This was originally to get a question I had answered, now it's for everyone to Gimp it up.
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GIMP is a FREE downloadable program similar to PhotoShop.
You can download it free here.
FREE Animation Pack Save it >
open it>
double click the folder that says GAP-installer (it will automatically install)
Need help with Gimp? Ask here, we can all figure it out together!
Please bump the Creation Station Link, thank you Gimp Chat, a place for help with Gimp
MAC Users
http://www.macfonts.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How To: Create a screen shot Click File>
Select Create>
Select Screen Shoot>
Click the tool that pops up>
Click the screen you want captured>
A Gimp window will pop up with it
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Install Brushes Okay, first thing you must remember:
You CANNOT use Photoshop brushes with GIMP. Full stop. Can't. Sorry.
However, the world has not ended yet.
Save any image as a brush open the one you want>
file>
save as>
select file extension (at bottom)>
GIMP brush (gbr)>
save
also make sure it is saved in the brush file
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How to work with layers. On the top toolbar, select Windows>
click Layers, Paths, Undo
It will open a pane That shows you see all of the layers you have.
To move one below the other, select the layer you want to move and drag it underneath of the other one.
To delete on, click on the layer and then click the trash bin at the bottom
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Give text a smooth look You can either do this as a new image, or within the one you are working on.
1) Select the text tool (keyboard shortcut T).
2) Type the text you want to do the effect on.
3) In the toolbox, select "Path from Text."
4) Click Layer > Layer Boundary Size and enlarge the boundary size so that there is plenty of space around the word.
5) Make white your active foreground color (or whatever color you'd like the text outlined in).
6) Click Edit > Stroke Path. A dialog will open. Choose to stroke with a line of about 4-5.
7) Press SHIFT + V to select the path.
8.) Select the gradient tool (keyboard shortcut L).
9) Make your foreground color a light shade of the color you want, and the background color a darker shade of that same color.
10) In the toolbox, set your gradient shape to "Shaped (spherical)."
11) Drag the gradient tool over your text.
12) Deselect the path (keyboard shortcut SHIFT + CTRL + A).
13) Click Filters > Map > Bump Map.
14) In the window that opens, make sure that your text layer is the layer showing in the dropdown next to where it says "Bump Map."
15) Adjust the sliders until the preview looks how you want it to, and click okay.
16) Apply a desired drop shadow, and your text is complete.
Example of the finished result:
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Add shadow to text make sure your text is clicked and not the background
filter>
lights and shadow>
drop shadow>
adjust to make the shadow larger or smaller
Create Cut Outs. open your pic. as a new layer >
select transparency >
add alpha channel >
eraser tool (choose brush size)>
erase what you don't want in the picture....if you use open as layers, you won't have to copy paste into your selection
Create Picture Text NOTE: Some versions of GIMP have things labeled slightly different
Use your text tool and write the name>
Choose a blocky text >
Right click on your layer (the text) and add alpha to selection (2.6 has it as "Text to Selection> Add)>
Open your picture, resize, crop do what you want with it>
Copy it>
Go to your text layer>
click edit, paste into. >
use the move tool to put it where you want >
when you are finished, anchor it and then add drop shadow
DONE!
Selective coloring: 1. open your image
2. duplicate layer
3. go to colors menu then click desaturate
4. on your top layer go to>tranparency>add alpha channel
5. zoom on your image I say to 400 and get your eraser tool and erase what you
want color on
Animated siggies (by Lynne): The #1 thing to learn before making them is how to work with layers. On the top toolbar, select Windows>
click Layers, Paths, Undo
It will open a pane That shows you see all of the layers you have.
To move one below the other, select the layer you want to move and drag it underneath of the other one.
To delete on, click on the layer and then click the trash bin at the bottom
Each layer will be a frame in animation
Start by creating your background and merge all the layers you have together
Create a new layer
add a pic to the new layer
Continue until you have used all the pics you want, making a new layer for each
Saved it as .gif adjust the frame rate to a good speed (when you save as a .gif, select the option to "Save As Animation" and it will automatically give you the frame rate and disposal options 1000= 1 second)
set the disposal to combine
You can preview what you're working on as an animation by going to Filters>Animation>Playback. It will open it in a new window, hit the play button it will play each layer in your project as a frame.
Animation (by mommybrain) The cool thing with Gimp, is that every layer you make becomes a frame in animation. For the animated siggy I posted, I created the background (which was 5 different layers to start) and merged the layers I wanted to use for it. Then every piece of text was as a new text layer. Once I had all of the text I needed for it, I saved it as a .gif, and adjusted the frame rate to an amount that was what I thought was a good speed (when you save as a .gif, select the option to "Save As Animation" and it will automatically give you the frame rate and disposal options), and I set the disposal to combine. At any time while working in Gimp, you can preview what you're working on as an animation by going to Filters>Animation>Playback. It will open it in a new window, and when you hit the play button it will play each layer in your current project as a frame. I played around with it a lot to figure it out on my own, but if you go to the Gimp Talk tutorials, they are really good to use for learning how to do it. (I think I posted that link before, but if not let me know and I'll post it)
When Animated images are blurred When you make an animation, it almost always will have some sort of distortion. This is because when you create your image, you are working in RGB color. Gif images only use what is called indexed color, which only recognizes about 28 colors. When GIMP converts from RGB (which is 256 colors) it has to try to replace several different colors that are not recognized with indexed color, so it uses whatever is closest. This most frequently only affects the skin in a picture, since our skin is made up of so many different shades of color.
