Digital Workshop

I am wondering if there is a better way to create a speech balloon containing text. i.e. The "tail" on the speech balloon pointing to a button, and the text saying "click this button next".

So far I have only been able to do this by using a speech balloon (auto-shape) overlaid with a text box. This works fine but can get a bit complicated on some pages.

Is there a way of either including text in an Auto-shape, or modifying the shape of a text box so that it looks like a speech balloon?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but this is what I would do:

Click on the Background tab for the textbox. Select a background style and color.

Click on the Border tab for the textbox. Select Think Bubble.

Click on OK.

Your text should have the think bubble as background.

Now what you would need to do is select your text and choose Text/Paragraph menus. Then modify the margins so that your text fits comfortably in the think bubble.

You may have to play around with font size and the size of the bubble.

Is this what you wanted to do?

Thanks for that, I hadn't discovered the different shapes for Text Boxes so it has been a valuable learning experience.

It is a bit of a problem that the Think Bubble is not an ideal shape for pointing clearely to a button and saying "Click Here!" A pity there is not a shape that is a bit more "pointery" or arrow shaped or something.

Anyway, I'll explore the different shapes and see what looks best. Wouldn't it be nice if it was possible to create custom shapes?

Thanks for your help

A custom border might do it--there was a thread about creating them here:
viewtopic.php?t=438

Haven't tried it yet, mind!

Edited as I have tried it now and it works rather well.

1) Use an autoshape to draw out your speech bubble. (I also used node edit to make the 'tail' a bit longer.

2) Fill the autshape with magenta (that garish pink 255,0,255)

3) Right click your shape and select export vector. Save in the Opus 04 program files folder in the Borders subdirectory. I called it 'speech'.

Create a text box. When you go to set a border 'Speech' should be listed in the borders tab.
Arrange and size you text to fit.

To paraphrase Blue Peter, here's one I prepared earlier...

Simply download and extract the attached file to the Borders directory. If you are using Opus Pro 04, this is C:\Program Files\Opus Pro 04\Borders. If you are using Opus Pro XE 04, this is C:\Program Files\Opus Pro XE 04\Borders.

Once saved to the correct location, launch Opus and load in your publication. Add a text object to the page, then open the properties of the text box, select the Background tab and fill the text box with the required colour (unless your page has a white background, this will normally be white).

Now select the Border tab, and select Speech from the list of styles and click Apply and OK. The text box should now be shaped like a speech bubble.

Kind regards,

Thanks folks, looks like I might have to upgrade to V4.5

The latest versions of Opus use our native .ilv vector format for borders, so it is very easy to use the in-built drawing tools to create your desired shape and export it as a vector to the Borders directory for future use.

The 2.81 versions of Opus use WMF files for borders, so you will need to use a dedicated image editor (such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop) to create custom borders. Simply ensure that you create the image on a transparent layer and fill the border shape with magenta (R:255 G:0 B:255). Once created, you can save the image as a WMF file to the appropriate Borders directory (C:\Program Files\Illuminatus Opus Pro\Borders) and this will then be available for selection in the Border Styles list.

I have attached an example WMF speech bubble (created in Paint Shop Pro 9) which you can save to this directory and use as a border. This should hopefully meet your current requirements, although I would strongly recommend upgrading to Opus Pro 04 or Opus Pro XE 04 if you are likely to need other custom border shapes in future.

Kind regards,

One other thing to bear in mind if you put a fancy border on a text box... you may find text overlaps the border.

You can to set the margins via the Text tab on the Properties dialog so the text fits inside the border. In the case of a speech bubble you'll need a greater margin at the bottom of the box to allow for the pointer.

Paul Harris

Well, I'm absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the support on this forum, both from other users, and the staff (even the MD) at Digital Workshop.

Thanks to Robin Garrett and Paul Harris for their latest input. "The scales fell from my eyes - and I saw"

I will certainly upgrade to the latest version as soon as I can get a "commercial" project to justify it. Meantime, all my issues have been addressed in V2.81 and I can show some examples to prospective clients.

My compliments to Digital Workshop for an excellent product, outstanding support and a great culture within the user community.

Thanks again.

Thanks Paul,

I'm going well at present with WMF files and Opus 2.81. I can't find text box margins so I assume it is only available in V4, Correct?

Yes, sorry this is a v4 feature. You'll have to fiddle about a bit with spaces and alignment in v2.81 I'm afraid.

Paul Harris

Thanks Paul

With a lot of help from this forum I have thoroughly investigated the available options and decided which way to go. I thought I should share it here for the benefit of others.

I have tried using .WMF files to provide borders on text boxes but I just can't get the quality I wpuld like, mainly due to-

1. Pixelly jagged edges on curves and diagonals
2. Can't surround it with a different colour border
3. Difficult to get the text lining up really well.

I have tried all sorts of combinations with color gradients etc but can never get it quite good enough.

Using vectors, on the other hand, gives brilliantly clear-edged shapes, with borders if required. It is very obvious why Digital Workshop has decided in V4 to use vectors instead of WMF files to define text box border shapes. Good move guys!

The vector editor is, in my limited experience, brilliant. It makes it relatively simple to do a job that would otherwise be practically impossible. By creating some key shapes and saving them in a gallery I can avoid having to repeat excessive "fiddling"

Until I can justify the upgrade to V4 I will use another valuable feature of OPUS and create a gallery of useful vector shapes.

Once I have the key vector shapes I will "frame" text boxes on to them and create a gallery of commonly used speech balloons.

I will then have the tools I need to get some prototypes done.

Am I on the right track?

Sounds like a great plan. Galleries are an often-overlooked feature, but can really save time when working with custom components and shapes.

Kind regards,