Marcus Chen
Adding an outline to text in MS Paint can enhance the text's appearance and make it more readable, especially when placed over a similarly coloured background. While MS Paint does not have a text outline feature, there are alternative ways to achieve this effect. One option is to use the Magic Wand tool with specific settings, followed by selecting a foreground colour and pressing Backspace to fill the selection. Another method involves using the Text tool to create large-sized text, selecting the text with the Magic Wand tool, adding a new layer, and then using the paintbrush to fill in the selected areas. While these techniques may not be as straightforward as a dedicated text outline feature, they provide workarounds for creating outlined text in MS Paint.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Software | Paint.NET, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, LibreOffice Draw, XnView, Photofiltre |
| Purpose | Creating original memes, adding captions to diagrams or photographs, making existing text more readable |
| Text size | Large font size, e.g. 72-point font |
| Text colour | Any colour, e.g. if the outline is black, the text colour should be white |
| Tools | Text tool, Magic Wand tool, Paintbrush |
| Technique | Use the Text tool to type out the text, select all text with the Magic Wand tool, add a new layer, fill in the selected area with colour, hit Delete to remove the insides of the letters |
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What You'll Learn
Use a text tool to create the text you want
To use a text tool to create the text you want in MS Paint, start by opening MS Paint and choosing whether to begin with a blank canvas or an existing image. Next, click on the Text tool and hold down your left mouse button to draw a text area on the canvas. You can drag the cursor to adjust the size of the text area according to your preferences. Once you release the mouse button, you should see a blinking cursor inside the text area, indicating that you can start typing your desired text.
If you want to change the location of the text box, simply hover your mouse over the border and drag it to the desired position. When you are satisfied with the text and its placement, click anywhere on the canvas outside the text area, and your text will be added to the canvas or image. It is important to note that once you click outside the text area, you cannot re-edit or make changes to the text. MS Paint will apply the text to the image, and if any adjustments are needed, you will need to start over.
Additionally, MS Paint does not support layering, so you will not be able to move or rearrange the text once it has been placed. The text customization options in MS Paint allow you to modify the font style, size, boldness, and italics, and choose between an opaque or transparent background. You can also change the text colour by selecting from a set of pre-selected colours or customizing your own colour using the Edit Color option.
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Select a large font size
When outlining text in MS Paint, it is recommended to use a large font size. In the example provided, a 72-point font is used, which is equivalent to 1-inch-tall letters. However, you can go even bigger, and the final result will look better the larger you go. This is because the text you create will be the centre of your outlined text. Therefore, the size of this text will determine the size of the outline.
It is also important to consider the colour of this text, as it will be the colour of the inside of your outlined text. For example, if you want the outlined text to have a white centre, the original text needs to be white. This is a crucial step in the process of outlining text in MS Paint, as it ensures that the desired colour is visible within the outline.
The large font size also provides a better surface for applying the outline. With bigger letters, you have more space to work with, making it easier to create a neat and precise outline. This is especially beneficial if you are using a paintbrush tool or a similar feature to draw the outline.
Additionally, using a large font size can enhance the overall visibility and impact of your text. Larger letters will naturally draw more attention and can improve readability, especially if your text is placed on top of an image or a coloured background.
By selecting a large font size, you can create a more prominent and visually appealing outlined text effect in MS Paint. This technique is particularly useful when creating titles, headings, or any text that you want to stand out in your design or image.
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Choose the colour for the centre of your outlined text
To choose the colour for the centre of your outlined text in MS Paint, you must first open the application and decide whether you want to start with a blank canvas or open an existing image. Once you have done that, click on the Text tool and draw a text area on the canvas by holding down your left mouse button and dragging to create the desired size of the text area.
After you have created the text area, the MS Paint ribbon will open up text customisation options. Here, you can change the font style, size, boldness, italics, and opaque or transparent background. The next section in the ribbon is Colours, where you can select the foreground colour (Colour 1) and background colour (Colour 2), as well as choose from a set of pre-selected colours or edit and choose custom colours.
To change the colour of your text, simply write the text in the text area. The colour will initially be set to whatever is selected in Colour 1, which is usually black. If you want to change the colour, you can either click on one of the available pallet colours or pick a custom colour by clicking on the Edit Colour option.
Whatever colour you select will become the default foreground colour (Colour 1). If you only want to change the colour of a specific part of the text, simply select that part of the text and click on any of the available colours.
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Use the Magic Wand tool to select all of the text
The Magic Wand tool in MS Paint allows you to select areas of similar colour. This can be a single continuous shape or multiple separate areas. To select a single continuous area, simply click on it.
The Magic Wand tool has five selection modes that dictate how subsequent selections interact with any existing selection. The default mode is Contiguous, where the selection will continue to expand outwards from the click point until neighbouring pixels no longer satisfy the Tolerance setting.
To select all of the text using the Magic Wand tool, you can use the Additive selection mode. This mode allows you to make complex selections by chaining multiple selections together, gradually extending the selection to capture more of the desired region.
Another technique is to use the Alt key (Subtractive mode) while clicking on any black area to deselect all the disconnected black areas. This method is particularly useful for selecting text characters. Alternatively, you can select all the black areas by Shift-clicking on any black pixel and then inverting the selection.
By adjusting the Tolerance setting, you can fine-tune the selection to capture the desired areas. A lower Tolerance may capture most of the desired area but not all, while a higher Tolerance may include unwanted elements in the selection.
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Add a new layer
While MS Paint does not have a feature to add an outline to text, this can be achieved using a similar program called Paint.NET (AKA Paint). Paint.NET is a free image editing and art creation program that supports plugins, which allow you to write outlined text.
To add a new layer in Paint.NET, follow these steps:
- Create your text using the Text tool, with a large font size—the larger the font size, the better the final result will look. This text will be the centre of your outlined text, so choose the colour accordingly.
- Use the Magic Wand tool to select all of the text. Ensure the "Add (Union)" option is selected in the upper-left corner, allowing you to select all the letters simultaneously.
- In the bottom-right window of the program, select "Add New Layer." This will create a blank layer on top of your existing layer, while still keeping the shapes of the letters selected.
- Use the paintbrush to fill in the selected shapes with your chosen colour.
- Hit "Delete" to remove the insides of the letters. Now, the original letters will be visible, with your outlines on top of them.
With these steps, you can quickly and easily add outlines to your text or any other shape. This technique is especially useful when the picture background has a similar colour scheme, as it helps make the text clearer and adds a little extra gloss.
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Frequently asked questions
Unfortunately, MS Paint does not have a feature that allows you to add an outline to text. However, you can use alternative software such as Inkscape, LibreOffice Draw, XnView, or PhotoFiltre.
First, use the Text tool to create your desired text in a large font size. Then, use the Magic Wand tool to select all of the text, ensuring that the "Add (Union)" option is selected. Next, select "Add New Layer" to add a blank layer while keeping the shapes of the letters selected. Hit Delete to remove the insides of the letters, leaving the original letters with outlines on top.
Use the Magic Wand with a tolerance of 0% and the flood mode set to global on the empty space around the now-blurred text. Set your foreground colour to the desired outline colour and press ← Backspace to fill the selection. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.
