# GIMP tutorials



## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

Hi everyone. 
I've had quite a few requests lately for people asking me to give them tips and asking how to do stuff in GIMP. And I'm thinking it may be helpful and maybe beneficial to those who are interested in graphic design and editing, that I'll make a few tutorials on how to do different things. Adding extra images to a base image, adding different effects, colors, brushes, designs, merging layers, how to make .gif images, etc. 
:lol: I have two years of solid graphic design knowledge under my belt and I'm going nuts trying to find a place to use it!!!

So what I'm asking is...for those of you who like graphic design and editing images, would you be interested if I made tutorials? and if so, are there any topics in particular that'd be of interest?

-Kaitlyn


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## LoveStory10 (Oct 31, 2009)

Lol, yes!!! How do you add an image or a backround to a picture??


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

LoveStory10 said:


> Lol, yes!!! How do you add an image or a backround to a picture??


 I'm working on that one!


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

*bump*

Anyone have an interest or any suggestions?


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## savvylover112 (Jul 17, 2009)

Em how to like "cut out" something and place it on a different background not sure if thats the same as above but anyway lol


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

savvylover112 said:


> Em how to like "cut out" something and place it on a different background not sure if thats the same as above but anyway lol


Yep, that's what I'm covering first as it's one of the easiest things to accomplish. =)


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

Ya, How to cut out something and place it on a backround...haha


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## Sea To Sky (Nov 29, 2009)

i dont use gimp haha but mane and tail smudging/drawing


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

Sea To Sky said:


> i dont use gimp haha but mane and tail smudging/drawing


=) If you go to deviant art, look up 'photoshop mane and tail brushes, or horse brushes. You should be able to find brushes that are downloadable, for quick use. That way if you have trouble drawing manes/tails, you can just use a brush instead. =)

Manes and tails are hard as heck to get to look right when you cut/paste them onto a new background, although it helps if the background you are using has quite a lot of depth to it as well, as it helps take away from the edges of the copied object. EXAMPLE:








The easiest way to make them look good is to zoom in to about 500-800% and cut the object you want out, bit by bit, at pixel level so you can have as accurate a mane and tail texture on the edges as you can. And then after the image you want to be placed on a new background is all cut out, select it, and move it to the new background. Make sure that you have a TRANSPARENT layer between your background and the image you are pasting onto the background. Paste the image onto the background and place it where you want it to be, then zoom in to the 500-800% range, and take a rather small brush and blur the edge of the object on all sides. Use a smaller brush for the areas you may want sharper than others, and you should have a smooth cut out image on a new background. =)
If you want to have part of the background in front of the object you pasted on, before copying the object onto the background, go through the same process as if you were to copy it to a new background, and then just paste it on top(again new TRANSPARENT layer in between), and then move it to where it would've been if it was still on the background(like in the image shown above).


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

Thanks for that. I've been trying to do that for ages, and I never really quite got it. How do you do the cool little signatures like you've got?


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

Gidji said:


> Thanks for that. I've been trying to do that for ages, and I never really quite got it. How do you do the cool little signatures like you've got?


No problem. I figure I might as well put my knowledge to use. No sense in keeping it all to myself. :lol:

The signatures are all 696x145 pixels. I basically find an image or a few images that I think would look cool as a signature, and I do what I did above, open each image, find a nice background also open it, and usually tend to go with some sort of pattern, and then open a new image in transparency of the size I listed. Then I copy the background to the signature image, and move the background around(usually the background is larger than the signature) and find which place it looks best if the pattern varies. Then I'll cut out each image, copy the image to the signature file, and experiment around with placement for each copied image, keeping each copied image on a new layer, with a transparency layer between each.
Then the fun part!  I have found a TON of brushes on Deviant Art that are everything from paint splotches, to odd designs to feathers, to who-knows-what-else, and I usually layer the brush strokes, using the same brush for one layer, then alternating/changing the color like I did on the ones here: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-artwork/just-wanted-share-my-signature-edits-42176/ and then putting various brush strokes on top of the images, as in on a new layer in front of every image I've put down so far. 
Text is usually the last thing I put on, unless I want a brush stroke or a few brush strokes on top or wrapped around the text. But usually I will find a font I like, mess around with the size, and all, and then pick a three color combo(white, a pale-ish color, and a darker color) that'll look good with the colors I used for the rest of the sig, and usually put three layers of text down to create a 3 dimensional effect, and then voila, I have a sig.
I kinda ran through that explanation a bit quickly as I have done it so many times I had to stop and think how to explain. :lol:

*Again, if anyone has questions on how to do anything, I can try my best to explain, and walk through it. =)*


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

Thank you. I'm hopeless with Gimp, cause I only just downloaded it. I guess its just gonna take a whole lot of practice and googling.


