Basic Caption Making Guide (2019)

Basic Caption-making Guide:
•	You will need: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, GIMP, and an image.
•	Write the caption in a Google Docs document or a Microsoft Word document, but make sure your final script is available as a Word document.
o	Include any text formatting like bolds and italics in your chosen medium.  Do not save this step for GIMP.
o	Check your text for typos, spelling, and grammar.
o	If you want to use the Diavlo font, please refer to the advanced guide.
•	Follow these instructions carefully to change PowerPoint’s image export resolution.  I recommend 150, but I accept no responsibility for any serious mistakes and/or damages if you fail to follow these instructions:
o	https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/powerpoint/change-export-slide-resolution
o	After editing your export resolution, you can very easily change it back at any time following the same instructions.
•	Import an image into GIMP and change its Print Size via Image > Print Size to match your chosen DPI from the previous step.  (150 if you happened to follow the example)
o	Change the values for X resolution and Y resolution to match.  Changing either should automatically change the other.
o	Make sure that the drop down box is set to pixels/in.
o	Overwrite the same image with the new print information or simply export as a new copy.
	You need to perform this step so that the final caption once exported from PowerPoint isn’t blown up or shrunk down in comparison to the source image.  Otherwise the final caption will be taller or shorter than the image you used, and the image will essentially be resized in a way you may not want.
•	Import this image into PowerPoint.
o	Either click and drag or use the Insert > Pictures menu options.
o	Make sure your slide is appropriately sized via Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size.
•	Use text box objects to insert your caption text.
o	Make sure you change the textbox option to “Do not autofit” so that you can stretch the textbox to the height of the image and set the width as you like.
o	You can change the fill colour for a solid background, and change the text colour for aesthetic purposes.
•	Copy and paste your caption text from Word into the text boxes you made in PowerPoint remembering to use the “Keep source formatting” option.
o	Center and align middle your text so that it fits entirely within the textbox.
o	Change line spacing via the “Paragraph” option to Single spaced, or a low multiple (0.90-1.2) in order to make your text fit within the borders.
o	Set spacing either before or after to roughly half your text size, or whatever looks good to you so that you don’t need blank lines to break up paragraphs.
•	 Once your caption looks good and reads well, select all objects (the image and the two text boxes) by clicking and dragging your mouse, or by using Ctrl+A.
•	Right click and save as image.  PowerPoint should default to “Picture1.png” so give your caption a name.
•	Import the new caption back into GIMP and use the Image > Crop to Content option to get rid of any surrounding transparency.
o	Only do this once if your image features a white background, and double check that there actually is a transparent border of some kind when cropping with a white background.
•	Done.