Circle Text

[AgentGoodspeed 40]

Fonts... Italianno... I just installed this in Windows. New font is available in Word, Paint.Net, others, but not CircleText.

 

Shouldn't CircleText just pick up the new font?

 

It's my understanding that plug-ins in Paint.net can only use TrueType fonts and not Open Type fonts.

Your new Italianno font is probably otf...

[raptoo 0]

It's my understanding that plug-ins in Paint.net can only use TrueType fonts and not Open Type fonts.

Your new Italianno font is probably otf...

 

Right you are!

 

I downloaded a TTF version and voila...THANK YOU!!!

[RoyGBiv 0]

Still having problems with letter spacing along a circle.  Any suggestions welcome...

You can see the problem in the attached image... No space between OMMU and too much space between NIT

Tried different fonts but not successful. If I make the letters skinnier (change font) they don't match other text in the image.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Edited September 27, 2016 by RoyGBiv

[Eli 1,046]

[RoyGBiv 0]

^^^^^

 

I've tried adding spaces, but that seems to compress the letters together proportionally.  The "OMMU" letters begin to merge before the gap in "NIT" closes enough to look right.  I'm trying to build the graphics for an embroidered patch, so each letter needs to remain separated from the adjoining letters with even spacing across the entire line of text.

 

I've also tried playing with changing the angle of arc in conjunction with adding/removing spaces, but the result is the same squashed "OMMU" before I can close the gaps in "NITY".  I can use "skinnier" fonts to hide the problem (still shows the problem but to a lesser degree), but those fonts don't look right with the rest of the patch that contains some other text I cannot change. 

 

It makes good sense that this is happening.... Programatically I assume that the plugin is reserving the same space for each character and "OMMU" fills the available space while the "I" in the middle of "NIT" occupies only the center of the same size reserved space.  I'm not sure how normal (non-curved) text handles this dilemma.  I'd guess that when I'm typing this post the total space allocated to the letter "I" is smaller than the total space allocated to the letter "M" and that is not what is happening with this plugin. "COMMUNITY"  not "COMMUN I TY".  I'd again guess that in normal type, the space for each letter varies in a way that accounts for the actual width of the letter, plus some equal spacing to the right and left, measured from the edges of the letter and not from the edges of a same-sized reserved space that is universal regardless of the width of the letter itself... ?? 

 

It appears that the plugin is holding the same space for "I" and "M", and then adding the same space on either side of both letters when "I" should be assigned less space than "M", plus the same spacing on either side.

 

Apologies for the rambling.... My coffee is just kicking in.  ;-)

Edited September 28, 2016 by RoyGBiv

[Eli 1,046]

You need to trace a circle that will match the arch of your text in your original image. This circle will be used as a guide.

Copy this circle to a new square canvas.Make sure it is in the center.

I am using the pink circle as an example.

Use the Circle Text plugin and type your word and make it surround the pink circle guide as in the picture on the left.

Duplicate your layer and erase the letter C on  the upper layer.

Erase the letters OMMUNITY on the lower layer.

Go back to the upper layer and Select the entire canvas and rotate your text until the O of OMMUNITY is very close to the C.

Merge the upper layer with the lower layer and...

Repeat the same steps for the rest of the letters.

When you are donne copy it to the clipboard and paste it on your original image.

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2016 by Eli

[RoyGBiv 0]

Eli... First, THANKS!  I think your suggestion is cleaner than the one I did....

 

I wound up using the circle text feature and then going back and adjusting the letter spacing manually..

1. Rotate image so that I can capture a letter using a square box or lasso.

2. Capture one letter at a time.

3. Adjust the letter location and rotation as needed

4. Repeat.

 

Had to adjust OMMUNIT.  Finished product looks fine, but Eli's way would have been easier.

[jeestring 0]

Can't see TEXT in effects...

[toe_head2001 1,394]

23 minutes ago, jeestring said:

Can't see TEXT in effects...

The Circle Text plugin is located in the "Text Formations" submenu. No plugins (that I'm aware of) are using a submenu called "TEXT".

 

Please ensure you've installed the plugin correctly. If in doubt, here are some verbose instructions:

http://www.boltbait.com/pdn/InstallingEffects.asp

 

[RobbS 0]

On 9/28/2016 at 0:25 PM, Eli said:

You need to trace a circle that will match the arch of your text in your original image.....

etc etc etc.....