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

Gidji said:


> Thank you. I'm hopeless with Gimp, cause I only just downloaded it. I guess its just gonna take a whole lot of practice and googling.


No problem. It'll take you a lot of practice to get to the level where I am, or others on HF are, but no worries.  You'll get there. I picked up GIMP really fast because I took two years worth of graphic design classes in HS in Photoshop, so GIMP is 100% easier than that.
GIMP is very user friendly once you get the basics down.  GIMP - The Basics Tutorial
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll be more than happy to help. =)


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

Haha, expect loads of questions. I used to use a program that came stock with my computer, but after seeing the work from GIMP, I decided I'd give it a go. Yerr, so expect a lot of questions as I work it out


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

Gidji said:


> Haha, expect loads of questions. I used to use a program that came stock with my computer, but after seeing the work from GIMP, I decided I'd give it a go. Yerr, so expect a lot of questions as I work it out


Ok, I don't mind.


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

Does DeviantArt have an editing program jointed to it? Like flickr and Picnik?


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

Sunny06 said:


> Does DeviantArt have an editing program jointed to it? Like flickr and Picnik?


Not that I know of. I just go there to get my hands on brushes. =)


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## kumquat27 (Jun 3, 2009)

Do you have any tips for coral painter Essentials 4?


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

kumquat27 said:


> Do you have any tips for coral painter Essentials 4?


No, I'm sorry. :-( To be honest, I've never even heard of that program? I use GIMP for everything I do. =)


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

YES PLEASE!!
I've been looking for gimp tutorials for ages, i can find alot on basics, but not some of the more advanced stuff. At the moment i can do basic manips, cutting out/changing backgrounds (blending is not that great)/smudging (decent-ish, im thinking there must be another way than the one im using..) blending feet (again, not that great, but sufficient, and i can do shadows 50% of the time..

So, i guess what im really looking for are tutorials on getting that finished, polished look...if that makes any sense?

Also, ive heard that photoshop brushes can now be used in gimp? But whenever i download them from DA they never work, any advice?


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

ThatNinjaHorse said:


> YES PLEASE!!
> I've been looking for gimp tutorials for ages, i can find alot on basics, but not some of the more advanced stuff. At the moment i can do basic manips, cutting out/changing backgrounds (blending is not that great)/smudging (decent-ish, im thinking there must be another way than the one im using..) blending feet (again, not that great, but sufficient, and i can do shadows 50% of the time..
> 
> So, i guess what im really looking for are tutorials on getting that finished, polished look...if that makes any sense?
> ...


Ok, if you don't have the latest updated version the Photoshop brushes will not work.
But if you have 2.6 go into your user(whatever your name is on your computer itself), then you should have a folder named '.gimp-2.6' click on it, open it and you should find the brush folder, open it and then put the brush files in there. From there, open Gimp. And then select the paintbrush tool. You should have a box open beneath all the tools, with the brushes in it. You will see two little light blue arrows in the bottom right corner, click it, it'll refresh your brushes, and then the brushes you have put into the gimp brush folder, will appear and you can use them. =)

I'll explain the other stuff this weekend for you. =)


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

irydehorses4lyfe said:


> Ok, if you don't have the latest updated version the Photoshop brushes will not work.
> But if you have 2.6 go into your user(whatever your name is on your computer itself), then you should have a folder named '.gimp-2.6' click on it, open it and you should find the brush folder, open it and then put the brush files in there. From there, open Gimp. And then select the paintbrush tool. You should have a box open beneath all the tools, with the brushes in it. You will see two little light blue arrows in the bottom right corner, click it, it'll refresh your brushes, and then the brushes you have put into the gimp brush folder, will appear and you can use them. =)
> 
> I'll explain the other stuff this weekend for you. =)


when i download them they are ABR file types, and it doesnt seem to work with my computer. :shock:


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

ThatNinjaHorse said:


> when i download them they are ABR file types, and it doesnt seem to work with my computer. :shock:


ABR files are photoshop files. It shouldn't have a problem with them. If you put them in the right place, they should just go straight to Gimp. What do you mean it doesn't work with your computer? What type of computer do you have? What's the OS?


