My third tutorial. =D This tutorial will help you to achieve a result like the following:



Step 1

Go to File > New. Choose the sizing you want. I'm going with my usual sizing of 400 (width) x 125 (height). Choose whatever size you want. I'll assume you know what a blank canvas looks like so I'll spare you the image example.

Step 2

This one is simple. Go to File > Open as Layer. Navigate to the render you want to use as the focal point (the render I used can be found here) and click OK. Resize and move to the centre. Mine looks like this right now:



Step 3

Set the foreground colour to black. Use the colour picker tool to set the background colour from your render. In this case I pick a shade of yellow, as it's the most dominant colour of my render. Pick the Gradient tool. Set the style to "Radial" and Repeat to "None". Drawing from behind the render paint on the gradient. You want a good amount of colour showing; something like this:



Step 4

Create a new transparent layer and call it "Galaxy".Select the brush tool and choose the "Galaxy Big" brush. Change foreground colour to white (solely for ease of seeing what you're doing). Cover the layer with these brush marks (but make sure it's not completely white). Should look something like this:



Step 5

Hide the Galaxy layer. Create a new transparent layer called "Sparks". The more experienced GIMPers will have already guessed what this step involves. While still with the paintbrush tool select the "Sparks" brush and fill the layer with it. No leaving anything visible this time. Once that is done go to Filters > Map > Displace. Make sure the layer to be used in each dropdown box is the same sparks layer. Run at default settings. Image now looks like this:



Don't worry – we're not leaving it like that. Hide the Sparks layer so that we're back at looking at the display from step 3.

Step 6

Create a new transparent layer. Let's call it "Effect Base". We're still using the paintbrush tool and still with white. Change the brush to "Galaxy AP". Now comes the fun part, and where things start to get time consuming. Use this brush to mark out paths that have a sense of flow. You need not mark out every path you want in one go, as they can be layered if need be. Stay away from marking the centre of the banner (we'll get to that later). Here's my initial path (I've put a black BG so you can clearly see the path marked out):



Step 7

Hide the Effect Base layer. Select your render layer and select "copy". Create a new layer and call it "Effects 1". Now paste the render all over the layer as to fill it up. Such as:



Step 8

Filters > Gaussian Blur. Set the amounts to something like 10 and OK it.



Step 9

Filters > Map Displace. Set both dropdown's to the Sparks layer and the "On Edges" is set to smear and OK it.



*Sidenote* - If the Sparks layer is not an option in the Displace dialogue then your layer boundaries are off. Back out of the dialogue and go to Layer > Layer to Image Size. Now try again.

Step 10

Filters > Map > Displace. Set both dropdown's to the Galaxy layer and make sure "On Edges" is set to smear and OK it.



Step 11

Now to define the shape. Right-click the Effect Base layer in the layer's dialogue and select Alpha to Selection. Grow selection by 2 pixels. Make the Effects layer active, invert selection and delete selection. Should now look like this:



Step 12

Now, we need each half of this effect on different layers. There are multiple ways to do this. My way involves duplicated the Effects layer. Use the Rectangular Select tool to select one half of the layer and delete selection. Make the duplicated layer active, invert selection and delete selection. There's no visual difference from the previous step currently so no screenie required.

Step 13

Select the Effects render that has shapes on the left side. Go to Filters > Map > Displace. Set both dropdowns to the Sparks layer. Leave the x and y values at default 20. OK it. Go to the other layer. Reopen the displace filter. Leave all options the same except change the x value from 20.00 to -20.00. OK it. You may have to move the layers to get the paths back closer to the render. Do so, merge the two layers together and desaturate the layer.



*Optional*

If you want you can now choose to add more paths to the image using the same techniques from steps 6 to 13 (except instead of creating the Effect Base layer you can use the existing one). Be sure to merge the new Effects layer with the existing one each time upon completion. Here are screenies of another path and result:




Step 14

Hide the Effects 1 layer. Now we work on the middle. Reshow the Effect Base layer. Clear the contents of it and use the Galaxy AP brush to mark out another shape, this time one that goes along the bottom-centre, like thus:



Step 15

A bit of repetition now. Setup another layer filled with pasted renders (or grab a copy if you made copies previously). Gaussion blur by 10. Run displace using the Sparks layer in the dropdowns and 20 in x and y. Run displace again with Galaxy layer this time. Alpha to selection the Effect Base layer, grow by 2 pixels, make the Effects 2 layer active, invert selection and delete selection. Mine currently looks like this:



Step 16

OK, now we differ slightly from previous steps. Filters > Map Displace. Use the Sparks layer in both dropdowns. Set the Y value to 20 and the X value to 0. OK it, then desaturate the layer. Move the layer down to suit. Reshow Effects 1 and merge the two layers. Result looks like this now:



Step 17

Eww, looks ugly, I know. It will change soon enough. Duplicate the Effects 1 layer twice. Now you need to apply some layer modes. Alas, a layer mode setup that works for one won't always work for another so this comes down to experimenting. For example, this tutorial graphic used a Grain Merge, Divide, Divide setup. However, the christmas one at the end used a Grain Extract, Grain Extract, Dodge setup. Mess around until you get something good. Here's mine:



Step 18

Duplicate the background layer (that's the one with the radial gradient). Move the copy to the top of the stack and set to overlay. If the gradient consists of black and a dark colour you may need to increase the brightness of the gradient layer to avoid plunging it into darkness.



