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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Creating an Andy Warhol-like Effect with GIMP

°❑ Includes:

❑ Using guides

❑ Resizing the canvas

❑ Threshold dialog

❑ Anchoring a Layer


❑ Part 1 - Prepare the base image to copy


❑ From an existing image, make a square selection that will be the image used in your creation

❑ Use the Rectangular selection tool

❑ Select 'Fixed aspect ratio'

❑ Set Width and Height to equal numbers ( I don't think it matters what numbers)

❑ Apply Filters - Enhance - Unsharp Mask to the selection

❑ Set the amount between 2 and 3



❑ From the image menu, Layer - Colors - Threshold
After you select Threshold, click anywhere in the image to open the dialog

❑ Set the middle slider so the lower bound (on the left) is 100

Edit - Copy (Ctrl+C)


❑ Part 2 - Create a new image


❑ Create a new file, File - New

❑ By default, the Width and Height should be equal to the dimensions of the base image

❑ Now resize the new image to fit four copies

Image - Canvas Size

❑ From the drop-down, select 'percent' instead of 'pixels'

❑ Change Width and Height both to 200

❑ You should now have an image with a white square in the upper left and the rest transparent

❑ Next, expand the white square to fill the image

Layer - Layer to Image Size

❑ Save in xcf format


❑ Part 3 - Position the guides

❑ From the image menu, Image - Guides - New Guide (by Percent) ...

❑ Select 'Horizontal' from the drop-down, set at 50%

❑ Repeat the two previous steps, this time selecting 'Vertical'


❑ Part 4 - Paste, position, and color the base image

Edit -Paste (Ctrl-V)

❑ This places one copy of the base image in the center

❑ Select the Move tool and position the image in one corner

Filters - Colors - Colorify ...

❑ Select red

Edit -Paste (Ctrl-V)

❑ This places another copy of the base image on top of the red one

❑ Select the Move tool and position the image in another corner

Filters - Colors - Colorify ...

❑ Select green

❑ Repeat these steps to fill and color the other two corners


❑ Part 5 - Closing out


❑ Anchor the copies to the background by using Layer - Anchor Layer (Ctrl+H)

View - Show Guides (deselect)


❑ Save your finished creation



If you find this useful, a small donation would be appreciated.




Monday, June 18, 2007

Create a Realistic Looking Ticket (GIMP)

❑ Create a new image

❑ Default size (300 x 420)

❑ Portrait orientation

❑ Use the View menu to show the grid and snap to grid

❑ Select a rectangular region using the Rectangle selection tool

❑ Use the Bucket Fill tool to color the rectangle

❑ Use a muted primary color

❑ Remove the selection (Ctrl+Shift+A)


❑ The next step is to cut quarter-circles from each corner

❑ Use the Elliptical Selection tool

❑ Select fixed aspect ratio (drop down box)

❑ Be sure to choose Add to Selection mode (second button)

❑ Draw a circular selection centered on each corner of the rectangle


❑ Click-hold the left mouse button on one of the corners

❑ Hold Ctrl while making your selection

❑ Edit - Clear (Crtl+K) to cut out the corners

❑ Delete the selection (Ctrl+Shift+A)


❑ Now the semi-circular perforation holes in the middle of each end of the ticket will be cut out


❑ Using the same procedure as in the last step, make a circular selection in the middle of each short side

❑ Use Ctrl+K or Edit - Clear to cut out the semi-circles

❑ Again, remove the selection as previously described


❑ Now we'll add a very slight drop shadow for a realistic effect

❑ Use Select Regions by Color tool to select the body of the ticket

❑ Threshold should be pushed all the way down to 0.0


❑ Script-Fu - Shadow - Drop-Shadow

❑ I used these settings to get a very slight effect.

❑ Remove the selection

❑ You should now have the body of the ticket completed



❑ Now you can add text, lines, etc



❑ Adding some lines

❑ Create a new transparent layer

❑ Use the Path tool to draw some lines on your ticket

❑ Select Design mode and check Polygonal so your lines will be straight

❑ Stroke path with the Paintbrush tool

❑ Choose a small brush and default colors


❑ Add the serial numbers

❑ Select the Text tool

❑ Use default colors

❑ Select a font that would be appropriate for the serial number

❑ Position the numbers near the end of the ticket with the Move tool

❑ Duplicate this layer (Layer - Duplicate)

❑ Move this layer (the duplicate) to the other end of the ticket

❑ Right click on this layer in the Layers dialog, choose Merge Down

❑ This places both sets of serial numbers on the same layer

❑ Now dial down the opacity of this layer to about 70

❑ Finally, put some text in the middle of the ticket

❑ Turn the ticket on its side

❑ Image - Transform - Rotate 90 CW

❑ Use the Text tool to create some appropriate text

❑ Use default colors

❑ Use a heavy font

❑ Set Opacity for this layer at about 70 to get a faded look

❑ Turn off the grid.


❑ You're finished!

If you find this useful a small donation would be appreciated