[Fatal Edge]

Someone asked me how I did the blending on my images. My explanation to them was turning into the size of a tutorial, so I'd figure I'd actually release this as a public tutorial anyway. These are my methods. There may be easier methods. There may be better methods. Nevertheless, this is my style and I hope it will be of use.

Blending



That's my image before blending and colour and lighting adjustments. Putting the lovely Lycoris aside it must be the ugliest thing in the world. At this stage I temporarilly hid the render layer (click the "eye" icon in the Layers Dialogue) and did a Edit > Copy Visible and pasted as two new layers (click the New Layer button when you paste an item in to set it as a new layer). These were positioned above the render layer and also hidden for now. I now reshow the render layer (clicking where the eye was before) and create a new transparent layer above it. Stage 1 blending begins. I used my self-made Diamond Sparkle Small brush for this. Use whatever brush you think will work. I now use it to brush heavily along the bottom-left corner on this layer:



I hid this layer and reshow one of the copy visible layers. Alpha to selection the brush layer (rightclick the layer in the Layers Dialogue and select the option), switch to the copy visible layer (just left click it in the Layers Dialogue), invert and delete selection (Ctrl + i and Ctrl + k, or through the edit menu).



I now switch back to that brush layer and reshow it. I clear the contents of it (I no longer need the sparkle brushing there) and I select the Sparks brush. I brush around the edges of the render and then I go to Filters > Map > Warp. I make sure all dropdown boxes are set to the brush layer and change "On Edges" option to Smear. OK it. This is what I have now:



Once again I hide the brush layer and now reshow the other copy visible layer (the one we haven't used yet). Alpha to selection the sparks layer, switch to the copy visible layer, invert and delete selection.



Lighting and Colouring

Our blending is done, and no feathering was used at all. Now we start to make the lighting and colouring adjustments. Since the steps that involve lighting and colouring are somewhat intermingled I have to do both as one section.

Create a new transparent layer above all others and call it "Lighting". This will be pretty simple. On this transparent layer make a nice white circle of suitable size near the render. You can use the eliptical select and fill with white. I personally used a resizable circle brush.



Yeah, something like that will do. Now Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur that layer by a high amount (somewhere around 70 was suitable for me).



Hai, hai. That looks fine. Now we start with the colouring adjustments (and let's face it - this image needs colour adjustments). As a side note I added in some sparkle effects around the render. This was simply brushing on a new layer.

Here you simply do a copy visible and paste as new layer. From here you select a gradient through your Gradients dialogue (by default it's a tab on the main toolbox, but go through the Dialogues menu if it isn't there) and run a gradient map (Filters > Colours > Map > Gradient Map). You then adjust layer mode and opacity to suit (these settings are on the Layer's Dialogue). What looks good is up to you, so I can't really guide you as to exactly what gradients to apply (as it depends on the image), but here are what I used here (to give you an idea):

Default Gradient - Colour - 80 Opacity

Deep Sea Gradient - Overlay - 60 Opacity

Purple to Orange - Overlay - 100 Opacity

Purple to Blue - Overlay - 80 Opacity


That should cover colours for now. Now more lighting adjustments. Make two new transparent layers above all others. Get your gradient tool. Set the foreground colour to Black (doubleclick the top-left coloured box in the mian toolbox to open the colour selection dialogue). Now set the gradient tool options as follow:

Opacity: 100
Mode: Normal
Gradient: FG to Transparent (Reverse checked)
Offset: 1
Shape:: Radial
Repeat: None
Dithering: Checked
Adaptive Supersampling: Unchecked

Now click and drag out a gradient on the lower of the two new layers, starting from around where the render is. Experiment to find out how much edge darkening looks good. Leave on normal at 100 opacity.



Alpha to selection this layer and then switch to the other transparent layer, invert selection and fill with white. Set this to overlay at 100 opacity. At this stage you may need to go back to the "Lighting" layer from earlier and lower the opacity if it's starting to overpower the focal.



Time for some last minute adjustments that I feel will make this look better. I did a copy visible and pasted as new layer. On this layer I ran Filters > Colours > Filter Pack. What settings you use here depends on the image. I clicked hue and clicked Magenta once and Blue once. I clicked Saturation and clicked Less Sat once. I clicked Value and clicked Darker once. With that done I set the layer to overlay at 100 opacity.



