Making a wordpad file saveable as an image for upcoming diary.

[sebsy]

Hello folks.

 

I will be starting a new diary/dynasty very soon but would like to use some fonts that aren't available on this forum. Now I've seen a diary before that has done something similar but without traipsing through dozens of pages and threads and getting lucky I won't be finding it any time soon.

 

I'm pretty sure in this other diary each show was posted as one whole image, with the text and pictures all in one file.

 

The only way I can find so far that lets me do anything close to this is wordpad and then using the snipping tool, but that only lets me select what is visible on my screen and would mean posting each show as about 12-15 images.

 

Wordpad is ideal as I can set things that I want centred to be centred and for everything to be in centre so to speak. Paint is no use, whilst I can add images, I can't see a way to centre everything and for adding text it is horrendous.

 

Gimp is similarly not much use for me.

 

However, with Wordpad, there is no way I know of to save it as a png or jpg, which I believe would allow me to post the show as one whole image. I know I have seen someone do this before, perhaps I am wrong and they posted it as several different images but it did look like it was done as one whole image.

 

If not, I'll just have to type everything in directly to the forum as I am now, and line everything up, make sure all the code is right etc but I was hoping to do something like mentioned above as I would also find it easier writing my shows out in wordpad than in the forum.

[James Casey]

I can only suggest what I do, which is using the Advanced Editor Mode (the [A/A] button in the top right of the reply box) to paste in my entry from a Word file. It retains all the formatting from Word 2003 files, although as you've noted the font options are limited. I can't speak for other versions of Word - I couldn't get 2007 to work because of the amount of metadata embedded in any document (although I found a possible solution much later, but I didn't have time to try it). It doesn't support OpenOffice either.

 

I don't know if it works with Wordpad either, and I have to link in images separately - from Photobucket in my case. Still, it will retain centred text, italics, bold - anything like that.

 

Otherwise, Crayon came up with an online system that might help called Fictionplus. Have a look at it here.

[sebsy]

Hi James. Thanks for the reply, however I'm sure I have seen a diary where someone was making the shows as one whole image and posting them as such.

 

I just can't figure out how to do it.

[Killagy]

I think I found out.

 

Open Paint.

Before doing anything else click "Select", click the empty white space, then choose the "Resize" option.

Untick the "Maintain aspect ratio" box if you want to be specific with the size of space you're working on, though it doesn't really matter if you have a huge chunk of white empty space left when you're done as you can just crop your image out of it.

Resizing it by "Percentage" is if you really don't care to be specific about the size, "Pixels" if you know exactly how much space you need and want to be specific.

After you're satisfied with your settings, go to the arrow below the "Paste" button and click and choose "Paste from".

Add your pictures in one by one and rearrange them how you like.

Unfortunately if it turns out you run out of space, you'll have to start over again from the beginning.

 

Hope that helps!

 

EDIT

Uploaded an image to show you my version Paint, to see if it's the same version as yours.

[sebsy]

Hi. Thanks Killagy, it seems to be the same version as I have, I'm on Windows 7 myself.

 

Had a very quick play around with it there as I'm off to bed now but it looks like that might actually be exactly what I'm after.

 

Obviously to avoid running out of space and having to start over again I can just make it huge and far bigger than I'll actually need, then I can just crop it out.

 

I knew I'd seen someone do it in a diary before and there must be a way, just could not see a way to do it, and tbh never thought Paint would be the best option. Just a shame Wordpad can't allow you to save as a jpg or png because that would have been perfect, but guess I can write shows in Wordpad and paste it over from there.

 

Many thanks.

 

Of course if anyone else knows of any other methods feel free to suggest but this does seem like it is exactly what I'm after.

 

 

EDIT: Just had another very quick play and actually can't see a way that anything else could be better than this tbf.

 

I owe you massive thanks, Killagy.

[Killagy]

Hi. Thanks Killagy, it seems to be the same version as I have, I'm on Windows 7 myself.

 

Had a very quick play around with it there as I'm off to bed now but it looks like that might actually be exactly what I'm after.

 

Obviously to avoid running out of space and having to start over again I can just make it huge and far bigger than I'll actually need, then I can just crop it out.

 

I knew I'd seen someone do it in a diary before and there must be a way, just could not see a way to do it, and tbh never thought Paint would be the best option. Just a shame Wordpad can't allow you to save as a jpg or png because that would have been perfect, but guess I can write shows in Wordpad and paste it over from there.

 

Many thanks.

 

Of course if anyone else knows of any other methods feel free to suggest but this does seem like it is exactly what I'm after.

 

 

EDIT: Just had another very quick play and actually can't see a way that anything else could be better than this tbf.

 

I owe you massive thanks, Killagy.

 

How about taking a screenshot and make a jpg image of different portions, also through Paint? That could possibly work.

 

And no problem.

[sebsy]

That would probably make things more complicated if I'm honest

 

All I mean is, is that in Wordpad you can actually choose to left/centre/right align things, whereas in Paint you just have to manually allign things up using the red lines at the top which is a lot more fiddly. Absolutely easy for text boxes, just a slight pain with images. Well, as far as I know there is no strict left/centre/right align option in Paint.

 

Other than that it is perfect, just do a quick bit of trial and error by making a made up post of how my shows will actually be written up, save an image to photobucket and start a new thread that I'll never post, just to test it all out. Then I can see how big a surface I can work on that will fit within the page here on the forums.

[Killagy]

lol Well I'll definitely be on the lookout for your next diary, I never made one with that approach before, never even read one like it, so this should be interesting!

[sebsy]

 

Well I'm not sure you should get too excited just over my presentation, but hopefully the writing and drama can match up to it.

 

Cheers for all the help.

[sebsy]

Bah, looks like it just won't be possible to do the way I'd hoped.

 

I've written part of a fake show just to use for testing and saved it in paint and gimp, as both jpg and png, but it only shows up a lot smaller than it actually is and there is no way around it. Might have to save multiple pics for each show which will be a right ballache or just admit defeat and post using the fonts available in the forum only.

 

 

EDIT: Actually, think I've got everything sorted and ready for my diary now. I can upload the pics to imgur and they will display on here at full size, whereas Photobucket only allows up to a certain size unless you pay for a pro account. Also the pic I have uploaded to imgur shows here with perfect clarity, whereas any I uploaded to photobucket showed up on here a little fuzzy, not a lot but just noticable enough. I am a new fan of imgur.