Re: [Gimp-user] text mode, need instruct sequence

[Gene Heskett <gheskett shentel net>]

On Monday 05 October 2020 21:15:59 Cliff Pratt via gimp-user-list wrote:

> Ok, I now have 2.8.22 running in Ubuntu in a VM. That's as close as I
> can get to your setup - Debian 9 and Gimp 2.8.?.
>
> This is vanilla, out of the box, no configuration.
>
> I created a new blank image, and selected the text tool. In the Tool
> Options the font is "Sans", the size is 18 px and the colour is black.
>
> In the tool options I change the font to "Serif", size to 36 px and
> the colour to green. All this in theText Tool Options. *Note that this
> changes the default foreground colour to green*.
>
> I click on the canvas and drag to get a text box. Type "Abcd". The
> font is "Serif" and the colour is green, and the size shows as 36 px.
>
> I decide that I want the test to be blue and 42 px and the font to be
> sans. I make sure the text box is selected.
>
> I click the font button and select "Sans" in the drop down list in the
> Tool Options. The text immediately changes to Sans. It stays green and
> 36 px.
>
> I change the colour to blue and the size to 42 px in the Tool Options.
> Those attributes change immediately. Changing one has no effect on the
> other and changes are immediate.
>
> *Note that this does not change the default foreground colour which
> remains green*.
>
> If I click and drag another text box elsewhere, it takes the size and
> the font from the first box, but it shows the colour from the default
> foreground when I type some text. But if I type some text and* then
> *change the colour in the tool options it doesn't change the default
> foreground colour.
>
> I haven't seen it 'reset' any other options. If I had to guess, I'd
> guess that you have another, invisible text box, you've clicked in
> that and it uses the font and size option from that box. That's why I
> asked how many layers you have.

If it worked that way for me I wouldn't have a problem.  How do I 
determine how many "layers" as you call them that there are in a .jpg 
image loaded from my cannon PowerShot SX420 IS by cable connection by 
digikam, and then loaded into gimp so I can add some captions?

BUT! Following the above instruction sequence but using the lower color 
selector, it all works the first time.  Whats confusing the issue is 
that there are TWO places to change the color, one in the toolbox and 
one in the lower edit it box. Using the lower boxes color selector does 
NOT reset everything else.  And I found the image info and there are 
now, after adding another caption line, 3 layers shown in an info box.

This makes sense, AND Just Works, finally.  And I learned something 
valuable that I'm hoping my ancient brain which turned 86 yo yesterday 
can remember the next time I want to do something. The main use of gimp 
here is to smunch a modern cameras half a gigabyte+ images down into 
something under 375k or less so most email servers will pass it.

Captioning is done much less often. And I just found that the latest 
caption text added is the layer affected by the color adjust, so the 
text color can be adjusted after the caption is done. So I'd assume 
there is someplace to select the layer the rest of the tools work on. 

Thank you very much Cliff, for going to all that work to show me how it 
works.  Its very much appreciated.
[...]

Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
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 - Louis D. Brandeis
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>