 

Wow! I am so glad I came to this forum and discovered that I am a truly lazy SOB!
I did NOT do any of the suggestions, deleted the plugin and found something else far easier and simpler to make my curved text.
And here I thought it was going to be easy...

[Rosco 0]

I did not notice any download area ???

Thanks

[toe_head2001 1,394]

6 hours ago, Rosco said:

I did not notice any download area ???

There's a big (larger font size) "Download" link in the first post. The link will take you to dpy's pack:

 

[Miroku4444 0]

Does this work on version 4.0 .6?

[BoltBait 2,452]

8 minutes ago, Miroku4444 said:

Does this work on version 4.0 .6?

 

 If it didn't, there would be a red note in the first post. 

 

And, it wouldn't be pinned in the forum. 

[Miroku4444 0]

Cool, looks sweet. 

 

Thanks for the info about the red note, haven't been here in a few years. Glad you guys are still here.

[spamme 2]

Nice plugin but alas it seems to be abandoned but still working. I was using it until a faced a problem, which maybe other users could face. I wanted to created a curved text but I needed a very high resolution image (7000x7000 px) because it had to be printed on a poster DIN A0. Actually the plugin has some limitations for the font size (288) and for the radius (1000 px) what make the plugin practically useless for high resolution images. But the limitations are only in the plugin UI, and the good new is that there is a work around, but it requires a little bit of dll hacking. First I found this post on stackoverflow how to modify a .Net executable (exe), but the same technique can be used also for a .Net library (dll): https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2742583/modify-emdeded-string-in-c-sharp-compiled-exe

1. Using CMD.exe → call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v8.0A\bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools\ildasm.exe" CircleText.dll
2. Using Notepad++ → Find and replace the limitations in the CircleText.il file. The values are stored as hexadecimal 288=0x120 and 1000=0x3e8, for example with 600=0x258 and 4000=0xFa0

       IL_0047:  ldc.i4.s   12
       IL_0049:  ldc.i4.8
       IL_004a:  ldc.i4     0x258
       IL_004f:  newobj     instance void [PaintDotNet.Base]PaintDotNet.PropertySystem.Int32Property::.ctor(object,
                                                                                                            int32,
                                                                                                            int32,
                                                                                                            int32)

    

3. Using CMD.exe → call "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\ilasm.exe" CircleText.il /resource:CircleText.res /dll

The new recompiled dll will have the new limits for font size and radius. Enjoy creating curved texts in very high resolution.

Note: I don't attach any dll to avoid any problem of malware/spyware. The process is quite simple and everybody can do it in less than 5 minutes.

[AndrewDavid 611]

Hi @spamme

Thanks for the insight you gave me of how to hack a DLL. Never would know where and what to change those numbers to. Followed your directions and successfully changed the limitations in circletext.dll. Not for the faint of heart though. I'm running win10 and had to change a few command line dirs to find what you were talking about. Never knew windows contained a decompiler for dlls. Another trick for an old dog. 

Edited November 2, 2017 by AndrewDavid

[toe_head2001 1,394]

55 minutes ago, AndrewDavid said:

Thanks for the insight you gave me of how to hack a DLL.

Note that this is only for DLL/EXE files that are .NET Assemblies. i.e. files that contain managed IL code.

Most DLL/EXE files are compiled to native x86 machine code, and thus are more difficult to modify.

[AndrewDavid 611]

@toe_head2001 - thanks for the clarification. Bet you a case of beer I'll never do that process again unless clear instructions are provided. 

I am finding it usefull to work on a larger canvas size (2000 X 2000) with some of the graphic fonts I have aquired.

[Eli 1,046]

I have also encountered  the limitations of font size when using large canvas. I would like the fix to be included in the original DLL however DPY has not been around lately. 

[AndrewDavid 611]

@Eli here ya go. It was quite simple to modify.

CircleText.zip

[Eli 1,046]

Thanks @AndrewDavid I am always afraid I will break something. 

Edited November 2, 2017 by Eli

[Ego Eram Reputo 2,324]

I've added @AndrewDavid's recompiled version to the first post.

[Peekuhcheew 0]

I'm creating my own custom coin for fantasy currency and the circle text need two text boxes one for upper and the other one for lower the two small boxes need left and right reverse text, Yes it is messy when you see text on your coin not well neatly and perfectly centered.

[toe_head2001 1,394]

Hi @Peekuhcheew, why can't you just run the plugin twice? First for the top, and then for the bottom?