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Today we will be making something like the following...
(Note: This tut. does not include GAP at all. Many of you may think it will take a while but it won't.)
(Another Note: Please read the whole step first and then do the step. You won't get confused :w:)
(Final Note: This tut. has been fairly detailed so that beginners can understand it a bit, so intermediates and experts should have no problems with it, and try only doing this with a picture with a height not over 200 pixels, the bigger the height, the longer it will take)
Ok, let's get started :l:
1. If you are putting the snow effect behind the render in the picture then don't flatten or save your sig, avatar, or whatever you are putting the effect on. If you are going to put the snow effect in front of everything in the picture, then you may flatten and save your picture.
2. Now open up the picture for those of you who are putting the snow effect in front of everything in the picture. I'm going to be using this one...
(Note: My snow will go behind the render so I have my sig. open with all the layers.)
3. Make a new transparent layer and place it behind the render layer or for people who just opened up the whole flattened image put it above the flattened image you opened up.
4. Set your FG color to white and get out your biggest circle fuzzy brush which is called "Circle Fuzzy (19) (19 x 19)" (it comes with GIMP). Start clicking(don't hold) and try spreading out the brushes all in the picture. Don't overdo it though, or it will look too crowded and less realistic. It should be something like this...
5. Make a new folder on your desktop or anywhere easy to find. Name it "Snow Effect" or anything you want to really. Now save your image as .png, don't flatten the image in the image window though. If it asks you that .png can't handle layers and needs to be flattened when you save it, then you can click yes and flatten it. This way the image is saved flattened and the image we are working on it not so we can still work :w: Save the image in the folder you just created, name it "1"(as a .png file)
6. Now get out your move tool. Move the layer 5 pixels down...
7. Save the image as .png saving it the same way described in step 5. This time name it "2".
8. Repeat step 6 and 7 while saving it as a number going up each time you save it. Once you save it and get to naming it "5", save it and stop. It should look like this...
9. Now, duplicate the layer of snow and move that layer all the way up so that in the little white box under the image and between "cancel" and the "How much you are zoomed in box" it says "Move: 0, -*The height of your picture here*". For example, the height of my picture is 100 pixels, therefore the white box would say "Move: 0, -100". Now save it and name it "6"(continueing the save numbers). Now it should look like this(you can see the layer at the top of it)...
10. You should have two layers with snow. Now continue moving down 5 pixels and then save it, except move both layers with snow(then save it). This way the snow should go equally down at the same rate everytime you save it. Now here's a little bit of math for ya :w: Divide the height of the picture by 5. Once you get to saving one that is named that number stop. For instance, the height of my picture is 100, 100 divided by 5 is 20. Now when I have saved the picture with snow named "20", I stop. Note: This last picture you save should have the duplicated layer almost all the way at the bottom of the picture and the bottom of that layer should be 5 pixels apart from the bottom of the picture. Also note that if we had done an extra one and saved one more with the layers moved 5 pixels down, that picture would look exactly like "1" :w: It should look like this now...
11. Ok, almost done. In the main GIMP window, open up "1". Now in the image window, go to file-open as layer, and open "2". This should make it so you have "1" as your bottom layer, and "2" as the layer above it. Repeat this and keep going to file-open as layer and opening the next number. Once you open your last number in the folder(for me it would be 20) Now you are ready to get the animation. In the image window. Go to filters-animation-playback. Watch and be amazed at the animation you have created. If it looks like this then you are ready for the next step...
12. Ok, now for the saving. First, just to be safe. We save it shall save it as an .xcf so if we have to edit it we can. Save it in a folder where you keep .xcf files(I have my own folder that has all my .xcf's). Now go to filters-animation-optimize (for GIF). Now a new window should pop-up. In that window, go to file-save as... Save it as a .gif anywhere you like. When a window comes which says "Export File" at the top. Click Save as Animation and then click "Export". Now a pop-up will come saying "Save as GIF at the top. Do not change any settings, click "Ok". There you have it, go to where you saved the animation and preview it(with a program that can preview animations[Windows Picture and Fax Viewer]), if it looks correct, then you have successfiully completed the tut.
Thank you, please post your result, here is the result once again...
And just like the result said, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE! :l:
