Labelling a map with Gimp

[MapMappingMapped]

It seems really complicated, and I'm struggling with placing the text and editing it accordingly. I've heard of drawing 'paths' to curve text and stuff like that, but I must say I'm completely dumbfounded...
How do I add spaces between letters to spread text over long distances (mountains, regions, etc.)? How do I even use paths to curve text? And how do I PLACE the text properly in the first place???
Thanks in advance!!

[MapMappingMapped]

OOps. Spelled ma instead of map...

[QED42]

To do the curved text you create a path then put the text on it, tutorial here: http://www.shaviva.com/documents/tex...structions.pdf

To change the spacing between letters you look in the tool options when you have the text tool selected. Below the options for setting how you justify the text there is three boxes with the number 0.0 next to them, it's the third one down there that you want.

For where to put the labels you want the pdf in this thread https://www.cartographersguild.com/s...147#post133147

[MapMappingMapped]

Ah thanks QED42! Using those right now, thank you!

[Mouse]

Well.

Perhaps the best thing to do is to learn all those methods separately first, so that you can combine them and get the desired result.

learn how to add text to a GIMP file here.

learn how to apply text to a path here. (There are 2 methods in this tut. Only the second one is really useful - the way I do my own curved text)

Adding spaces between letters is as simple as hitting the space bar between each letter as you just type them in (remembering to type the same number of spaces around each of the spaces themselves, or your words will run into one another

EDIT: and I'm so sloooooooooow at watching vids to check their ok and say what they need to that I've absolutely missed the boat LOL!

[MapMappingMapped]

Thanks Mouse! I'll try all of those, although as usual I'm finding it pretty complicated.... But then I thought so of everything when I started GIMP.

[Mouse]

GIMP isn't the most user friendly app, but once you learn the basics it does quite a lot.

I prefer Krita these days, except for the fact that Krita's text tools are totally not there just yet. I usually use Krita to draw the map, and either GIMP or CC3 to label them. CC3 is far better than GIMP at labelling things, since it spaces the letters along a curve evenly from end to end, but its not a free app.

[MapMappingMapped]

*groan* This is is really brain-munching... I don't know if it's my GIMP that has a problem but I don't seem to be able to do, say, lower and raise text... I feel like this is leaking my brain... the whole map is finished but for the text and I feel that's killing me...

[MapMappingMapped]

Hey, the map takes 135 MB?? Does 'Merge Down' press all the layers into only one to save space?

[Mouse]

Don't do it!!!!

You can't unmerge the layers once they are merged, and Murphy's Law states that you will want to change something that you can no longer change just five minutes after saving it all merged down.

I really wouldn't worry about the size of the file, as long as its still running ok and isn't dead slow or crashing. GIMP files are big.

There are other ways of reducing the memory if its slowing down too much.

You can trim layers to be only as big as the thing that's on them by going to Layer/Autocrop Layer. That way, if you only have a couple of dots on it in the middle the size of the layer will be really tiny compared to the image.

If that's not enough, create a new layer from visible (layer menu) and start a new GIMP file with that one as the background, leaving the original file in layers - in case you want to change anything later.