Hey GIMP guys! Need help?

[spyrde]

Alright guys, so in this thread I'll try and gather as much useful information I can for all beginning and intermediate GIMP users that need some help with the software. I'll gradually add resources, tutorials, tips and videos when I find the time. I just updated to the newer GIMP, so I suggest you guys do the same, since there are a few improvements. It'll take a while to get used to, but that's life : D


Starting words:


Learning the tips and tricks behind GIMP don't come in a night. They don't come after 1000 nights either; it's a continuing process of rediscovering new ways to do different stuff. Once you learn the basic stuff, a lot of pieces will start to merge together and everything will become easier and more clear. This is why I suggest you have patience and not quit right in the beginning when everything seems too hard and frustrating. Patience and the joy of creating are two important things you must have.


Resources:


Sites I recommend to start out with:

Spoiler

http://planetrenders.net/

I suggest all beginners register to this site immediately and stock up on a few renders so you can begin working with 'em. Renders are cut-out images that are easy to work with. In this site you will also find cool C4Ds (different effects made by special programs) and other cool pictures to use with your signatures. There is also a forum which you can visit for inspiration.


http://www.deviantart.com/

This is a site where I have found most of my brushes for GIMP. You will also find tons of tutorials which aided me a lot when I was a beginner with the software. You can also search up other people's work and get inspiration and tips!


http://www.dafont.com/

If you need fonts for your signatures, I suggest you go here; hundred and hundreds of different fonts! You copy and paste your downloaded fonts into the ''fonts folder'' in your computers control panel.

Brushes I recommend from deviantart:

Spoiler

http://aeklipse.deviantart.com/art/Gimp-Smudge-Brush-115073232
http://lifebtb.deviantart.com/art/GIMP-Scratchies-34170077
http://jay389.deviantart.com/art/Splatter-brush-pack-91361076
http://redheadstock.deviantart.com/art/Vector-Foliage-Plants-Brushes-64718913
http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=gimp+vector#/d11z5o2
http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=gimp+crack#/dtffsg

To add brushes to your arsenal, you'll need to download them and add them to the ''brushes'' subfolder in the ''gimp-2.8'' folder.

A few fractal packs useful for beginners:

Spoiler

http://greentunic.deviantart.com/art/Fractal-Pack-1-95082346
http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=fractal+pack#/d1we1ib

More can be found on deviantart and on google of course : D

My video tutorials:

Spoiler

[video=youtube;JgnFPSynf5I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgnFPSynf5I&list=HL1354894966&feature=mh_l olz[/video]

For this signature you will need a render, a background picture, a good C4D, a smudge brush AND an additional effect package called GREYCstoration (just for the final touch, not obligatory). The video is a little rushed and I skipped a few things, but it gives you a few ideas on how to approach a signature and see how I so some of my stuff.


[video=youtube;k5s8dnOEKnk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5s8dnOEKnk[/video]

For this signature you'll only need a good render, the rest is just plain GIMP magic! The video lacks subtitles and is hard to follow, but you can pause the video to see what I'm doing and the things done in the video are not too difficult to handle.

I'll try and update this thread whenever possible!

​

 

[Cybertox]

You are just showing how you are doing the signature but you are not giving any tips or explaining. I wont really call it a tutorial. Also try improving the quality and the frame rate of the video.

 

[spyrde]

[QUOTE="Cybertox, post: 5913795]You are just showing how you are doing the signature but you are not giving any tips or explaining. I wont really call it a tutorial. Also try improving the quality and the frame rate of the video.[/QUOTE]

''Unfortunately the quality isn't too high and I can't record sound at the moment due to the lack of a microphone, but I'll get these things fixed when or if I make more.''

Taken straight out of the OP. Also the process of the signature is fairly simple, and it's much easier to see what's being done than in an explained picture tutorial, that takes ten times the time to make.

 

[Cybertox]

[QUOTE="spyrde, post: 5913797]''Unfortunately the quality isn't too high and I can't record sound at the moment due to the lack of a microphone, but I'll get these things fixed when or if I make more.''

Taken straight out of the OP.
[/QUOTE]

sorry didnt read the whole thread. If i was you, i wouldnt even bother making videos before having proper equipment.

 

[spyrde]

[QUOTE="Cybertox, post: 5913798]sorry didnt read the whole thread. If i was you, i wouldnt even bother making videos before having proper equipment.[/QUOTE]

Ok.

 

[DeviousOne]

I picked up two things from the video damn you move a little to fast for me to follow tho lol....but good video idk if anyone who isn't familiar with gimp would be able to pick up anything that your doing however I now see how u make you backgrounds which is cool!

Thanks for the video I will harass you later if I need more tips mate! Lol

 

[Kuro]

Picked up a few things from the vid thanks spy!

 

[spyrde]

Yeah it's very hard to see what I'm doing, but it was just a test video anyway. I'll cliff the video for you:

-First I opened the render, resized it, and used the same render to make the background.
-Then, I duplicated the render a couple times and used the warp effect to add a little action around the render
-Then, I smudged the background with the vine brush, I also smudged the render a little bit to blend it in
-After that I used the distort effect to add some messyness to the sig
-Then I added a light source and darkened some areas
-After that I just sharpened some parts and added a few gradient maps and voila!

 

[Fon]

It's something worth seeing. Very thoughtful of you, spyrde!.

 

[podsaurus]

I now know the secret to spy's super awesome smudging mwhahahaha!

 

[Fon]

[QUOTE="podsaurus, post: 5914440]I now know the secret to spy's super awesome smudging mwhahahaha![/QUOTE]All I need is the Vine brush and changing the spacing.

