GIMPing Along

Reflections

2012-01-20T15:26:00.001-05:00

In this GIMP tutorial you will learn how to place a reflected scene in the mirrored lenses of a girl's sunglasses. This method can be adapted to inset any picture within another picture.

Some of the things you will do in this lesson:

Duplicate a layer
Flip an image
Use the Fuzzy Select tool
Add an alpha channel
Scale a layer
Use a layer mask

You'll need two source images, one of someone wearing sunglasses (best if the subject is looking directly at the camera) and another of the scene you want to reflect in the lenses. Use images of your own or download the ones I used:

Girl in sunglasses by Tanel Teemusk | London bus by Paulo Oliveira Santos

Begin by opening and preparing the picture of the bus.

Crop the image to include only the essential parts of the picture which you want to appear in the reflection. The proportions of the cropped image should approximate those of the sunglasses' lenses. I cropped to a fixed aspect ratio of 1:1. Because the picture is going to be a reflection, you will need to flip the image horizontally, Image > Transform > Flip Horizontally.

Now open and prepare the girl in the sunglasses.

Duplicate the Background layer, Layer > Duplicate Layer. Create a new layer, Black, filled with the foreground color, black, and drag it directly under the Background copy layer.

Working on the Background copy layer, you will now select the lens area of the glasses with the Fuzzy Select Tool in "Add to the current selection" mode.

See this in a video

Use Quick Mask (press Shift+Q to toggle Quick Mask) and a soft brush to clean up the selection if necessary.

Feather the selection by about 10 pixels, Select > Feather… . Add transparency to the layer, Layer > Transparency > Add Alpha Channel. Delete the selection, Edit > Clear. Deselect. The lenses should now appear to be filled with solid black, though what you are actually seeing is the Black layer showing through.

The next task is to fill each lens with the bus picture.

Select all the bus image, Select > All, and then copy it, Edit > Copy. Make the picture of the girl active and paste the copied bus picture as a new layer, Edit > Paste as > New Layer. It will appear as a new layer in the Layers pallet, name it Bus right.

Scale the picture of the bus, Layer > Scale Layer…, to be a little larger than one lens of the sunglasses. In my example, I scaled to 165x165 pixels. With the Move Tool position the bus over the right lens. Now, in the Layers pallet, drag the Bus right layer under the Background copy layer. Adjust the position of the Bus right layer to fill the right lens of the glasses.

Duplicate the Bus right layer, Layer > Duplicate Layer, name it Bus left. Position this layer under the Background copy layer so it fills the left lens of the glasses.

Now to add a bit of shadow at the bottoms of the lenses.

Select the Bus left layer and add a layer mask to it, Layer > Mask > Add Layer Mask…, initialized to White.

Choose the Blend Tool with a black-to-white gradient selected in the Tool options pallet. Drag a gradient up from the bottom of the Bus left layer to about 1/5 of the lens to add a bit of dark shading to the lower part of the lens. Repeat this for the right lens of the sunglasses.

That's it! You might extend the project by brightening the tops of the lenses in a manner similar to that used to darken the bottoms.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

2011-09-16T13:53:00.001-05:00

In this easy GIMP exercise you'll combine two images together into a nice, blended single image with two views of the same subject.

Some of the things you will do in this lesson:

Create a new image of a specific size
Select and copy an entire image
Paste a new layer from the clipboard
Use a layer mask with the Blend Tool

First, grab the two source images by Annika Banfield from stock.xchng:

Image A | Image B

These images will be very large, so the first task is to resize the two images to a smaller easier-to-work-with size, but more importantly, so that both images are the same height, Image > Scale Image… . I resized both to have a height of 1200 pixels,

Create a new image, File > New…, with the same height (1200 pixels) and a width approximately equal to the sum of the widths of the two source images (2300 pixels).

Select all of Image B, Select > All (or Ctrl+A). and copy it, Edit > Copy (Ctrl+C). Paste it onto the new image as a new layer, Edit > Paste as > New Layer. It will appear as a new layer named Clipboard. Rename it as Layer B. Use the Move Tool to position Layer B a bit right of center in the new image.

Repeat this process with Image A, naming this layer Layer A. Position Layer A a bit left of center in the new image, overlapping Layer B.

Add a white (full opacity) layer mask to Layer A, Layer > Mask > Add Layer Mask (or right-click Layer A in the Layers pallet).

Select the Blend Tool from the Tools pallet, and choose the foreground-to-background (default colors) linear gradient in the Tool settings. Click and drag the cursor horizontally from the right edge of Layer A to gradually fade in the overlapping portion (to about the middle of Layer A).

See a video showing how to do this.

Finally, with the Crop Tool, remove the excess background area of the image. You now should have a nicely blended image combining two portraits of the model.

I'm going to apply each of two different effects to Layer A as possible extensions to this project. (Be sure Layer A is the active layer in the Layers pallet before applying any of these effects.)

Desaturate Layer A

Remove the color from Layer A, Colors > Desaturate.

Blur Layer A

Add a Gaussian blur to Layer A, Filter > Blur > Gaussian…, with a Radius of about 20.

Be bold and creative, experiment with as many effects and filters as you like.

In the Spotlight

2011-07-17T08:52:00.001-05:00

In this brief lesson, you will learn a method to use GIMP to highlight a target in a photo by shining a simulated spotlight on it.

Some of the things you will do in this tutorial:

Make a selection using the Path Tool
Feather a selection
Apply a Gaussian blur
Add a Layer Mask
Use the Blend Tool to apply a gradient

Open the image to which you want to add the spotlight effect. Create a new layer named Dark, Layer > New Layer... . Use the Bucket Fill Tool to paint the Dark layer black. Adjust the opacity to about 80-90%.

With the Ellipse Select Tool, select an oval around the target of the spotlight on the Dark layer. Feather the selection about 40 pixels, Select > Feather... , and clear the selection, Edit > Clear. Deselect.

Now, using the Path Tool, make a polygonal (almost triangular) selection to simulate the beam of the spotlight. Note that you need only draw three sides of the path. When you click on the Selection from Path button in the Tool Options the final side will be drawn automatically.

