Table of Contents
Hard Shadow
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/fonts/#hard_shadow
Drawing the font twice with an offset, you can make a simple 'hard' shadow effect.
convert -size 320x100 xc:lightblue -font Candice -pointsize 72 \ -fill black -draw "text 28,68 'Anthony'" \ -fill white -draw "text 25,65 'Anthony'" \ font_shadow.jpg
convert -size 320x100 xc:lightblue -font Candice -pointsize 72 \ -fill black -annotate +28+68 'Anthony' \ -fill white -annotate +25+65 'Anthony' \ font_shadow1.jpg
Same effect.
Soft outlined font
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/fonts/#denser_soft_outline
convert -size 320x100 xc:lightblue -font Candice -pointsize 72 \ -stroke black -strokewidth 8 -annotate +25+65 'Anthony' -blur 0x8 \ -fill white -stroke none -annotate +25+65 'Anthony' \ font_denser_soft_outline.jpg
Labeling on top of the Image
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/annotating/#anno_on
The simplist method is to draw the string with a outline to seperate the text from the image. However as the "-stroke" font setting adds thickness to a font both inward and outward, it is a good idea to draw the text twice.
convert logo: -gravity south \ -stroke '#000C' -strokewidth 2 -annotate 0 'Faerie Dragon' \ -stroke none -fill white -annotate 0 'Faerie Dragon' \ anno_outline.jpg
As a final example I will overlay a text string created using a fancy soft outlined font to make sure it remains visible, but without creating a rectangular box for the annotation.
convert -size 100x25 xc:none -gravity center \ -stroke black -strokewidth 2 -annotate 0 'Faerie Dragon' \ -channel RGBA -blur 0x3 \ -stroke none -fill white -annotate 0 'Faerie Dragon' \ +size logo: +swap \ -gravity south -geometry +0-2 -composite anno_fancy.jpg
Steps decomposition:
convert -size 100x25 xc:transparent -gravity center \ -stroke black -strokewidth 2 -annotate 0 'Faerie Dragon' \ -channel RGBA -blur 0x3 \ -stroke none -fill white -annotate 0 'Faerie Dragon' \ anno_fancy.step1.jpg
convert anno_fancy.step1.jpg +size plasma: +swap \ -gravity south -geometry +0-2 -composite anno_fancy.step2.jpg