 

[spyrde]

[QUOTE="FonFahbre, post: 5914516]All I need is the Vine brush and changing the spacing.[/QUOTE]

Well I like to use a specific grunge brush so I can get a better effect, I used the vine brush in this one because it's easy and available for everyone. I might do a tutorial just for smudging, cause I have a few tips and tricks I could show you.

 

[spyrde]

Ok guys I made a new tutorial. This time I added subtitles so you can see better what I am doing. We're making this signature this time:

Very simple signature. I kinda had to rush it so the video isn't too long, so we aren't doing anything too special. Just a little insight on how I handle some of my sigs:

[video=youtube;JgnFPSynf5I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgnFPSynf5I[/video]

 

[Ghost]

This is so awesome. I really want to get into sig making. I downloaded GIMP but it's a nightmare to figure out myself. You guys are all really talented, it'd be cool to have a definitive sig guide thread; a treasure trove of advice and tips for making sigs. It would help make this area of the forum a lot more accessible for people who'd like to be a part of it, like me! I will run through your tutorial this weekend and try and emulate what you made.

 

[Vyse]

[QUOTE="Ghost-Rhayne, post: 5960932]This is so awesome. I really want to get into sig making. I downloaded GIMP but it's a nightmare to figure out myself. You guys are all really talented, it'd be cool to have a definitive sig guide thread; a treasure trove of advice and tips for making sigs. It would help make this area of the forum a lot more accessible for people who'd like to be a part of it, like me! I will run through your tutorial this weekend and try and emulate what you made. [/QUOTE]
You should check out this sticky, then.

 

[spyrde]

[QUOTE="Ghost-Rhayne, post: 5960932]This is so awesome. I really want to get into sig making. I downloaded GIMP but it's a nightmare to figure out myself. You guys are all really talented, it'd be cool to have a definitive sig guide thread; a treasure trove of advice and tips for making sigs. It would help make this area of the forum a lot more accessible for people who'd like to be a part of it, like me! I will run through your tutorial this weekend and try and emulate what you made. [/QUOTE]

Well this particular tutorial isn't suited for absolute beginners as I already assume you know some stuff, BUT I could do some tutorials that are explained step-by-step for absolute beginners.

 

[Ghost]

Well the reason I say this is because I'd like to see this site diversify the ways people can express their love of games as we move into next gen. The review section was part of that vision. I think that the design squad has a similar potential, but graphic design is not as accessible as writing...this is why I suggested the creation of an ultimate source of advice and tutorials. Ultimately I'd like to see ongoing competitions and such for the DS squad, setting up some kind of system that acknowledged and displays the talent we have here...but in the short term I think it would be great if we could really take away that barrier of complication that I was smashing my head against the other day in GIMP.

People who never thought of writing reviews are going to because an interesting avenue was created for it. If the DS crew would like to grow, I'd be happy to help any way I can.

I appreciate that our time is precious, and I'm grateful for your efforts with the review banners and such. You guys think about this, and if you want,.we can at least try.

 

[spyrde]

I'd like to be as much of a help as I can. I'll try and find a better screen capture software and I'll change my GIMP language, which might mean I'd have to reinstall it and lose all my brushes and effects etc. It's a risk I'm willing to take though.

 

[Kuro]

Hey Spy what type of brushes you use man? Especially the vector ones I really wanna know please!

 

[spyrde]

[QUOTE="Kuro, post: 5960984]Hey Spy what type of brushes you use man? Especially the vector ones I really wanna know please![/QUOTE]

Just type whatever gimp brushes you want in deviantart and you'll most likely find the same ones I use.

In this particular signature I think I used some brushes from these packs:

http://redheadstock.deviantart.com/art/Vector-Foliage-Plants-Brushes-64718913
http://csvii.deviantart.com/art/Vector-Brush-Pack-For-Gimp-105063114
http://project-gimpbc.deviantart.com/art/GIMP-Sinuous-Vector-Brushes-63786098


Also while I had to search up all my old brushes because I updated to the new GIMP, I found my smudge brush which I use for all my smudging! Here ya go:

http://aeklipse.deviantart.com/art/Gimp-Smudge-Brush-115073232

 

[Itachi]

dat smudge

 

[Kuro]

Sweet thanks Spy appreciate it! +Rep

 

[Ghost]

Making my first GIMP sig

 

[spyrde]

I updated the opening post and i'll try and add stuff to it once in a while.

 

[Ghost]

[QUOTE="spyrde, post: 5961049]I updated the opening post and i'll try and add stuff to it once in a while.[/QUOTE]

Awesome! I look forward to learning. Watch out gaiz.

 

[Ghost]

This is what I have so far, but I want to add some kind of snow effect by his feet. I think I could use splatter brush but I need to see about changing the color.

 

[spyrde]

Just make a new layer, apply the splatters, go to the colours menu in the top bar, then change the colours with the colourize tool. You could also use clipping masks, but they are a bit more difficult (not my tutorial):

[video=youtube;gvt1XwwOTHk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvt1XwwOTHk[/video]

 

[Ghost]

Haha this is quite fun. So here's my official first sig! It begins...

 

[Itachi]

I gotta get some fonts for gimp. I think I'm using the default one in my sig

 

[spyrde]

[QUOTE="itachi73378, post: 5961125]I gotta get some fonts for gimp. I think I'm using the default one in my sig[/QUOTE]

I suggest you go here for fonts: http://www.dafont.com/

Hundreds and hundreds of fonts in there. You copy and paste your downloaded fonts into the ''fonts folder'' in the control panel.

I'll add this to the OP aswell : D