See this in a video.

Create a new layer, Beam, and fill the selection on the Beam layer with white using the Bucket Fill Tool. Deselect. Apply a Gaussian blur with a radius of 25, Filters > Blur > Gaussian... .

Add a mask to the Beam layer, Layer > Mask > Add Layer Mask... .

Apply a FG to BG (black-to-white) gradient to the mask with the Blend Tool from the target to the light source.

See how to do this in a video.

Slide the layer's opacity down to about 80%.

There you have it!

Let There Be Light

2011-07-07T11:12:00.001-05:00

In this short and easy tutorial you will learn how to quickly add some light to those underexposed photos we so often get from cameras in phones.

First, create a duplicate layer of the photo, Layer > Duplicate Layer.

In the Layers pallet, set the Mode of the duplicate layer to Screen.

Slide down the Opacity to the desired level of brightness. I used 60%.

That's all there is to enhancing your photo!

Stick It To Me: Create an adhesive bandage from scratch

2011-05-29T10:55:00.001-05:00

In this three-part tutorial you'll learn how to use GIMP to create a realistic looking adhesive bandage.

Some of the things you will do in this exercise:

Change layer mode
Merge layers
Open an image as a new layer
Crop a layer to a selection
Apply layer effects*

PART 1Create the main body of the bandage.

Before beginning, in the Preferences panel (Edit > Preferences), set the default grid spacing to 20 pixels.

Create a new file, File > New... 800x400, and display the grid, View > Show Grid.

From the left ruler, drag out vertical guides to 60 and 740 pixels. From the top, drag down horizontal guides to 240 and 100 pixels.

Rectangle Select Tool select a rectangle about 680 x 140 pixels bounded by the guides. With the Ellipse Select Tool in "Add to the current selection mode" add curves to the ends of the rectangular selection.

See a video showing how to do this

Add a new transparent layer, Main. Set the FG color to something like a flesh tone, I used f4cc85, and fill the selection on the Main layer using the Bucket Fill Tool.

Add a new transparent layer, Main Shadow, reset the default colors, and fill the selection on this layer with black. Remove the selection. Blur this layer, Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur…‚ with a Blur Radius of 20. In the Layers pallet drag the Main Shadow layer under the Main layer. With the Move Tool, reposition this layer down and to the right for a shadow effect. Turn the opacity down to about 50.

PART 2Make the pad portion of the bandage.

Using the Move Tool, drag the vertical guides to 280 and 520 pixels. Drag the horizontal guides to 110 and 230 pixels.

Choose the Rectangle Select Tool and in the tool settings check Rounded corners with a radius of 10. Now using the guides make the selection for the pad.

Make a new layer, Pad, on top of all the other layers. Choose a slightly lighter flesh tone to fill the selection on the Pad layer. I used f5d39b.

Next, give the pad area a raised effect using Script-Fu > Layer Effects > Bevel and Emboss…‚ set the Shadow Color to a darker flesh tone, my choice was c2a77b, and keep the other default settings.

Remove the selection. Merge the Pad-highlight and Pad-shadow layers and apply a Gaussian Blur with radius 5.

PART 3Apply the perforations.

You will need to download this image of dots on a transparent background or find one of your own.

Move your vertical guides to 60 and 260 and use them to make a rectangular selection on the left end of the bandage.

Open the downloaded file wpolka-dots.png as a new layer, File > Open as Layers… . Position the dots layer to fill the rectangular selection. Then crop the layer to the selection, Layer > Crop to Selection. (NOTE: Moving the dots layers can be a little tricky as you have to precisely grab one of the dots in the image.)

Duplicate this layer and drag the copy to the right end of the bandage. Next, select a rectangle that covers the pad area and again open the wpolka-dots.png as a new layer, position it, and crop it to the selection as done earlier.

Remove all selections and drag off all the guides. Merge all the polka dot layers into a single layer.

Be sure that's the active layer. Change the Layer Mode to Grain Extract.

And you should be right here ...

*If you do not have the Layer Effects plug-in installed, go here.

How many times you'll ever need to create an adhesive bandage from scratch, I can't guess. However, I hope is that you learned a few new skills and how to apply them in other image work.

Silver Spoon

2011-04-03T14:59:00.001-05:00

Although GIMP has a good filter for easy drop shadow creation, it is good to know how to build your own shadows when you want something just a bit better. Plus, some of the techniques in this lesson have a number of other applications.

Things you will do in this exercise:

Add an alpha channel (transparency) to a JPG image
Make a selection by color and refine that selection
Add and move layers
Use the Apply Canvas and Coffee Stain filters

You can get the image of the spoon that I used here or use one of your own.

The initial task is to replace the background with transparency. Because this picture has a simple white background, that will be fairly easy. First, however, you need to add an alpha channel to the jpg image. In the Layers pallet, right-click the background layer and select Add Alpha Channel.

From the Toolbox choose the Select by Color tool and click anywhere in the white area, drag the cursor to get the best selection. You may need to use the Quick Mask to make a few touch ups to the selection.

See how to do this in a short video

Grow the selection by about 2 pixels, Select > Grow... , and feather it by about 2 pixels to soften the edge, Select > Feather... . Now remove the white background, Edit > Clear.

Add a new layer named Shadow and invert the selection, Select > Invert. Fill the selection on the Shadow layer with the foreground color (black), Edit > Fill with FG Color. Deselect.

Apply a Gaussian blur of about 30 to the Shadow layer, Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur... .

In the Layers pallet, drag the Shadow layer under the Background layer. Use the Move tool to offset the Background and Shadow layers. Reduce the opacity of the Shadow layer to get a soft shadow effect, about 70-75.

You now have a nice drop shadow for your spoon. Next we're going to put a coffee-stained table cloth under the spoon.

Add a new white layer named Cloth. Be sure it is the bottom layer in the stack. Apply some texture to the Cloth layer, Filters > Artistic > Apply Canvas… and set the direction to match the light source of your shadow, in this exercise, Top Left.

Next, using the Decor filter, we'll add a coffee stain to the table cloth, Filters > Decor > Coffee Stain…, I used the default settings. GIMP will generate each stain on a separate layer.

Move all the stain layers between the Shadow and Cloth layers, and reduce the opacity of each stain layer down to about 20 or less.

The finished project:

Rain Dance

2011-03-24T15:30:00.001-05:00

In this project you'll learn how add the effect of rain to an image using GIMP.

In this exercise, you will:

Make color adjustments with the Hue-Saturation... dialog
Adjustment brightness and contrast
Use the noise generator
Apply a motion blur

Open the image to which you want to apply the rain effect. You can get the image used in this lesson here. The original photo is by Sanja Gjenero and was downloaded from stock.xchng.

I found it necessary to darken this particular image for a better effect, Colors > Hue-Saturation…, Lightness: -15 Saturation -60. You may or may not need to adjust your image similarly.

Add a new transparent layer named Rain. Set the foreground color to a medium gray. I used #767676. Fill the Rain layer with the foreground color, Edit > Fill with FG Color.

The rain effect is created in four steps:

1) Add noise to the Rain layer. Filters > Noise > Noise Generator…, click the Laplace tab and set the Scale to about 22. Luminance noise only should be checked to get grayscale noise rather than color.

2) Blur the noise. Filters > Blur > Motion Blur…, Blur Type: Linear, Blur Parameters: Length 100, Angle 100.

3) Increase the contrast. Colors > Brightness-Contrast…, increase Contrast to about 45.

4) Decrease the opacity of the Rain layer. In the Layers pallet, slide the Opacity control left to about 60.

There you have it!

There's a lot of room for tinkering with these settings to achieve just the effect you want. Go ahead, be a mad scientist, control the weather!

Snap, Crackle, POP!

2011-03-13T13:56:00.001-05:00

Learn how to easily create a pop art effect in this lesson.

Some of the things you'll do in this lesson:

Use the Threshold tool
Select by color
Add transparency to an image
Use the Colorize tool

Get the source pictures free at stock.xchng or use your own.

The girl by amminopurr is here
The sheet music by verzerk is here

Open the picture of the girl. First, you'll convert the image to hard black and white. Open the Threshold dialog from the menu, Colors > Threshold… . Slide the left (black) marker to the right until the value is 185.

With the Select by Color tool, click anywhere in the white background to select all the white part of the image.

You now need to add transparency to the JPG image. In the Layers pallet, right-click on the Background layer and select Add Alpha Channel from the context menu.

The next step is to replace the white background with transparency. To delete the white area, simply use the Delete key on your keyboard or Edit > Clear.

To color the currently black area, add a new layer, Color. Change the FG color to a color of your choice. I used a cyan shade, 00f6f6. Invert the selection to choose the black area, Select > Invert. With the Bucket Fill tool, paint the selection.

Open the sheet music image and scale it to match the image of the girl, (445x446). Save it. The next step is to add color to the sheet music using the Colorize dialog, Colors > Colorize… . I used these settings: Hue 360, Saturation 70, Lightness -20.

Select the entire sheet music image (Select > All) and copy it. Now paste it into the image of the girl as a new layer, Edit > Paste as > New Layer. The sheet music layer is now the top layer and is named Clipboard. In the Layers pallet, drag the Clipboard layer under all the other layers.

And now you have completed your project!

There is a lot of opportunity to experiment and play with this project. Try different color combinations and backgrounds. Vary the amount of colorization. Go crazy!

Here's an extension of this project using three different images of the same girl from amminopurr that you might like to try. I put the girls over a clothify-ed, blurred background layer.

Help the Victims of the Japan Earthquake

2011-03-12T15:50:00.001-05:00

Your gift to the American Red Cross will support disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific. On those rare occasions when donations exceed American Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters.

Just Brushing Up

2011-03-06T17:13:00.001-05:00

Did you know you can import Adobe® Photoshop® brushes into GIMP 2.4 or higher?

Simply download a brush package from any of numerous websites (myPhotoshopBrushes.com, QBrushes, BrushKing, etc) then unzip it if necessary, to get the .abr file.

Next you need to find the folder on your hard drive where GIMP stores its brushes. Open the GIMPPreferences pane, Edit > Preferences. Then expand the Folders tab, click on Brushes, and you will see the path to the brushes folder.

Next navigate to the brushes folder and drag or copy the .abr file into the brushes folder. When next you launch GIMP the new brushes should appear in the brush pallet.

It's as simple as that, but you must be using GIMP 2.4+.

A Textures Primer

2011-02-21T09:22:00.001-05:00

The use of textures can add a pleasing dimension to an image that might otherwise appear flat and uninteresting. Adding texture to an image is a simple process using GIMP.

Skills in this exercise:

Create new layers
Open an image as a new layer
Rearrange layers

The background image should have a transparent background like the simple silhouette I used. Download it here. The original photo is by Michal Zacharzewski and was downloaded from stock.xchng.

You'll need a texture image of something like leather, marble, fabric, etc. A good free source of such textures is Image*After. All the textures used in this tutorial were downloaded from there. Download the marble texture used in this exercise here.

With the background image open, open the texture image as a new layer, File > Open as Layers.... The new layer assumes the name of the image, marble.jpg. In the Layers pallet, drag the marble.jpg layer under the Background layer.

Next create a new transparent layer between the Background and marble.jpg layers. Use the New Layer icon in the bottom left corner of the Layers pallet. Name the new layer paint.

The paint layer should be painted with an appropriate solid fill (Bucket Fill tool) or gradient (Blend tool). I chose to use a gradient, Browns, from the default pallet.

Finally, decrease the opacity of the paint layer (with the Opacity slider) to get the desired effect. I used an opacity of 50% in this example.

The final product

Tip: You may want to resize the texture layer to match the dimensions of your background image to achieve better results. Here is the same image with the marble texture image resized to match the background image. You see the there's more detail in the texture layer.