Step 19

At this point you may want to remove parts of the render that are sticking out too much. Take note of the pink part of Dark Magician Girl. I feel it doesn't fit in well there. All this means is using the eraser to remove such sections. And so:



Step 20

Edit > Copy Visible. Paste in as two new layers. Set one to Hard Light and the other to Overlay. For a bright coloured image (such as this one) you may need to lower the opacity of these layers to avoid washing everything out. And the image is done!



All you need to do now is apply the finishing touches of a border and some text. =D

Outcomes




More Outcomes


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Note that this tutorial may be freely redistributed anywhere providing credit is still given to the original author (me).

Single Image Version

Dang IP. That's a nice tutorial :h: I'll try it out now :w:

Cool, the results look a lil bright though....

Wow I'm gonna try that tonight

I never really used Galaxy (AP) untill now

can you guys tell me ho to add a border to the sig

Yes. Make a new layer, Hit Ctrl A and go to edit>stroke selection and change the width to about 1-2 pixels.
Awesome Tutorial Ip. Im trying this when Im done my damn English project.

How do you do this step

Step 3

Set the foreground colour to black. Use the colour picker tool to set the background colour from your render. In this case I pick a shade of yellow, as it's the most dominant colour of my render. Pick the Gradient tool. Set the style to "Radial" and Repeat to "None". Drawing from behind the render paint on the gradient. You want a good amount of colour showing; something like this:

I mean set the forground and back ground color

Used your Santa girl render. :w:

Nice tut.

every time I set the granit it want show up what layer do I want active for the grANIT

trying right now.

here it is.

Wups sorry for double post.

ill try this now :h:

Wow, your tutorials just get better and better!

Here's my result:


This tutorial is seriously awesome. :w:

its a nice tut i messed up on it dont know how i did but i finished ^_^





like i said i messed and instead of putting CrownedClown on it i just put CC


EDIT: heres another version with the last step included

killer_kyle - Thanks for the comment. I guess someone could play with brightness or levels or something if it comes out too bright for their tastes.

Pnoi - Awesome outcome. Thanks for trying it.

keyblade_15 - Someone else used my santa woman render. <3 Like it. Thanks.

stefcho_94 - Great outcome. Never seen that image of Sakura before. O_O Thanks.

Naon Tiotami - The effect is close to looking like Phazon (except it's green here). Brilliant. Thanks for going through it.

FullMetalEnvy - You set the colours in the Main Toolbox. Where you have the two colour blocks. Double-click either to bring up the colour selection dialogue. The top-left box sets foreground colour and the bottom-right one sets background colour.

As for the gradient not showing, make sure the background layer is active and that the graident tool mode is set to "normal".

CrownedClown - For "messing up" you still got a brilliant result. Love it. Thanks.

err im sure this is a newbie question but how do you change the color of your gradiant? ive been tryin for a long time now -.-''

Double-click a colour square to change colour.

nice i'm definitely trying this!

I love the outcome IP, as soon as I get home from school, I'm so trying this!

(if gimp allows; it's been snooty lately >.<;; )
-CelibateButDashing

Wow, looks like a great tut IP. Nice use of displacement.

Ok this is what I made. My problem is that I can’t follow tuts to the very end. I usually tend to add my twitches and mostly all of the time wonder of to doing my own work. Anyways I followed your tut mostly to about step 13 if i'm not mistaken and then I went my own way. Anyways I do have to compliment you since you make great tuts and very nice sigs. Some noobs here just post away and say that it’s not for beginners. The tut is great. Outcomes are also great. Very nice! Well heres my entry and its also my current:

Nice tut, Ill try it now.

Man of Valor - Adapting a tut to how you want it is an excellent thing to do. After all, it's your work and thus should look as you want it. You've got a great result. Glad my tut was of use.

CelibateButDashing - Alright, looking forward to an outcome.

Jethro252 - Thanks. A while ago I never would have guessed the usefulness of that filter.

A90 - Thanks, can't wait to see it.

Meh, didn't turn out very good, but I'll do better next time.