkin’ about? Open type fonts work in Windows XP. I have about a dozen of them installed. Am I missing something?
November 17th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Yes. OpenType fonts do work in XP. .. However.. Inkscape 0.46 on XP will not see them (In my experience on my PC at work). I do however have a nightly build of 0.47 on my XP machine and it *does* read the opentype fonts.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Ah – cool! So I just install the font. YES! Had no idea those were supported. You guys are great!
November 17th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hmm… A few worked, but some (e. g., Flaminia) only had VFB files, and WinXP doesn’t seem to recognize those.
The license is sure laywer-speak. I assume I can use the fonts (original or modified form) in a document as long as I don’t try to distribute the font as a font (original or modified form). That the way y’all understand it?
November 18th, 2009 at 6:59 am
@Aurelian Design
Regarding font license, that’s typically how it’s done. Nobody wants there precious fonts spread around for free. It’s a shame. That’s why I like the free ones.
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Nice work. You’re a great teacher!
June 9th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Basics.
July 25th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
[...] some confidence by having an Adobe-like icon on my desktop. Richard Querin’s screencast on some basic text treatments and a font called Doris can help me out. Add some path differences, a few gradients and we’re [...]
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:35 am
I really enjoyed this screencast. Thanks. I’ve been able to get lots of tips from screencasters for free textures and fonts but how about patterns? Could you tell me where you got the grey floral pattern bitmap you used in the high speed intro? I did find a site where you can ‘roll your own’: http://www.patterncooler.com
BTW the music is nice too
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:53 am
@Kevin,
I can’t for the life of me find that pattern right now. I *think* it was from the gnome-look.org site and I was using it as a wallpaper. I think it came as a set in different colour schemes (olive green, dark blue, grey-black etc). If I locate it again I’ll give you a shout.
September 21st, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I’m trying to work on a new logo for a school we have coming up but for some reason doing the “Path” to “Difference” just isn’t working for me. Whenever I click it the images stay the same. It doesn’t cut the text out of the back ground image.
Any idea why?
September 22nd, 2010 at 7:01 am
@Church
Are you using version 0.47? If so, once you convert your text to a path then you’ll need to use the combine command to make it all one path again. It’s just an extra step. Richard used version 0.46 on this one and that step wasn’t necessary.
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:16 am
Okay….I know this is a newbie problem….but how do I first convert the text to a path? Select the text, then object to path?
Then how do I make it one path again?
Sorry to ask something so basic…I just don’t know how to do it.
September 22nd, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@Church
Well, if you intend to cut text away from another object then yes, text must be a path first. However, if you are using the latest version of Inkscape (0.48) then none of this is required. Just make some text and put it on top of another shape, select both and use the difference command. Voila! Your text will cut right through your object.
I don’t have anything with 0.47 anymore but I’m pretty sure everything needed to be a path first. In that case, select your text and go to Path>Object to Path. Then window around your text and go to Path>Combine. When you double-click your text all nodes on all letters should be displayed. Your text can now be used with the difference command. If that doesn’t work then try using the node tool to select your text, hold shift key down and select your object and then try the difference command.
Regarding 0.47, I’m going from memory and my memory fades pretty quickly when I move on to something newer.
December 16th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
This kinda goes along with my last question about cutting out text.
I was wondering if you could do this with Inkscape?
http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/13/facebook-2/?icid=maing|main5|3|link2|31146
Is there a way to make a stencil like thing that will cuts shapes out of pictures?
Let me know…thanks
RK
December 16th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
@Church in Albuquerque
What a coincidence! I just made an Inkscape template for that Facebook picture hack yesterday. Would you like me to email it to you?
December 16th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Yes please! And is there a way you can tell me real quickly how to use it?
Thanks!
December 16th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Sure!
Here’s the Inkscape template download link: http://bit.ly/dG09pV
Here’s a short tutorial: http://bit.ly/ebyPTk
Enjoy!
December 16th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Nice work son.
Short and sweet.
Now I can tell people to look at the comments to ep098 to find ep107!
April 27th, 2011 at 2:02 am
[...] want to learn how to get this effect just visit Richard Querin’s screencast entitled A Few Simple Text Treatments. Tags: button gradient cut-out app Inkscape, icon iphone Comments RSS feed LikeBe the first [...]
April 29th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
awesome^^
June 28th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
[...] ??????????Episode 098?screencasters.heathenx.org LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
July 15th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
[...] ??????????Episode 098?screencasters.heathenx.org [...]
August 16th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Does anyone know why the this video isn’t playing? It takes me to a new tab with a black-ish screen with a play button on a black bar with the text, “Episode 98″ under it.
August 17th, 2011 at 7:07 am
@Joey
Have no idea. Plays fine in Chrome and Firefox. If the online version doesn’t want to to take off for you then you’ll have to download the episode and watch locally.
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:54 am
free trojan remover…
screencasters.heathenx.org » Blog Archive » Episode 098…
February 16th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Going back to the comments you did with @Church about the stencil for Facebook.
Do you think it would be possible to make a stencil to do with the new Facebook Timeline?
I thought it would be cool to have the big Facebook Timeline picture blend together with your profile picture.
Let me know
February 16th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
@SEO
I’m not using the new timeline so not sure what needs to be done. My Facebook use has dwindled since Google+ has arrived.
February 20th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
I found a photoshop stencil that I converted to gimp.
http://www.seowebdesignhawaii.com/FacebookTimeline.xcf
It’s the 2 layers that say “replace this”
I was hoping you could tell me how to do the thing you did with the other facebook stencil and just hover it over a picture and cut the 2 boxes out?
February 21st, 2012 at 7:08 am
@SEO
I can convert it to Inkscape for you if you wish. Although, Can you email me a screenshoot of what the finished timeline is supposed to look like? The GIMP template isn’t an issue but I’m not exactly sure if both “replace this” images are supposed to blend together. If I have an example then I think it would be easier for me.
February 21st, 2012 at 8:58 pm
I found a link to this one in Google:
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/12/15/1323971495871/Facebook-timeline-001.jpg
So it’s going to have a white border around the smaller picture.
May 6th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Half Circle Window Treatment…
[...]screencasters.heathenx.org » Blog Archive » Episode 098[...]…
October 22nd, 2012 at 11:04 am
Is this vid still working? It doesn’t play….
October 22nd, 2012 at 11:11 am
My problem is solved. You are really awesome dude! Thanks! mwah