Here are some examples in which I have used different texture images.

Leather Texture

Brick Wall Texture (Resized to match background, 80% opacity)

Textures are easy to use and can add a lot of interest to a picture. Experiment with different colors and gradients on the paint layer, vary the opacity, and try different layer modes.

GIMPing Along is now available as a book!

2011-02-11T11:54:00.001-05:00

GIMPing Along Vol 1 includes more than 25 GIMP tutorials, how-tos, and tips from my blog.

You can view (including mobile devices), download, and print GIMPing Along Vol 1 here for free on Scribd.

This book represents very much effort and time on my part. If after viewing, you feel that a donation would be appropriate, it would be greatly appreciated. Pay what you think it's worth to you and what you can afford. Click on the PayPal button on the GIMPing Along home page.

If you feel the book is of no value to you, or you simply can't afford anything, well, that's OK, too.

By the way, I used BlogBooker, a free service, to convert my blog into a PDF book.

Back in the Day

2011-02-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

Make an image look like it's 70 years old with a vintage effect in this lesson.

Some of the skills used in this exercise:

Use the Blur and Noise filters
Add a texture layer
Change layer modes and opacity
Add a vignette effect

Resources to download:Original image, Paper Texture image, Scratches image

Start by reducing the quality of the original image.

Download and open the original image, a picture of two women (or use an image of your own). Start by making the picture a little blurry, Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur…, set the radius at about 2 or 3.

Now, add a little noise to the picture, Filters > Noise > RGB Noise..., select Correlated noise, uncheck Independent RGB, move the sliders left to 0.10.

Convert the picture to grayscale, Colors > Desaturate... with defaults.

Next you'll yellow the picture.

Add a new transparent layer, Layer > New Layer..., named Gradient. Select the Blend tool and find the preset gradient Yellow Orange in the Gradients pallet. Apply the gradient to the Gradient layer from upper left to lower right then adjust the opacity to about 33%.

Give the picture a paper-like texture.

Download and open the Paper Texture image. Scale the texture image to match the dimensions of the original picture (1000 x 755, if you're using my picture), Image > Scale Image....

Copy the scaled image then paste it into the original picture, Edit, Paste as > New layer. Name that layer Paper. Change the layer Mode to Grain Extract with an opacity of 40%.

You can now add a few simulated scratches to the picture.

Download and open the Scratches image, scale to match your picture, and copy. The Scratches image may appear to be an empty transparent image.

Paste it into the original picture as a new layer named Scratches. Set the layer Mode to Overlay with a 50% opacity.

Select the Background layer and reduce the contrast to -15, Colors > Brightness and Contrast.

Add a vignette effect around the outside of the picture.

Use the Rectangle Select tool to make a selection with rounded corners (corner radius of 50) about 50 pixels inside the edges of the image.

Feather the selection about 100 pixels, Select > Feather... , and invert the selection, Select > Invert.

Add a new transparent layer named Vignette. With the Bucket Fill tool, fill the selection with black. Adjust the opacity to 50%.

You should now have a fairly authentic looking "vintage" picture. There's a lot of room to play with different settings in layer modes and opacity. Have fun!

Create a Watermark and Place it in a Photo

2011-02-05T19:37:00.001-05:00

In this two-part exercise, you will learn how to make a simple watermark image and place it in a photo.

Among the skills used in this lesson:

Setting and switching the default colors
Using Guides
Using the Text tool
Merging layers
Using the Select by Color tool
Resizing a selection

I. Creating a watermark image

Set the color swatches to the default colors (Click on the small black and white icon next to the swatches.). Create a new image, 600 x 600 pixels. In Advanced Options choose Fill with: Foreground color.

You should now have a black square. Drag guides out from the rulers to both the horizontal and vertical centers.

Select the Text tool (Settings: Sans Bold, 48 pt, white).

Click in the image and type the text for your watermark in the pop-up text box, click Close. With the Move tool, center the text layer.

Right-click the text layer in the Layers pallet and choose Layer to Image Size.

Set guides at 75 pixels from the left and right edges, 150 pixels from the top and bottom.

With the Ellipse Select tool select an oval inside the rectangle (Tip: Use a corner of the box as the starting point.).

Add a new layer, Oval. Switch the foreground and background colors by clicking the two-headed arrow next to the swatches (foreground color is white). Fill the selection with white using the Bucket Fill tool.

Shrink the selection by 10-15 pixels, Select > Shrink… Then delete the selected area, use the Delete key or Edit > Clear and deselect, Select > None, or Ctrl+Shft+A.

Merge the Oval layer down onto the Text layer. Right-click the Oval layer, choose Merge Down. You can drag off the guides now with the Move tool.

With the Select by Color tool, click anywhere in the black color.

In the Layers pallet, select and delete the original layer, Background, with the Trash Can icon. Deselect and you now have a white watermark image on a transparent background.

Save the image as a PNG file to retain the transparent background, File - Save as....

II. Watermarking an image

Open the image you want to watermark. Open the watermark image you created as a new layer, File > Open as Layers....

Adjust the opacity of the watermark layer to about 30-40%.

You may want to reposition or resize the watermark layer to suit your needs. Merge the watermark layer down into the Background layer and you have successfully placed a watermark in your photo.

Make GIMP the Default External Editor in iPhoto

2011-01-18T13:17:00.001-05:00

Apple's iPhoto has some really good editing tools, but sometimes you need the far more powerful tools available in GIMP. You can easily make GIMP the default editor for iPhoto images.

Open the iPhoto Preferences window and you'll see an option "Edit photo:".

The current selection is probably "In main window".

Click the arrow button and choose "In application…".

Choose GIMP in the Open dialog.

Now GIMP is the default editor for your iPhoto images. When you select a photo and click the Edit icon in the iPhoto tool bar, the image will be opened in GIMP.

If, like me, you don't want to launch GIMP for minor editing and adjustments, you can reset iPhoto to default to its internal editor when you click the Edit icon. Simply go back to the Preferences window and reset the "Edit photo:" option to "In main window".

