Sig/Avatar tutorials by the makers [Index in First Post]

[Evil Rick]

Let's work with GIMP

My second tutorial of graphic works using GIMP, now I alredy posted many of the basics like opening files and saving in the last tutorial here

Signatures

We will make a simple, textless signature, First of all, we must choose our render, I'll make a sig out of Taki from Soul Calibur



PD: Yes, I made the render and it's free to be used if you want

NOTE: Important, I'm only gona put EXAMPLES, you must play a bit and try your own ideas

1) Firs we are gona make the BG for our sig, first, we must create our sig Layer (I'm using a 400x120 one) Now, we are going to use our filling color tool and fill our Sig layer with a color of our preference



2) Now, we need a C4D, I'm using this one



We will place our C4D on the sig layer and then we will set the layer of the C4D as "Screen"



3) I know what are you thinking, it doesn't looks good right? Don't worry, we will fix that, in our sig layer we are going Image/ Apply image, then we will go to Colors/ Colorfull and set the options your preferences, yes, you need to play a bit here until you get what you want, have fun!



Looks beter, right?

4) Now that we have our BG ready, let's put our render on the sig layer, probably you'll have to rotate it and resise it to have it in the position you want, simply go to the GIMP window and there you'll find the Rotate tool and the Scale tool



5)Now, we need to adjust the colors of our "Taki" to fits them with the ones of the BG, to do this, selkect the Layer of our "Taki" And go Colors/ Balance Colors, you'll also have to play a bit here until get what you want



6) Now, we will ad a "Runing efect" to our Taki, I'll teach you a little trick, first, duplicate our "Taki" render, select the duplicated layer and go Filtres/ Blur/ Moving blur, set the optiuons to this ones



Now your sig should look like this



Just move the duplicated layer beneath the original and you'll have this



Nice trick, eh? You can play a lot with this to make variuos things, you just need to experimentate a bit

7) Next, we will add a "Light efect" to the Blade of Taki, to do this first, go Image/ Apply image, then go Filtres/ Lights and Shadows/ Supernove, select a white color in the section marked below and set the options to the marked ones



8) Next, we will add a border, now in the last tutorial I teached you how to add a simple border, for this sig, we will create something diferent

First, create a new transparent Layer, then clicl Ctrl+A and Go Edit/ Stroke, select 6 pixels, then in the GIMP window select another color and go again Edit/ Stroke and this time place it with 4 pixels, go to the GIMP window again, select the first color you used and go again Edit/ Stroke and this time, 2 pixels



Good Border, Uh?

Your final resule must be something similar to this:



The only thing that this Sig seems to need is a Text, but that will be another tutorial XP

Hope you found it usefull, remember, the most important is to practique

[Faeyice]

Sweet tutorial Rick. I'll have to try it out some time. *__*

[hazelkenro]

thnk you very much!!!

[KiNA]

>.> Not only you cant be bothered to read the thread before asking, you are not gonna bother to read thread AFTER we post the answer BUT expected to be replied like a king?

Nobody wished to be the butler.

And no one is to feed the lazy bastard. There's no use for lazyness in learning.

[adevilinthedark]

I have a question. I don't know what the process is called (sweatdrop. Damn me being a n00b when it comes to this.) so I can't say if it's been posted before.

How do you remove unwanted text from images? As in:



to



If its been posted before, just point it out please. I think what I'm looking for is 'render' but the pics in that tut don't show up so I can't tell.

[KiNA]

We use the clone tool, and painstakingly reconstruct part of it if it got removed too much.

There's also greycstation plugin for gimp.. Well.. passable for a semi automated, but it still require a painstaking process of masking the required part

[adevilinthedark]

Thanks. You're a lifesaver. ...Now lets see if I can get it to work well enough...

[SweetHoney]

Originally Posted by adevilinthedark

I have a question. I don't know what the process is called (sweatdrop. Damn me being a n00b when it comes to this.) so I can't say if it's been posted before.

How do you remove unwanted text from images? As in:



to



If its been posted before, just point it out please. I think what I'm looking for is 'render' but the pics in that tut don't show up so I can't tell.

As KiNa pointed out, we call it the clones stamp tool ^-^

Also as a matter of fact I did a tut on what I call de-texting awhile ago here

I hope that helps you and I wish you the best with it \(^o^)/

[Scep]

Just my 2 cents, but for a straight forward image like this (without gradients or textures) wouldn't it be easier to just use brush or pen tool? Clone tool seems like a unnecessary hassle, especially since clone tool really tends to limit your movements (every few pixels you need to reset your reference point if you're copying from some narrow area); unless you intend to copy the texture or noise, most of the time which i find it easier to just surface blur or some other method to make it flat.

[felix]

^ You can set it so you only copy from one spot. Of course the problem doesn't completly vanish.
I don't know, I would say for 90% of jobs clone tool is much better then just using a brush.

