Outlining text and icons (solved)

[Iylo]

First time posting, but I was unable to find this answer with my Search-fu.

I am a DM, working on making maps to hand out to my players. I'm using a very old world I created long ago as the setting, and the maps I made are awesome, but they have just a bit too much info on them, so I'm trying to make a less detailed version of the maps. However, I made the originals years ago and I can't remember how I achieved the outlines around the text and icons on the map. I was wondering if any of you could help me out in reverse-engineering my methods.

I did this using Paint.net, and I know I didn't use any plugins because I don't have any installed.

The effect in question is the white outline around all of the black text and most of the icons. Any help here would be very much appreciated!



 EDIT: I figured out the solution, a plugin WAS used, I just did this on a different computer and haven't re-downloaded everything. For those wondering, I used Pyrochild's "Outline Object" plugin. The only issue I have left to figure out is how to delete a post on this site

Edited June 14, 2019 by Iylo

[toe_head2001]

8 minutes ago, Iylo said:

I did this using Paint.net, and I know I didn't use any plugins because I don't have any installed.

 

Outlining text is not a feature of Paint.NET, so you probably did use a plugin.

You basically said, "I didn't use any plugins back then, because I don't currently have any installed now."

 

The only other way to do that kind of outline would be to duplicate the layer many, many times, and manually reposition all of them.

[Iylo]

10 minutes ago, toe_head2001 said:

You basically said, "I didn't use any plugins back then, because I don't currently have any installed now."

Yeah, I realized that after I posted -- I edited the original to say I figured that out. I can't figure out how to delete the post (or if it's even possible). Thanks for the reply though!

Edited June 14, 2019 by toe_head2001
Removed junk injected by Grammarly

[HyReZ]

If you have a copy of MS Office on you computer, you will not go to hell if you use PowerPoint to add the text with outline to your maps!

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Nice map!

[MJW]

You actually can do an object outline without plugins (though I'm not sure why you'd want to).

 

Draw the text in black on a transparent layer.

Duplicate the layer.

Invert the color of the lower layer.

Run Distort>Morphology with Dilation on the lower layer. For the (quite large) example I tried, a couple of repetitions with Width and Height of 3 worked well.

Merge the layers.

 

It wouldn't work too well on really small text.

 

(I don't know why two repetitions of 3 works better than a single repetition of 6, but I think it does.)

 

[HyReZ]

Simpler yet:

Do all the text on a transparent layer as stated above
Duplcate the layer as a backup.

Then apply the Drop Shadow plugin with color set to white

You can experiment with depth, angles, and intensity to your liking

Edited June 15, 2019 by HyReZ
inserting additional information

[MJW]

Though, of course, that doesn't do it without plugins.

[HyReZ]

1 hour ago, MJW said:

Though, of course, that doesn't do it without plugins.

My point is not in being nostalgic for a process, but in getting the task done. That is why I referenced using PowerPoint also, and now the OP recollects using a plugin after all.
 

Edited June 15, 2019 by HyReZ