However, if you Cmd-click or right-click on the photo to display its contextual menu, choosing "Edit in external editor" will still open the image in GIMP, giving you the best of both worlds!

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Quick and Easy Zoom Effect

2011-01-11T12:43:00.004-05:00

In this tutorial you’ll create the effect of having zoomed in on a portion of a screenshot to emphasize something in that area.

This lesson was inspired by Jessica Cam Wong's very good tutorial on this effect. In this exercise your product may be be less elegant, but you'll achieve what I believe is a satisfactory and pleasing result a bit more easily and quickly.

A portion of this procedure includes using the GIMP Layer Effects plugin. If you don't have the Layer Effects plugin installed, you can get it here at the GIMP Plugin Registry.

Some of the skills you will use in this exercise:

Create a new layer from a pasted selection
Expand a new layer to the size of the image
Resize (scale) a layer
Create a selection using Alpha to Selection
Grow a selection
Apply the Drop Shadow filter
Hide, merge, and reveal layers

You will, of course, need a screenshot on which to work. You can capture a screenshot in GIMP using File > Create > Screenshot… . Capture an approximately 700-800 pixel square screenshot using whatever method you prefer.

Begin by using the Ellipse Select tool to define the "zoomed in" area.

Then copy and immediately paste this selection (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V). It looks as though nothing has happened, but in the Layers pallet you should notice a "Floating Selection".

Create a new layer (Layer > New Layer…) which will turn this floating selection into a new layer, name it Zoom. Expand this layer to the full image size, Layer > Layer to Image Size.

In the Layers pallet, select the Background layer. Scale this layer down to the desired size, Layer > Scale Layer… . I made the Background layer 400 pixels wide.

Position the Zoom layer over the Background layer as desired.

Right-click the Zoom layer in the Layer pallet and select Alpha to Selection. This creates a selection from the zoomed in area.

Grow the selection by 2 pixels, Select > Grow… .

Create a new layer, Border, and use the Bucket Fill tool to fill the selection on the Border layer with black, the foreground color.

In the Layers pallet drag the Border layer below the Zoom layer.

Apply the Inner Shadow script from the Layer Effects plugin, Script-Fu > Layer Effects > Inner Shadow… with the default settings. You can skip this step and still get a fairly nice effect if you don't want to install the plugin.

Remove the current selection, Ctrl+Shft+A. Now apply a Drop Shadow to the Zoom layer, Filters > Light and Shadow > Drop Shadow… . Use the default settings.

The next step is to merge the Drop Shadow, Border, and Zoom layers. In the Layers pallet, click the eye icon for the Background layer to hide it temporarily. Right-click any of the visible layers and select Merge Visible Layers…, then click the Merge button.

Make the Background layer visible again (click where the eye should be) and select that layer.

From here, I'm going to present two different ways to finish this effect.

Background Blur
Blur the Background layer just a bit, Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur… , set the Blur Radius at 2 for both Horizontal and Vertical.

Background Dim
Create a new layer, named Dim, in the Foreground Color (black). Set the Dim layer's opacity to about 25%.

Finally, crop out the transparent region around the perimeter, flatten the image, and save it as a JPG or PNG for web use.

Experiment with different settings, filters, and colors to get an effect you like. As always, I’ve tried to use one or two less familiar tools or techniques. Hope you learned something and are inspired to try something new.

Attack of the Clones!

2010-09-05T12:54:00.001-05:00

In this easy lesson, you will learn how to create an image which appears to show the same person appearing in multiple locations in a scene.

Ideally you would begin with a photo of the scene without the person in it to use as the background image.

You will need at least two pictures of the same scene with the person you plan to clone appearing in a different location in each photo.

Tip: For best results, set up the camera using a tripod and keep its position and settings fixed for all the photos.

Download source images here:

empty background | girl left | girl right | girl back

Step 1. Using the Free Select Tool (Lasso) roughly select the person you plan to clone in one of the photos in which she appears. Feather the selection by a few pixels, Select > Feather...

The selection needn't be precise. In fact, having some of the surrounding content makes it easier to properly position the pasted layer.

Step 2. Copy the selection,Edit > Copy, then paste it into the background image as a new layer, Edit > Paste as > New Layer.

Step 3. Use the Move Tool (in Layer mode) ...

... to properly position the clone over the background. Zoom in and use some key points to accurately align the clone layer.

Repeat Steps 1-3 to copy, paste, and position the person you are cloning from an image in which she appears in a different place.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

You now have a picture in which the same person appears in two different places!

If you have more photos of your person, try placing her in various locations in the scene to get the most interesting results.

The challenge comes when one of your clones is to appear in front of another. In this case, your selection must be precise in the areas where the forward clone layer overlays the rear one. But, you can create a really interesting effect this way.

Imagine and Create!!!

The Catch

2010-08-15T14:45:00.004-05:00

In this lesson, you'll use a number of GIMP's tools to create an effect in which a football player "leaps" out of a "picture frame" to catch the ball.

Before

After

Some of the things you’ll do in this project ...

Use a guide
Adjust shapes with the Perspective tool
Clear the contents of a selection
Feather, shrink, and invert selections
Hide a layer
Use the Eraser tool

Download the original image here or use one of your own.

1. First, drag a guide down from the top ruler to define the location of the top of the "frame".

2. Now, the tedious part. Select the portion of the football player above the guide (which will be outside of the "frame") and a small portion below the guide. I used the Extraction tool and refined the selection using a Quick Mask. The details of making this selection are not within the scope of this lesson.

3. Choose the Rectangle Select tool and click on the "Add to selection" mode icon.

Select the entire region between the guide and the bottom of the image, invert the selection, and feather it 3 pixels.

4. Create a new layer named "black" and fill the whole selection with default black using the Bucket tool.

Deselect everything, Select > None.

In the next step, you'll define the "picture frame."

5. With the Rectangle Select tool in Normal mode, select the entire region below the guide again. Use the Perspective tool (be certain to choose the modify selection icon), to reshape the selection into a trapezoid.
See how to do this in a short video

6. Invert this selection. Use the Pencil tool to paint the areas to the left of, right of, and below the "frame" default black.