[Evil Rick]

Let's Work with GIMP

Now is time to you to learn how to add cool texts to your sigs using GIMP lol

Text

Now, In photoshop is really easy adding efects to the text, simple going layesr/ Drop Shadow... Glow... Bebel and Emboss... etc... Now, in GIMP, we don't have those options, but don't worry, that doesn't means that we can create those tricks

First, know your text tool:



and, obviusly, the first thing we must do to create text efects... is to create our text! XP



Now, let's go with the efects

Shadow

1)The most simple, first duplicate your text layer, in the copy, go filtres/ blur/ Gausian Blur



2) Now, just put the copy layer beneath the original and move it a bit to the angle you want



Glow

1)Very similar to the shadow (Probably you alredy figurated how) Duplicate your text layer and go Layer/ Selection Text/ Selection text, to surround your text with the files of ants, now ´paint the text with the color you want to be glowing



2) Go Filter/ Blur/ Gausian Blur, move the duplicated Layer beneath the original and it's done



Text with Border

1) Duplicate your text layer and go, Layer/ Selection Text/ Selection text to add the file of ants, now go Selection/ Grow, grow it 1 or 2 pixels

2) The text will not grow, the thing that is going to grow is the file of ants, now grab your brush tool, and paint the new selection with the color you want to have the border



3) Now just move the duplicated Layer beneath the original one and your border is ready



Mirror

1) Duplicate your text layer and go Layer/ Selection Text/ Selection text, Grab the eraser tool, and erase a bit the superior part of the text



NOTE: I hided the text layer beneath just to show you how it should look, you must not hide it

2)Set the opacity of the layer to 50%



NOTE: I hided the text layer beneath just to show you how it should look, you must not hide it

3) With the rotate tool, put the duplicated layer below the original one, like this:



4) With the turn tool, rotate the duplicated layer in horisontal way so have each letter match with the one up (The "E" with the "E", the "R" with the "R", etc...) Like this:



Now it's done

Embossed text

1) Duplicate your Text layer and Go, Layer/ Selection Text/ Selection Text, now goSelection/ Shrink, shrink it 1 0r 2 pixels and paint it with white



2) Go Filter/ Blur/ Gausian Blur and it's done



Hope that this little tut has been usefull, now, I just teached you how to add Simple efects on texts, the Stylised Text is another tutorial

[hazelkenro]

hi its me again hazelkenro

Hi there how can i make avatar using round image

like to Graphic designer KINA!or probably i ask KIna hehehe!

I love this Forum I have learned So much!!!

Thank you .......

[KiNA]

Ms .. KiNA ..

O_O

MS!!!

O_O I'm a guy dammit!!!

Just group every layer you want, then use eclipse tool to draw a circular marching ant .. then use layer mask

There's a tutorial earlier too in first post

[felix]

Originally Posted by hazelkenro

Hi there how can i make avatar using round image

Already detailed in Tutorial A.12 (see index)

But simple version as KiNAko-chan said above,

1. Group all layers.
2. Make a selection using the rounded rectangle tool; or just make a vector shape and render it to a selection.
3. With the selection active, add a mask to the previously created group.

Rounded corners just means part of it is transparent, so you can use the same principle (diffrent shape tools or methods to obtain the selection for the shape) to get any other style of edges. Also, to add a border, simply save and subsequently load the selection before adding the layer mask.

[KiNA]

You dont actually have to save the selection.. Ctrl+click on the group thumbnail (the one that masked) should suffice to reselect it

Cats.. hidoiii >_< not only the -ko .. but the -chan as well :'(

[hazelkenro]

Gomen Kina!!!!Sorry!!!!
I edit my Post!!!!
Thank You for replying!!!!!

and thank you CATS!!!!

[felix]

Originally Posted by KiNA

You dont actually have to save the selection.. Ctrl+click on the group thumbnail (the one that masked) should suffice to reselect it

Sometimes it gives a crappy selection; rough edges and such.
I think it was fixed with the last patches but I'm still too used to saving/loading it.

[Utau]

*bump*


it's been one stressful day. I tried out Furuno's Night Scene tut and end up with this sig i'm using. It's a nice & easy tutorial except for the part where I have to 'fill' in the empty space and for some reason I ended up with an unusual style

I was thinking of adding an anime-ish grassy field as the terrain, sadly, couldn't find one.





@KiNA: nice water effect tut you have there
do you plan on writing a PS based tutorial in the near future for that? it'd be a great help if you could teach me how to animate a pouring sake

[KiNA]

You dont actually have to bump a stickied thread XD

And please do tell me, which water effect are you refering too? All my tutorials so far have been PS based. I'm capable to use GIMP as well (been retraining myself back- especially since GIMP-GAP are so wonderful) but I've never made other then PS tutorial

[Utau]

^I figured XD


btw, it's this one. By taking a good look at it for the second time it does use PS, I was misled by the plug-in you included and the fact that my head is worn out from playing CoD4 online

I guess what i'm asking for is the harder/advanced version of that tutorial that uses displacement filter as you have mentioned. I'll give this a try today and hopefully it fixes my problem.


P.S. that sig is awesome