This tutorial is a GIMP version of a Photoshop tutorial I found. I take credit only for rewriting it for GIMP usage (not as easy as you'd think). Although this tutorial is designed for a specific outcome it's useful for learning about some advanced techniques (like using the polar tool) which can then be used on your own work.



1. Save this image - it is the base we will use to create the exploding planet effect.


2. Open the image up in GIMP and use the circle selection tool to select a large area of the image. You can hold shift to get a perfect circle.

3. Invert the selection (ctrl + I) and clear the rest of the image, using Edit > Clear. Make sure you add an alpha channel before doing this (Layer > Transparency > Add Alpha Channel).

4. Crop the canvas down so it is a perfect square with your 'planet' in the middle. Leave a small border for now.


5. Invert the colours of the image (Layer > Colours > Invert).

6. Go to the lens tool (Filters > Glass Effects > Apply Lens). Leave most settings as they are, but change the 'lens refraction index' to 1.30, and click ok.

7. Resize your image again, you'll need a larger border for the next part.


8. Open the polar tool (Filters > Distorts > Polar Coords). Uncheck 'To polar' and click ok.


9. Rotate the image 90 degrees counter-clockwise (Layer > Transform).

10. Apply a wind effect on the default settings (Filters > Distorts > Wind). This is why you have to resize the image, without the large empty space on the side of the image the wind effect won't work.


11. Rotate the image 90 degrees clockwise.

12. Open the polar tool again, check the 'To polar' box and click ok.

13. Erase the areas of white left over.

14. Open the colour balance tool (Layer > Colours > Colour Balance). Adjust the settings until you are happy with them. Generally you should favour red, magenta and yellow.


15. Add a background, and you're done. Star-filled backgrounds look nice.


And there you have it. You just turned a picture of dried mud into the destruction of a planet.

I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be hanging around for a while to answer any questions, so if you get stuck just ask.

That looks amazing!!!! :

But can't you just do Map ---> Map object to make a sphere out of the ground thingy?

It's surprisingly ineffective in GIMP, though if I remember correctly that was the technique used in the original Photoshop tutorial. At first I thought that would make the effect impossible to recreate in GIMP but the lens tool saved the day!

Here's the outcome when you use the same tutorial but use map instead of lens:


Notice how much smaller it is because we're applying the texture over an actual object as opposed to enlarging areas to create an illusion. Generally I think the lensed effect looks much better.

Very cool, I remember my brother doing the very same thing on photoshop!

Holy crap. Very neat!
My result:

Fun and interesting outcome. I don't think we have anything like it before. I'm adding it to the Official tutorial forum.
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Griatch

Ooooh, I'm honoured :D

Glad you like it.

Very nice tut trickle.

I'm having a problem at the polar stage. I have 2.4 installed, when i go to apply polar cord filter it only applies it too image, ie theimage does'nt spread out like in tutorial pic wondering do i have to merge anything, becuase through out tut i see i'm only working with one layer?

That's really cool, i'll have to give that a try sometime when i get time...

Yay! Thank you Tickle. That was a really well presented tutorial. It doesn't matter if you used the steps from a Photoshop tutorial. You made it accessible to everyone by translating it to GIMP. Alot of work went into trying to find analogous ways to do the same thing in GIMP that you could do in photoshop. I remember I couldn't find the offset tool (turned out to be in Layer => Transform or something).

Anyway, here's my result. Not as pretty as yours but I think it's fine.

This is a pretty good tut. Might try it :h:

Cant seem to get the rays past the circle any ideas?

there is a GIMP tutorial like this on GIMP Users which doesn't require the stock, yet i have to admit your results are better.

Hmm Barrakooda I had this problem too. I think it was because the layer that the thing was on wasn't big enough. So when I did "Filters > Distort > Wind" it didn't create a kind of spreading effect where part of it spread out into the empty space to the right, which then becomes the rays of the planet when you check "To Polar" in "Filters > Distort > Polar Coords". Sorry I couldn't explain it better.

Short of going to my other computer and opening the *.xcf and undoing all the changes to see how I did it, I can't think of any other answer. I think it's to do with the size of the layer. There has to be a lot of empty space to the right when you use the Wind Filter. It'll create the smudging effect which then becomes the rays. Sorry again that I couldn't explain it better.

thx Optical, finally got it sorted. I was messing up the resize part, i eventually found it on the drop down box under canvas size window, had to select "visible imag layer" or something.

Pity I cant upload it from work comp ( and im out bush atm) so will have to wait till i get back home.

No Problem. I'm glad it helped. I got stuck on the resize part too.

really cool tut
i've tried many other base images before that i found one that could match
here's my result :

Now does anyone have a tutorial for making dirt instead of using a photo?

I used a picture cutout of a earth stone fence with VERY neat results.

See for yourself: http://alexiadeath.deviantart.com/art/The-end-69369959

Marvin X was working on something like this...but I dunno as he ever got the tute wrote. Not a bad effect.

Wow, replies! I was certain this got buried somewhere in the forums before many people had a chance to see it! :w:


"I'm having a problem at the polar stage. I have 2.4 installed, when i go to apply polar cord filter it only applies it too image, ie theimage does'nt spread out like in tutorial pic wondering do i have to merge anything, becuase through out tut i see i'm only working with one layer?"

I'm afraid I have no experience using 2.4 (not yet anyway). Check and see if you're using multiple layers by accident, because as you say, this should require only a single one. Other than that, I'm afraid someone who uses 2.4 will have to advise you.


"I think it's to do with the size of the layer. There has to be a lot of empty space to the right when you use the Wind Filter. It'll create the smudging effect which then becomes the rays. Sorry again that I couldn't explain it better."

Indeed, the resizing steps are more important than they seem. Got to be careful when using wind and polar co-ords on a small canvas.


"Now does anyone have a tutorial for making dirt instead of using a photo?"

Good idea, I'll have a go at creating something like the stock. It's better to make something completely from scratch, I agree.

the same just added a gradient map after the colour balance to make it kook a little more earthy

I considered making an earthy looking one, but ultimately decided if I was going for a realistic look I'd want to focus more on water and decided to abandon the idea. Making an exploding water effect on the scale of a planet sounded rather tough.

And mine.

Here's mine