There are a couple of ways to ensure that you do not have so much that it makes the finished animation look so odd.
1)Always work with as large of images as possible. This doesn't just mean size, but resolution also. The more pixels there are for the program to work with when it converts to indexed color, the less loss there is.
2) Once your image is finished, and BEFORE you save it, go to Image>Mode>Indexed. A dialogue box will open. At the bottom of the dialogue box will be a drop down menu. Select the one that says "Positioned" and click okay. This will convert the image while it's still open, and use a more advanced method for it than what GIMP uses as its default method. It allows for less dithering, or bleeding of pixels into one another, and allows your finished image to have less of the obvious distortion.
Text Shapes(im going to try and explain as best as I can im too lazy to do it with pics)
1. With you paths tool draw any shape you want
2. On your paths dialog click selection from path
3. Type in your text(you are going to have to do trial and error to make the words fit into your shape)
4. On your text dialog click text along path
5. Delete your text layer
6.Go to Select>from path
7. Get your bucket fill and fill the text with any color you want
8. Press shift+A to unlselect
9. copy your text shape and paste it to a new document and voila (you have to copy and paste to a new document because if you don't the words are going to look funny)
If you are confused by my explanation feel free to ask anything
Photo Name Text 1. Choose a heavy font and type the name you want to use (all caps works best).
Here there two different ways to do it, depending on if you want each letter to be a different color, or if you want them all to be the same.
For all the same color:
2. In the text toolbox, choose "Path from text."
3. Select a color that you want to outline the letters with.
4. Go to Edit>Stroke path, and select a stroking option (I like to use the stroke with paintbrush, and my paintbrush set to the largest presetround brush at size 1.00).
5. Once the text is outlined, press SHIFT + V to select the inside of the text, and press delete. You should now have transparent letters with the outline in the color you selected for the stroke.
6. Open as layers the pictures you want to use (it can be one picture, or a different picture for each letter).
7. Resize and arrange the pictures where and how you want them.
8. With your text layer as the active layer, use the wand selection tool and select the inside of the first letter.
9. Switch your active layer to the picture you have chosen for the first letter. Using CTRL + I, invert the selection, and press delete.
10. Deselect using SHIFT + CTRL + A.
11. Repeat steps 8-10 until all letters have been filled with pictures.
12. Merge all layers.
13. Apply a drop shadow using Filters>Light and Shadow>Drop Shadow (I usually set mine at 8, 8, 10, with an opacity of 20%, colored black).
14. Save image.
For each letter to be a different color:
2.Use the wand tool to selectthe firstletter.
3. Choose the color you want to outline the first letter in.
4. Go to Edit>Stroke selection and stroke using your desired setting (again, I like to use the larges round brush set to size 1.00).
5. With the letter still selected, press delete to erase the inside of the letter and leave only the outline.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for each letter until the entire name or word is outlined in the colors of your choosing.
7. Follow steps 6-14 from above.
Quoting ♥J&JJ *BCF*:“ I've posted this a few places, but have no responses so forgive me: Now that I have it, how do I use ... [snip!] ... it? I checked out a couple tutorials but they sucked, I haven't figured much out and don't have the time to just play with it.”
lol Gimp is a freeware photo editing program that is comparable to Photoshop.
OP, the best place to start would be with the user manual found at http://docs.gimp.org/en It will help you to figure out what each of the tools is for. What specifically are you trying to do? I have been using it for over a year and know how to do most anything, so I might be able to help you.
Quoting mommybrain(OSA):“ lol Gimp is a freeware photo editing program that is comparable to Photoshop. OP, the best place to ... [snip!] ... are you trying to do? I have been using it for over a year and know how to do most anything, so I might be able to help you. ”
why wouldnt you just use picnik.com seems easier IMO
Quoting mommybrain(OSA):“ lol Gimp is a freeware photo editing program that is comparable to Photoshop. OP, the best place to ... [snip!] ... are you trying to do? I have been using it for over a year and know how to do most anything, so I might be able to help you. ”
ooooo OOL i was thinking gimp string hahahhah
O.o FAIL on my end .
Quoting KristiMarie:“ why wouldnt you just use picnik.com seems easier IMO ”
Depends on what it is that you want to do. The capabilities of a site like picnik are limited to basic photo editing. You can do more advanced things with a program like Gimp, as well as create graphics.
Thank You Mommybrain!
Before:
After:
In order, this is what I did.
1) Set brush to the soft round one (looks like a fuzzy circle).
2) Select the Heal tool (looks like band aids crossed).
3) Set size of heal brush to 2, and select an area on the cheek towards the bottom to remove the mosquito bite.
4) Select Blur tool (looks like a water drop).
5) Set size of blur tool to 4 and rate to 100. Go over skin with blur tool.
6) Select Dodge/Burn tool (is black and looks like the end of a thermometer).
7) Set size to 1 or .5.
8.) Select Dodge and Highlights at a rate of 20. Go over whites of eyes.
9) Change to Burn and Shadows at a rate of 20. Go over the lash line and the outer black edge of the irises of the eyes.
10) Go to Colors>Curves and adjust so that entire picture is brightened.
11) Go to Colors>Hue/Saturation and raise saturation to 20.
12) Create a new transparent layer.
13) Select a color of brown and color over only the irises of the eys on the new layer.
14) Set this layer's mode to burn.
15) Erase the pupils on the second layer.
Quoting ♥ Octavia(OHT)(ES):“ if you mean gimp string ? there are hundreds of things you can do with it do you mean string ?... your post is rather confusing ol .”
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