Converting short text stings to GIF files

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Ned Mullen
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Registriert: Di 24 Jul 2007 07:13
Wohnort: Los Angeles, California

Converting short text stings to GIF files

Beitrag von Ned Mullen »

Hello,

I have to convert a number of MS Word text files, each contain a short text string, into small images with transparent backgrounds that can be stored as GIf files .

A typical string, "Abc-De", would consist of 24 point text. Typically the first 4 characters (Abc-) are black and the remaining characters( De) are red.

I did this many times, years ago, but now I am having a hard time working out how to do this simple conversion.

Help in the form a step by step procedure will be greatly appreciated.

Cordially, Ned Mullen
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greenmorpher
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Beitrag von greenmorpher »

Hello Ned

I don't see the relevance of them being MS Word text files -- or do you mean they must end up back in an MS Word document?

In PhotoLine 32, go Menu Bar > File > New Document.

Type the text string you want, select the type face and type size. Make the black letters black and the red letters red.

Now go Menu Bar > Layer > Convert Layer Type > and select RGB image.

Use the lassoo to select just the type (which is now an image), cut it then go Menu bar > Edit > Paste as document and you now have the type as a picture with a transparent background.

Save, choosing to save to GIF format and seek out the options tol reduce colours. I found red and black saved satisfactorily to using 4 colours (down from the GIF starting point of 256).

THE PROBLEM I then had was getting it into a document at the correct definition. I saved a 300 dpi graphic -- which was about 3.3 cm long (a little under an inch and a half). When I dropped it into a Word Processor, it expanded to fill the page.

How do you control sizing in a Word Processor target document?

Cheers, Geoff

Geoffrey Heard, Business Writer & Publisher

"Type & Layout: Are you communicating or just making pretty shapes" -- Revealed! The secrets of how you can use type and layout to turbocharge your messages in print. See the book at http://www.worsleypress.com