7. Create a new layer, "white." Fill the trapezoidal selection with default white.

8. Shrink the selection by 35 pixels. Using the Perspective tool again, adjust this trapezoid to give the appearance that the the top border of the "frame" is farther from you than the bottom edge.

9. Clear the white fill from the inner selection, Edit > Clear.

All that remains is to delete the part of the white "frame" that covers the leaping player.

10. Hide the "white" layer (click the "eye" in the Layers palette). Use the Lasso tool to select the portion of the football player which is under the border (be generous). Be sure to accurately select the left and right edges of the player. Feather the selection by 3 pixels. I chose to do this in pieces, but you could do it all at once.

11. Make the "white" layer visible again (be sure it's the active layer). Use the Eraser tool to remove the selected area of the white border from over the player.

That's it!

Dolphins and whales are great subjects for this effect. I think you could do some nice things with basketball players and soccer goalies, too. Have fun!

Old Blue Eyes

2010-06-07T13:37:00.001-05:00

Using GIMP's Filter Pack it's easy to change someone's eye color to almost anything you like. In this exercise you'll change the girl's green eyes to a bright blue.

In this lesson ...

Use the Free Select Tool
Subtract from/add to the current selection
Use the Filter Pack

Download the original image I used from stock.xchng

Zoom in to the girl's right eye. Using the Free Select Tool (Lasso) select the outer perimeter of the iris.

IMPORTANT: In the Toolbox, click on the Subtract from the current selection icon.

Again, using the Free Select Tool, draw a selection around the pupil. This cuts that region out of the selection. Feather the selection by 1 or 2 pixels, Select > Feather...

The selected region should only be the colored iris.

Now use the Filter Pack to modify the color of the iris, Colors > Filter Pack… You'll see the original selection and the modified selection which, at this time, are the same. Check Hue under Windows.

The Hue Variations window opens showing six possible changes to the iris. Click on Blue.

The Hue Variations window now shows six new possible hues for the iris. Choose the Cyan variation.

This is the color you're looking for, so click OK in the Filter Pack Simulation window to see the new eye color applied in the image.

I've only modified one eye for illustration purposes. You would obviously want to apply this method to both eyes. Use the Add to/Subtract from the current selection options to select the irises of both eyes.

The Filter Pack can be a fun tool with which to play and experiment. You can use it to alter the color of anything without affecting the light and shadows.

Moon Shadow

2010-03-16T15:34:00.002-05:00

"I'm being followed by a moon shadow

moon shadow-moon shadow
leaping and hopping on a moon shadow
moon shadow-moon shadow"
- Cat Stevens

I had a request to show how an extracted image can be placed on a plain background with a realistic shadow. As always, there are different ways to accomplish this. This, I think, is a relatively simple and straight-forward method.

Skills used in this lesson…

Paste as new layer
Using the Move tool
Scale the layer to the image size
Using Guides
Feathering a selection
Using the Blend tool
Rearranging layers

Download the source image here or use one of your own.

Selecting and copying the moon from the source image are not a part of this tutorial. Assume you are ready to paste the copied selection into a new image.

So, you'll need to create a new image larger than the object you're going to paste. In this example, the new image is 900 by 900 pixels with a default white background.

Paste the moon into your new image as a new layer named "moon", Edit > Paste as… > New layer
Use the Move Tool to position the object so that it is about horizontally centered and a bit above the vertical center.

Scale the size of this layer to match the overall size of the image, Layer > Layer to image size

Drag in vertical guides to mark the left and right edges of the moon. Place horizontal guides to mark the bottom and middle of the moon.

The guides form a rectangular box containing the bottom half of the moon. Use the Ellipse Select Tool to make a selection bounded by that rectangle.

See how to do this in a short video

Feather the selection by about 50 pixels, Select > Feather…

Create a new transparent layer named "shadow".

Set the Background color to a dark gray. I used 626262.

Be sure the "shadow" layer is active, highlighted in the Layers palette.

Choose the Blend Tool, settings FG to BG, linear gradient. Drag the Blend Tool from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the rectangle formed by the guides.

See how to do this in a short video

You can remove the selection and the guides now.

With the Move Tool, drag the "shadow" layer down and to the right a bit.

Right now the "shadow" layer should be the top layer in the Layers palette. Drag it down so that it is under the "moon" layer (but above the background layer).

To finish, I cropped the image, then filled the background layer with a light blue color (95c0f1). Flatten the image if you want to save it as a .jpg or .png file.

The basic techniques of this procedure are presented here without regard for the finer aesthetic points. Refining the image for its best, most realistic appearance is left to you.

If you have found these lessons to be helpful and worthwhile, a small donation via PayPal (Please use the button on the left) would be very much appreciated.

Responding to Comments

2010-03-01T17:09:00.003-05:00

Some of you have posted comments in which you have asked questions about the tutorials. I have not responded to these because I had not been aware of them. Though I have very little time to devote to this blog, I plan to try to do a better job with this.

I have made some changes to the commenting and comment notification procedures that I hope will help in this. Please bear with me.

I appreciate those of you who visit here whether regularly or just occasionally. I'd love to do more tutorials. Good tutorials take a lot of time, and I just can't fit them in very often. I have many notes on tutorials for the future. Ahh, maybe someday.

Just Too Big!

2010-03-01T16:41:00.001-05:00

Some things, like the Eiffel Tower, are just too big to fit in the borders of a single picture! In this fairly easy exercise, you'll learn how to make it appear as though the tower was photographed in three separate images which have then been laid out on a table.

Among the skills used in this lesson …

Using guides
Pasting as a new layer
Stroking a selection
Rotating and moving layers

Download this picture of the Eiffel Tower by Tom Leadbeetter which I got at Stock.Xchng, or use a picture of your own.

Use Image > Image Properties to find the dimensions of your picture.

Create a new image 10% larger than the the original picture with a black (FG color) background.

