I saw this tutorial at http://www.pixel2life.com/ (it was photoshop tutorial so I converted it). http://v2.hestudios.net/index.php?v2=photoshop/mosaic. Its pretty much the same till about step 7.

Scroll to the end to see the original and final results.

Step ONE:
Open up a picture. I chose one 640Xx480px (all imgs are scaled by 50% to save space, except the original and final) I downloaded it from http://www.morguefile.com.



Step TWO:
You will need three layers. The top layer should be transparent and the bottom two should be the image (duplicate the background layer).



Step THREE:
Now, with background copy layer selected go to Filter > Blur > Pixelize. Set the width and height to 10X10. You can use a different width and height but for this tutorial the following step is dependent on 10X10.



Step FOUR:
Create a NEW IMAGE 10X10px in dimension. If you used a different pixelize w&h then use that. Now create the pattern below and save "name".pat in your patterns file.



Step FIVE:
Now back to the first image, select the transparent layer. Select the bucket fill tool. Now, in your Tool Options Dialog set the FILL TYPE to PATTERN FILL. Refresh your patterns and use the newly created pattern.



Step SIX: (OPTIONAL)
You can reduce the transparent layers opacity to give it a better effect, try 25%. Then you want merge that layer down with the pixelized layer.



STEP SEVEN:
Now create a new layer. Fill with black or white, which ever is easier for you to see things with and then add layer mask, Layer->Masks->Add Layer Mask (WHITE FULL OPACITY). I used black and will call it the black layer.



STEP EIGHT:
Now make your original background visible and the others invisible (uncheck the eye). Now with your FREE SELECT TOOL (LASSO). Select the objects you want to appear throught the mosaic grid. I choose that guy cause he looks like he is having a bad day and the clock stuff just because. Don't worry about getting the selection exactly right.



STEP NINE:
Selection looks terrible right? Who cares, we got skills and we'll fix that. Now make your black layer visible again and select the layer mask. Fill the selection with the color black.



STEP TEN: (OPTIONAL)
Now we could just stop here but were not (ocd I guess). YOU CAN JUST LEAVE IT! You won't even notice the edges when we get done. I just have SHAAKKKYYY hands and can't free select objects that well, so there a little for me to clean up.

Now here is where we fix are edges (NOTE YOU WILL WANT TO LEAVE A LITTLE SPACE, like 2 or 3 px, AROUND YOUR OBJECT, DON'T GET IT TOO PERFECT). With the layer mask still selected go around your objects with the pencil or brush using the color black to add objects from your background and the color white to remove them. I like to zoom to like 800% and use a small brush of like 5 or 3 pixels. BUT WHATEVER! Here is what I ended up with, a little better.



STEP ELEVEN:
Now do a SELECT ALL on your layer mask, then copy it (ctrl+c). Hide your black layer and Show your pixelized layer. Select your pixelized layer and add a layer mask (whatever WHITE FULL OPACITY WILL DO). Then select your new layer mask. Then paste, then anchor your floating selection. You should see something like this.



STEP TWELVE: (OPTIONAL)
You could just leave it like that, BUUUUUUTTTTT we won't. Now with your pixelized layer's layer mask selected, do a Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur. I did RLE 15X15 but it doesn't matter really choose what you fill is best.


Final:


Original:



I hope you like the extended version of the tutorial. The images aren't perfect but you get the idea. Use a smaller grid size to keep more of the background detail.
You can do plenty other things like use a zoom blur instead to create a different effect.
The layer mask skills will help do many other tricks like changing your photos of bad vacations to photos of vactions at some resort island.

NC

Thanks, NC. I've been playing with a very similar effect lately. Good tutorial.

A

Very well detailed tutorial, thanks for sharing NC.

btw, I have added your tutorials to pixel2life :h:

regards

Definatly something I'll be thinking about.


Thanks.

Really good detail

Nice tutorial, very effective.

nice tutorial

i whipped this one up in about 10 mins, its nowhere near finished but it gives a nice effect

I did this one quickly, and these are my results....
Tiled:

Original:

I'm not that great with the lasso tool because I have very unsteady hands. :h:

I like the way it makes the guy in the foreground really stand out. This is a very good tutorial.

I have a friend who has a related tutorial on his website which uses Lego bricks as the tiles.

Thats a friend of mine.


Great tutorial. Didnt know you GIMP was so amazing. I guess you just have to know how to work with it. :l:

I was browsing pixel2life for something like this... The only thing I don't understand about this is making the pattern... Explain please?

I made a 10x10 new image in GIMP saved it as "Mosiac.pat" under GIMP 2.0>shared>2.0>Patterns

When I try to use the bucket tool using patern fill the Mosiac pattern isn't there that I saved :c:?

i like, thanks very much.

Cool!
I liked very much this effect. :l:
Congractulations.

Ok, I managed to get all the way to step ten.

But... right when I got to step 11. I went to paste the picture and I got this http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1583/wronggimp6xe.png

Help? I'll be back later. I g2g to church.

*Edit* I got it, but I used a totally different tenique to do it... I only used 3 layers. Background the copy and the transparent.. Which I merged. Oh, and one layer mask.

I guess you could say I "stupified" it for myself :m:.

Imageshack isn't working for me now... I'll post my results later.

Yikes, i wish i made it as far as step 10
I'm stuck at step 4, i have no idea how to take the transparent layer and use it to create a pattern, please help!

i'm stuck on making the pattern too :
Edit - Oh i get it now..make a 10x10 pixel image (transparent), zoom in, draw a black outline and save as <name>.pat

I thought that would have helped me...and it almost did...but i'm using stupid evil fedora and it won't let me save the .pat file in anywhere useful (aka i cant find a single GIMP folder in my entire system. So I have to once again ask if anyone can help me...pleeease?
Jim

never mind...i made it work!
Took me a while but i got there eventually(with help from my genius flatmate)
Thanks!
Jim

It just gets worse. I got the pattern snd everything, but...
every 3rd line of my pattern it missing, so there is a mix of oddly sized squares. I cant do anything to fix it!
Any suggestions?

How do I refresh my patterns? Someone tell me

Click the refresh button on the patterns tab, it's the one next to the wastebin and looks like if has two semi-circular arrows on it.

In the step nine i can't show more parts of photo from background with pencil or brush tool.

How can io do this?

I think I have an easier way: how about just copying the original layer, pixellizing one of 'em, apply a transparent layer mask to it, and just brushing over in white what you want to show. The border can be used in it though. Maybe I'm rushing through important steps! I just use the same tutorial, or something like it, for selective coloring. Great tutorial.

New addition:

Here's something I just made with your quote, I turned an astronaut into a wooden mannikin: