Crafting appealing digital effects isn’t that difficult in today’s world. When you use an advanced app, it becomes very easy. The best part is there are some top-notch online tools that can help you out. In this case, GIMP can be a perfect choice.

I got to know about GIMP through an article. The best thing I loved about this design tool is it’s completely free to use. Developed by Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis, General Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is one of the most popular open-source graphic editors.

This app is available in Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. However, GIMP became popular because of its advanced features such as color, image editing, layers, CTX, and GEGL. By using these cool features, you can get the best outcome.

You can craft some amazing projects by using this app. If you are up for creating a wavy text in GIMP, you have to follow some easy steps. That’s why I will share a step-by-step guide to creating a wavy text effect in this graphic editor. Let’s get started.

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Create Wavy Retro Text Effect in Gimp (Step-By-Step)

There are so many things you can create by using the Gimp app. Well, if you want to craft a wavy text effect by using this tool, you have to follow some steps. To simplify, I break down each step in the following list. Let’s find out:

Step 1: First, open the Gimp app on your device. Make sure you have the most updated version. After opening it, go to the ‘File’ option on the left top corner of your screen and select the ‘New’ option. Keep the canvas to a 1920×1080 ratio.

Step 2: Now, you have to choose the color of the canvas. In this case, you can use a built-in color palette of Gimp. To do this, go to the ‘Windows’ menu on the top bar of the screen. Next, click on the ‘Dockable Dialogs’ option to open the ‘Palettes’ option.

Step 3: You can find the palette box on the right-side panel of your screen. From there, you can choose both background and text colors. To choose the background color, first, double click on a color group to open more options. Choose a suitable color and drag it onto your canvas to get the result. For example, I selected blue for this project.

Step 4: You have to follow the same step to choose the text color. To do this, just go to the color palette box and choose a suitable color as per your preference. 

After doing that, go to the left side panel of your screen and click on the ‘A’ icon. You can also set the font and text size.

Step 5: Create a text layer and write something for an example. Now, go to the ‘Move Tool’ option on the left side panel and select it for moving the text. So, you can make more duplicate texts in this canvas.

Step 6: This is a crucial step as you have to duplicate the written text on your canvas. To do this, go to the layers panel on the right side of your screen and find the ‘Duplicate’ option below. Duplicate the text layer three times.

Step 7: Next, you have to select the ‘Alignment’ option to set the text. Alternatively, you can click on the ‘Q’ key from your keyboard. It will open all alignment features. 

Select all layers and go to the ‘Central Alignment’ option on the left side panel. Next, select the ‘Distribute targets evenly in the vertical’ option to get the result.

Step 8: You can add a design to get a dynamic outcome. To do this, first, select the original text layer option and go to the ‘Create a new layer’ option. Select the ‘Ok’ button.

Now, go to the ‘paths’ tab on the right side panel and convert the selection to a path. You can hide the original text layer to add more intensity. 

Step 9: The next step is to put all texts in one layer. To do this, you have to hide the background first. Click on the eye icon to hide the background. Now, open the ‘Layer’ option from the top menu and select the ‘New from visible’ option. 

Shift + click on the visible option to hide all other layers. Make sure you unhide the background layer.

Step 10: Finally, it’s time to make wavy text GIMP. To implement this step, go to the ‘Filter’ option and open ‘Distorts’. Under that option, select ‘Whirl and Pinch’.

Your retro wavy text using GIMP is ready. You can adjust the whirl, pinch, and radius as per your preference. It will add more intensity to your design.


Conclusion

By reading how to make wavy text effects in GIMP, you can understand that there are some crucial steps you have to follow. That’s why it can be a bit tough for beginners. Still, I explained everything to make it easier. If you need more help, you can start your research online. 

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