Return to the original picture and drag guides down from the top to divide the image roughly into thirds.

See how to do this in a short video.

Use the Rectangle Select Tool to select and copy most of the bottom third of the original picture. Switch to the new image and paste this into it as new layer named "bottom", Edit > Paste as > New Layer.

Select the Move Tool and drag this to the bottom of the new image.

IMPORTANT: Swap the default color swatches.

Select the "bottom" layer, Select > All. Now stroke the selection to paint a white border around the "bottom" layer, Edit > Stroke Selection… Set the line width to 40 pixels.

Deselect everything, Select > None

Next choose the Rotation Tool, click anywhere on the "bottom" layer, move the center of rotation to the bottom left corner and rotate a bit counterclockwise, click the Rotate button to accept the change.

See how to do this in a short video.

Return to the original picture and select the middle portion of the tower (but not the full width of the picture). Copy this and paste it into your new image as a new layer named "middle", drag it to the middle of the new image.

Create a white border for the "middle" layer in the same way as you did for the "bottom" layer.

Use the Rotation Tool to spin this layer slightly clockwise (place the center of rotation in the bottom right corner).

With the Move Tool position the "middle" layer slightly overlapping the "bottom" layer.

From the original picture select the top portion of the tower, copy it, paste it into the new image as a new layer, "top".

Once again, paint a border around this layer, tilt it a little counterclockwise, and move it to overlap the "middle" layer.

To complete the project, with the Crop Tool cut away some of the excess black background, then flatten the image, Image > Flatten image.
Now you can save it as a .png, .jpg, or whatever format you like, File > Save as…

Note: I exaggerated the rotations and overlapping a bit to accentuate the effect. You may not want to apply as much change in your own project.

A new feature has been added to this lesson, very short video clips to demonstrate some of the steps in the tutorial. Hope you like them.

I hope you find this, as well as my other tutorials, instructive and useful. I try very hard to create lessons that will be beneficial to both GIMP beginners and more advanced users. My aim is to make my tutorials complete, correct, and easy to follow.

If you have found these lessons to be helpful and worthwhile, a small donation via PayPal (Please use the button on the left) would be very much appreciated.

Create an Attractive Star Field

2009-12-29T10:10:00.003-05:00

In this tutorial, as in most of my lessons, the emphasis is not on the product you will end up with, but on the tools, techniques, and skills you will use in completing the activity. You should feel free to experiment. Deviate from the "recipe" and see what happens if you make some changes.

Among the things you will do in this tutorial:

Use the Blend, Bucket Fill and Elliptical Selection Tools
Feather and Move a selection
Manipulate the Layer Mode and Opacity
Use special brushes and modify Brush Dynamics
Create new layer and a Layer Mask
Use the Blur Filter

Some or all of these techniques may already be familiar to you, but hopefully, you'll learn something new. So, here we go ...

The Background Layer

1) Create a new image using the default settings (640 x 400, white fill).

2) Set the FG color swatch to a rich shade of medium dark blue. I used 1f4d64 (the HTML color code).

3) Use the Bucket Fill Tool to paint this as the background color of the image.

4) Reset the FG and BG color swatches to the default black and white.

The Gradient Layer

1) Create a new layer named "Gradient".

2) Select the Blend Tool and set the Gradient to FG to Transparent. Drag down from the top of the image about 3/4 of the distance to the bottom.

The Bottom Glow Layer

1) Create a new layer named "Bottom glow".

2) Use the Elliptical Selection Tool to create a short oval the entire width of the image.

3) Select the Move Tool and apply it to the selection. Drag the oval to the bottom of the image so that only half of it is within the image boundary.

4) Feather the selection by 25 pixels. (Selection -> Feather...)

5) Set the FG color to a light medium blue. My choice is adc3dc. Fill the selection.

6) Set the Layer Mode to Burn, Opacity to 50%.

The Stars Layer

1) Create a new layer named "Stars".

2) Reset the color swatches to the defaults and swap them so the FG is white, the BG is black.

3) Select the Brush Tool: Shape Star 06, Spacing 180, Scale: 0.4

4) Expand the Brush Dynamics settings: Pressure: Opacity, Random: Opacity and Size

5) Check Apply Jitter, set the Amount to 5.00.

6) Paint stars on the upper 3/4 of the image.

7) Apply a Motion Blur to the layer: Filters -> Blur -> Motion Blur..., set the Angle to 90 and the Length to 2.

8) Highlight the "Stars" layer in the Layers palette and select Layers - Mask - Add Layer Mask..., set to White (Full Opacity).

9) Swap the color swatches back to the defaults.

10) Use the Blend Tool (FG to Transparent) to apply a gradient to the layer mask from just below the lowest star to the top.

The Blue Stars Layer

1) Create a new layer called "Stars Blue".

2) Select the Brush Tool (which should still be showing the settings used earlier) and choose a light blue for the FG color. Something like c0d9f4.

3) Paint some blue stars in the upper third of the image.

4) Apply the same Motion Blur to this layer.

If you followed the directions fairly closely, your image should look something like this:

If you want to look for more interesting star brushes go to BlendFu.com

Create a Bright Neon Pattern of Repea...

2009-07-31T11:16:00.002-05:00

In this lesson you will learn how to create an image in which a simple shape is repeated in a variety of glowing colors on a black background. This is our goal ...

To complete this exercise you will need to have the GIMP Layer Effects plug-in installed. If you don't have it, you can download it here.

You will also need a simple black-and-white line art shape like these ...

Download

Download either shape or use one of your own. I chose to use the star shape.

Some of the things you'll do in this lesson ...

Use the Layer Effects tools
Paste as a new layer
Move layers
Rename layers
Hide and show layers
Merge layers
Use the Select by Color tool
Shrink a selection
Use guides

1) From the image menu, click Image > Image Properties to get the dimensions of your chosen shape image. As you see, the star image is 479 pixels high by 455 pixels wide.

