This is a tutorial that will end up similar to this:



This is my first tutorial, but I think that it is fine, and the result will startle all but the most advanced gfx artists.
This will not be a free ticket to an amazing sig, and if you are first starting the GIMP I recommend doing a beginners tutorial. On The other hand if you have some experience with the GIMP, this will turn out very well.

For this tutorial you will have to have good knowledge of the paths tool, gradients, channels, layers, bushing, selecting etc. and you will need to have this script-fu called layer effects:

http://abcdugimp.free.fr/Script-fu/Scri ... cts_en.scm

Start off by making a new document 150 high by 350 wide.
Create a New Layer Called Main Shape
This is the most important part, and the part that I can't help you with because it's all up to you what shape you want!
Use the paths tool to create a nifty looking shape that will be your main shape, but remember to leave room for the branch.
Then Go Select - From Path
This is my shape:



This is a very important shape, so Go Select – Save To Channel so whenever I Tell you take the Main Shape Selection you can right click on this channel and press add to selection. Call the channel Main Shape
Now with this selected, use the gradient tool with the Brushed Aluminum gradient and a Bi-linear shape. Clicking from the middle to the top in a straight line should give you this:



Now go Script Fu – Shadow – Drop Shadow with these settings:



Then go Script Fu – Layer Effects – Inner Shadow with these settings:



Then go Script Fu – Décor – Bevel and put in a radius of 5 and deselect work on copy.
Create a new layer called Secondary Shape
Now for the secondary shape make another creative shaped path in the open area, and go Select – From Path
This is mine:



Again I would make a channel called Secondary Shape for selecting purposes
Now repeat the gradient, drop shadow, the inner shadow, and the bevel to this selection
Create a New Layer Called Connections 1 and put it under all of the other layers.
Make 2 Rectangular Selections using shift at the edges where the connection should be like mine:



Now repeat the gradient, drop shadow, the inner shadow, and the bevel to this selection, but for the gradient use the Foreground To Background gradient with black and white foreground and background in bi-linear shape.
Then with the connections 1 layer selected paint some “light grunge" in black on the 2 “pipes."
Create a new layer called Connection 2 and put it on top of the Connections 1 layer
Then using the path tool create an interesting shape in between the 2 “pipes" for the second connection and go Select – From Path. This is mine:



Now repeat the gradient drop shadow, the inner shadow, and the bevel to this selection using any metallic gradient that looks good, in bi-linear shape. I used Brushed Aluminum. This is what I have now:



Now we are going to start adding the parts that turn it into a signature. Select the main shape and go Select - Shrink and shrink it 6 pixels. This is another important selection so make it a channel called Grunge.
Create layers for the grunging called “Grunge 1,2,3…."
Now in this selection do your normal grunging. Here is a grunge tutorial that you can follow if you don't know how do some good grunge backgrounds:
http://www.gimptalk.com/topic.php?a=v&t=1568&f=8
Make sure you don't leave this selection.
Now we need to add a border to the grunge section, so make the alpha selection of the grunge by right clicking on a layer with all of the selection filled, then go Select – Border and border it 3 pixels. Then fill that with black.
Here is what I have now:



Make a new layer Called LCD
Now we do the techy thing in the second shape. Make your second shape selection and shrink it by 6 pixels, then fill it with a color like 23b22e.
Then make a new layer on top of that called scan lines and make some horizontal scan lines that are a darker green color.
Make a new layer called Second Shape Border
Finally Alpha select your LCD layer and border it by 3 and fill that with black.
My Image:



These next parts are self explanatory, and there are tutorials on how to do them in the forums.
Now add a render into the grunge area, and put some color that matches your render into the area too!
Then add some Pixel Text on top of the LCD area, and some indented text into connection 2, and some text in your grunge area.

Now you should have your final result! Here is mine!



C&C is needed for better tutorials later in time!


Wow lots of typing!

This is a converted photoshop tutorial from
http://www.dutchdesignz.com/modules.php ... pic&t=1861

Very detailed, and nice illustrated tutorial.
Moved to Official tutorials, + added to pixel2life tutorials list.

thanks for sharing.

regards

Excellent tutorial. Very well expalined! Good job and thak you very much for sharing it with us!

Thanks for the high praise Ali and Droz! Please try out the tutorial and post your results!

Thats Great! BTW sorry to be off topic but I LOVE your avitar. I'm listening to my music and its actualy on beat! LOL : Thanx for the great tutorial!

you could also try making the background transparent

What do you mean by this, the background is transparent for me.

it's transparent in firefox but not IE

oh ok im on IE

I suck at creating paths >.<

I liked this tut. I think it will be one of the things I'm going to try next.

There is one thing that we all have to be careful about when designing graphics for the web. I.E. does not support transparent .png yet. Instead of a transparent background I.E. created a grey background. I understand the I.E. 7 will fix this but you know that a lot of folks aren't going to upgrade right away and some won't switch browsers so if you know the background color that you .png will apear on the best way to avoid the I.E. problems is to make your background layer match colors with the page it will appear on.

I use firefox, great program, i think IE is a bit crap compared to it ;P tho firefox can get stuck on some flash and stuff, i dunno, ill stick to the graphics, let the programers do the rest ;P

CeltTech:

Please post your results when you're finished!

P.S. Firefox PWNS :w:

great job nicely details and great tut hope to see more like this guy eh?

nice tut i tried it but got kinda congused and i dont think i have a inner shadow

really cool tutorial. could you put a link to download the inner shadow thing?

Sure! Get it here!:

http://registry.gimp.org/plugin?id=6988

Put it so its like this:

C:\\Program Files\\GIMP-2.0\\share\\gimp\\2.0\\scripts\\layer-effects_en.scm

And If anyone here has results please show!

Nice tut 10/10. I will do use this tut cause I love tech stuff.

I will do tut tomorrow and show my finish when I am done. Would do it tonight but have school tomorrow.

Dead Krypt

Dang...I am going to have to try this....thanks I really like the idea,and outcome...I will post mine when I am done.

No this is hard :S where can i find a tutorial on paths and things like that i have looked in this forum but i couldnt find any

hey nice tutorial i really like it

here is my result

I plan to use this.... And pown people in contest.

edit:
when i go to do the brushed aluminum gradient it doesnt work...can some1 tell me exactly how to do that?

do you have your layer selected?

I didn't follow it to the letter but here is what I came up with: