Hi Guys,
How is everyone this day? I hope you are all having a good one.
This question will show my inexperience with GIMP software. I would like to know if anypne could tell me the way to edit or re-write pre- existing text. I am trying to romove and add new text to a PS .JPG. I have brought up the correct layer that contains the text. When I try to change the text the GIMP text dialog box opens. I can't re-write the text that is there only write over it. I want to remove one word from the text then add a new word. I know that I am doing somthing wrong. Can you help?

I am using GIMP 2.6.11. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OS

There is a Python plug-in that permits, to a degree, what you are asking for. It has some limitations, though (Although I can't recall what they all are). Here is the link:

http://registry.gimp.org/node/12212

If that text is on a layer and hasn't been merged down, you could always replace it with new text of your own choosing.

"I am trying to romove and add new text to a PS .JPG"

i am almost sure that no any script may edit pre-existing text in a jpg (or png, bmp, and in general from any image that has only 1 layer, except if the only layer is a text layer...but jpg, png and so on could NOT have text layer

this simply because
1 humans may distinguish text from images, not computers
(that why captcha works)

2 even if was possible solve 1 will remain the problem to fill the "holes" in the image:
suppose i want replace "hello" with "ciao"...all the part of the image covered by the first script "hello" were lost and there is no way to recover them...for sure not automatically and may be very hard to do even manually

but no much sense to debate 2 (in theory some kind of inpainting or content-aware-filling plugin may help for 2 ) since there is not hope yo solve 1, if not manually

In few words
you may edit pre-existing text only if the text is on a text layer, but please note the PS text layers in .psd are NOT compatible with gimp :they may be edit only by PS or other Adobe sw

PC: I'm going to test that PSD theory now, just for personal verification, not that I doubt you.

UPDATE: You are correct about PS files, the text replace plug-in did not work, but I was able to remove the text layer and replace it with a new one, using GIMP.

Because of situations like these, this is why I always think its important not to save files in a flattened format, like .jpg, .bmp, etc., it's better to save them in the native formats of the software.

i doubt you will even able to open PSD that contain txt layers in gimp,(but this depend also from the PS version used..you may get some luck if the PSD was created by very old versions ) and i bet that even if you manage to do they will look as weird crap

anyway my main point was on replacing text overimposed to "normal" images saved as jpg, png,bmp, etc :
that is possible only with a usually painful and boring manual work

NEVER FLAT ORIGINALS: save originals as .psd (If you use photoshop) or xcf (gimp)
to export text layer from ps to gimp or vice versa you may only export them as png, but then they will be only editable as images (i.e hue, contrast..), no more as text (change font or font size..),becouse all txt information will get lost

I just opened a PSD (older version 8) image with text layer and was able to alter the layer, remove it, exchange it for my own in GIMP. GIMP scripts or plug-ins had no effect on it, though.

Thank you all for all the help advice given. i will sort through it. Hopefully I will be able to edit this text. By the way the image that I am attempting to edit In GIMP is a PS image. I can also see, manipulate and edit the layers of this image. It is possible to edit PS images in GIMP. That's just for anyone wanting to know. Thanks again for all of your advice.

@TonySan1
happy you solved
anyway if had layers could not be a jpg as you wrote,
" PS image" doesn't mean much what count is the image format used to save (.jpg, png, psd etc)

@Mahvin
you was able to edit a .psd text layer as txt (i.e. correct a typo, change font) or as image ?
I had PS CS4, most of times i couldn't open with gimp psd from CS4 if was a txt layer, sometimes somehow they did open but with the txt layers totally screwed up

I was using my old PS 8 PSD file. I could not edit the text using the text tool, but I could remove the existing text layer, and replace it with one from GIMP. It's one of the reasons I kept my PS 8 hanging around, because of the versatility. I honestly can't remember if I ever tried using CS4 images in GIMP, yet.

CS has when saving psd a bit hidden " backward compatibility" option that allow to open the psd with version of PS pre-CS and usually even with gimp...but somehow seems not working too well with txt layers
( but i am sure that the PS developers could not care less of the people that want edit psd text layers with gimp )

You are probably correct in that aspect PC.
Gimp can open PSD Photo Shop Document (photoshops native format), toni. Gimp just can not duplicate some of the things that may be on certain layers.Such as text and style layers.If its just colors and masks though.Gimp does a pretty nice job of mimicking PSD files.You pretty much take a risk of losing ps information too so i would save a copy before you open it in Gimp.Just a heads up.
Gimp works much, much better with it's own native format XCF.Just like any other program would.

By the way XCF stands for eXperimental Computing Facility
Neat huh?

If the file is a jpg, removing the text might actually be somewhat do-able using G'MIC and Region Inpainting. There is a tutorial for using it and I will post the link when I find it. This part of G'MIC has done some fixes that I didn't even think were possible. Try it out! You may be very pleasantly surprised.

Once a file's in a flattened state, you no longer have embeded text; the "text" is now part of the bitmap itself. You can try to use healing/cloning techniques to remove it, then you can put your custom text where you need it to me. Again, once flattened (or merged for that matter), the text will become a bitmap and again no longer editable.