I ran another gradient map on a new copy visible layer, using the Default gradient again. Set to Colour at 70 opacity.



Another copy visible layer. On this I ran Layers > Colours > Auto > Colour Enhance. I set this layer to normal at 20 opacity.



Final touch. I did another copy visible and gaussian blurred this layer (by around 20). Erase around the focal (either use a soft eraser or make a selection and feather and delete it) and set the layer to Lighten Only.



And that's it. I hope you learned something or got some ideas.

Alternate Outcome - Kaede Banner (Animated)


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Final Note: - If you liked this tutorial and would like to redistribute elsewhere - feel free too. In fact, I have compiled a single image version to make it easy. All I ask is that credit is still given to me for authoring the tutorial.

[Lowfire]

wow nice, how much difference a couple of easy steps can make, it goes from bad to amazing :l:
i think lotsa people will find this very usefull thanks again IP :h:

[THaToNeGuY]

Wow. :o: Very nice IP. I learn lots of stuff from your tuts. Just like lowfire said you successfully turend something bad inot something amazing. :o:

[Kaori Angel]

Thanks for all your help, IP :w: I'll start it right away. ^_^

EDIT: I don't quite understand the first step... Where you just start with the rainbow-colored background with the render on top of it.

[Fatal Edge]

Exactly what are you having trouble with? Hiding the render layer? Doing a copy visible? Pasting as new layer? Moving layers?

[frank34443]

I like the effects, I scanned the tutorial. Unfortunately I dont have enough time to actually read it, but Ill try this later for sure.

[Kaori Angel]

I'm having trouble understanding how the rainbow color background appeared -_-;;

[Fatal Edge]

That isn't part of the tutorial. This isn't a full sig tut. It's designed specifically to show how the three mentioned items can work to boost the quality of an image. It's up to you to create the base.

The tricks applied will generally work with practically any background that covers the canvas.

Short answer is gradients dragged out on a layer with settings Difference, Full Spectrum CW and Radial. This was copy visisbled each time I applied a new effect and... applied various effects. I don't remember the specifics, but there were displaced layers and "clipping mask" layers put in.

[Kaori Angel]

Whoopsies. ^__^ Thanks, IP. That really helps :h:

[Afrochicken14]

I almost finished, but my GIMP froze up...luckly...it froze up immediately after I saved it. So...I'll try the rest of this later. But, thanks, this really helps. :w:

[Afrochicken14]

My result:

Thx for the tips. I know, I messed up the coloring a little in the end, but it helped me alot with learning just a bit more about using coloring. Thx. :w:

[RiseoftheKoopas]

Heres my result:



I think I had the wrong style of render and the wrong style of background :c:

[denegibson]

Nice, very informative. I'll be sure to take a closer look later ...

[Aik]

nice...i like it

[Kaori Angel]

Okay, here's a result of mine. ^__^



And this is what the background started out as.

=^^= Great tutorial!

[Fatal Edge]

Very nice outcome. Glad it was useful.

And yay, first tut moved into official.

[Kaori Angel]

Congrats, it's well deserved. :h:

I did the tutorial again, and came up with this:



Again, kudos to you! ^^

[doublefoot]

I was confused at this part:

Quote

At this stage I temporarilly hid the render layer and did a copy visible and pasted as two new layers. These were positioned above the render layer and also hidden for now. I now reshow the render layer and create a new transparent layer above it. Stage 1 blending begins. I used my self-made Diamond Sparkle Small brush for this. Use whatever brush you think will work. I now use it to brush heavily along the bottom-left corner on this layer:

What tool do I use to go through the bottom screen? and what are these render layers and stuff?

[Fatal Edge]

Go through the bottom screen? Now you're the one that's lost me.

The render layers are just referring to the layer the image is on that you want to blend into the BG.

Copy visible is a menu option under the Edit menu. When you paste click the New Layer button on the Layers window to set it as a new layer. Use the "Eye" icon in the Layers window to show/hide layers. And of course the brushing was done with the brush tool.

[Piu]

I've know how to do this for a long time, so well yeah. The blending helped me though, so thanks.


Will edit result later.

edited result


came out pretty well methinks. don't like the brightness of the stars, but oh well.

edit 2


another. strayed away from the tut too much. all i used was the well, nothing :D.