2) You're going to create a new image (File > New...) based on multiples of these dimensions. To get the height of the new image, multiply the star's height by 1.2. 479 x 1.2 = 575. The width of the new image is 4 to 6 times the width of the shape to allow plenty of room to work. If you multiply the star's width (455) by 6, you'll get 2730, or about 2800 pixels.

3) Now return to the star image. Use the Select by Color tool to select the black star shape.

4) Then shrink the selection by 3 pixels, Select > Shrink... .

5) From the star's image menu select Edit > Copy.

6) Now switch to your new image and paste the star as a new layer, Edit > Paste as > New Layer.

You should now see the pasted layer in the upper left corner of the new image.

If, as in the screenshot above, you aren't seeing all of the new image in the window, the key combo Ctrl-Shift-E will fit the entire image into the window.

8) Use the Move tool to slide the star to the right edge of the image and position it roughly vertically centered.

At this point you should rename this layer in the Layers Palette to make things easier to keep sorted out. Double-click on the name "Clipboard" in the layer list and rename it as "blue".

9) drag a Guide down from the top ruler to help you align the rest of the stars.

Now you can begin creating the neon effects using the Layer Effects plugin.

10) First you'll give the star a bright blue outer glow. Script-Fu > Layer Effects > Outer Glow...

11) Click the color swatch in the Outer Glow dialog and choose a bright blue. I chose 142ffb for the example.

Set the Size: to 8 and use the other defaults.

12) Next comes the inner shadow using a darker shade of blue, Script-Fu > Layer Effects > Inner Shadow... . Click on the color swatch in the Inner Shadow dialog, choose a darker shade of blue. I used 00008a. Set the Size: to 8 and use the other defaults.

13) The next step is to merge the three layers of the blue star into a single layer. Make the Background layer invisible by clicking on the eye next to it in the Layers Palette. Right-click on any of the visible blue layers and select Merge Visible Layers... . Use the default settings.

There should now be just a single blue layer. Make the Background layer visible again by clicking where the eye should be.

This is what you should have right now, the black star with a blue glow around it.

Your next task will be to add a second star with a green glow.

14) Repeat step 6 to get another star and position it with the Move tool. Judge the amount of overlap you'd like to your taste. (You should not need to copy the star from the original image again. It should remain on your clipboard throughout this exercise.)

15) Rename this layer "green" as shown previously in step 8.

16) Repeat step 10 to open the Outer Glow dialog.

17) Click the color swatch and choose a bright green. In the example I used 0bf805. The Size: should again be 8, other settings are defaults.

18) Do the inner shadow as in step 12 using a darker shade of green (144716).

19) Hide the non-green layers and merge the three green layers into a single layer (See step 13).

You should now see two completed stars in the new image when you make all the layers visible again.

Continue this process until you've added as many shapes as you like to your new image.

To finish up, you need to paint the Background layer black with the Bucket Fill tool. You may be wondering why I didn't simply create a black background in the first place. I could have done, but manipulating the black stars on a black background ..., well, you see the point :-).

20) Be sure the Background is the active layer in the Layers Palette, the default color swatches are shown in the Toolbox, and the selected Fill Type is FG Color Fill. Now paint the Background layer.

22) Finally, in the View menu, uncheck Show Guides.

You likely have a bit of unused canvas so you'll probably want to crop the image to suit your needs. In the immortal words of Porky Pig,"That's all, f-f-f-folks!"

Hopefully, you've learned something new in this tutorial. If you found it useful, please share it with others. Any constructive comments are appreciated as well as donations through PayPal.

Two Tone GIMP

2009-04-06T18:54:00.004-05:00

Apply a Two-Tone Tint Effect to an Image

In this tutorial you'll see how a two-tone tinting effect can be easily applied to a picture using GIMP.

Among the tools and techniques you'll use in this tutorial ...

Desaturate an image
Set guides by percent
Multiply layer mode
Layer mask
Blend tool

First open an RGB (color) picture to use as the base image for this tutorial. I found this nice image of kids playing football, but you can apply this technique to just about any RGB image.

Step 1 - Desaturate the image and adjust the brightness and contrast

Colors - Desaturate... Use the default settings in the Desaturate dialog.

Next, Colors - Brightness-Contrast...

In the Brightness-Contrast dialog, set the Brightness to 15 and the Contrast to 18. You may want to adjust these settings to work better for your base image.

The result should be something like this.

Step 2 - Set three horizontal guidelines to help define the tinted regions

Image - Guides - New Guide (by Percent)...

Set a Horizontal guide at 25%.

Set two more guides in the same way, one at 50%, one at 75%.

Note the percentages are 0% at the top and left to 100% at the bottom and right.

Step 3 - Apply a green tint to the lower half of the image

Create a new transparent layer named Green tint, Layer - New Layer...

Now fill this layer with green. You'll need to select the Bucket Fill tool and set the foreground color to green (00cb2f).

Your picture should now be solid green. From the Layers palette select Multiply from the Mode dropdown list.

You should now see your picture with a green tint applied to the entire image. Next, you'll use a layer mask to limit the tint to the lower portion of the image.

Layer - Mask - Add Layer Mask... Be sure White (Full Opacity) is selected in the dialog.

Next you need to paint a black to white gradient on the layer mask Select the Blend tool and be sure the colors are reset to the default black foreground and white background.

Draw your blend line from the top down to the 75% guide to get the following result.

Step 4 - Apply a yellow tint to the upper half of the image

Create a new transparent layer named Yellow tint in the same way you created the Green tint layer in Step 3, then fill this layer with yellow (ffff00).

Apply a layer mask to the Yellow tint layer as described in the previous step, but draw the blend line from the bottom up to the 25% guide to achieve the following.

Finally, remove all the guidelines. Image - Guides - Remove all Guides.

Finish up by flattening the image and saving it as a JPG.

That's it. I think it's a nice effect to use in some images. You might like to experiment with applying the two-tone effect vertically or even diagonally, maybe even along a curve.

Hope you picked up a new skill or idea. If you liked this lesson, please share it.

I'm trying something new. I'm embedding the map I used to write this tutorial. It might be a good post-tutorial reference.