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

irydehorses4lyfe said:


> ABR files are photoshop files. It shouldn't have a problem with them. If you put them in the right place, they should just go straight to Gimp. What do you mean it doesn't work with your computer? What type of computer do you have? What's the OS?


 its windows. Ive downloaded it into the brushes folder, went to open gimp and it told me it could not be opened because the brushes file i just added is a shortcut and will need to be deleted in order for gimp to open...
heres a pic of it if that helps lol


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

ThatNinjaHorse said:


> its windows. Ive downloaded it into the brushes folder, went to open gimp and it told me it could not be opened because the brushes file i just added is a shortcut and will need to be deleted in order for gimp to open...
> heres a pic of it if that helps lol


OOoooooooh. I think I understand now. It appears you are using Win. 7, so that makes it easier on my part to explain. 
First off, are you putting the actual downloaded file in the folder, or just a shortcut?
If you are putting a shortcut, delete it. You will need to open the Gimp brushes folder in another window from the brush download file. And then drag and drop to the Gimp brushes folder. You need the actual file itself in the Gimp folder, not a shortcut. Another way to do this would be to right click the brush file, then select 'cut,' again, while both are opened in a separate window, then right click in the brushes folder(while it's open and you are viewing what's inside), and then right click somewhere in the Gimp brushes folder and select 'paste.' That way you will have made sure that you just moved the file.
See if that helps. =) If not, I can look into it. =)


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

irydehorses4lyfe said:


> OOoooooooh. I think I understand now. It appears you are using Win. 7, so that makes it easier on my part to explain.
> First off, are you putting the actual downloaded file in the folder, or just a shortcut?
> If you are putting a shortcut, delete it. You will need to open the Gimp brushes folder in another window from the brush download file. And then drag and drop to the Gimp brushes folder. You need the actual file itself in the Gimp folder, not a shortcut. Another way to do this would be to right click the brush file, then select 'cut,' again, while both are opened in a separate window, then right click in the brushes folder(while it's open and you are viewing what's inside), and then right click somewhere in the Gimp brushes folder and select 'paste.' That way you will have made sure that you just moved the file.
> See if that helps. =) If not, I can look into it. =)


that was the only file that came with the download, a shortcut..:?


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

ThatNinjaHorse said:


> that was the only file that came with the download, a shortcut..:?


That shouldn't be a shortcut then.  Now I'm confused haha. 
Do you have the link for the download? May I try it and see what happens?
I'm thinking either your Gimp files are corrupt, which means you might want to re-install Gimp on your computer, something in the downloads settings is wrong, or it could just be a bad file. Have you tried any other brush downloads? Do they work?


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

irydehorses4lyfe said:


> That shouldn't be a shortcut then.  Now I'm confused haha.
> Do you have the link for the download? May I try it and see what happens?
> I'm thinking either your Gimp files are corrupt, which means you might want to re-install Gimp on your computer, something in the downloads settings is wrong, or it could just be a bad file. Have you tried any other brush downloads? Do they work?


I tried re-installing it but it does the same, and all photoshop brush files i try to download do the same..
heres the link

.:My Brushes 4:. by *concept-on-mac on deviantART


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

ThatNinjaHorse said:


> I tried re-installing it but it does the same, and all photoshop brush files i try to download do the same..
> heres the link
> 
> .:My Brushes 4:. by *concept-on-mac on deviantART


Hmmm. That's really weird.
Just to make sure do you have the latest version of Gimp? GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program It's 2.6 right now, and only the latest version will read the photoshop brushes.

I'm really not sure what to tell you. :? If Gimp nor Windows is reading the file, that just doesn't make sense. I'm trying to look up the error, and I'm unable to find anything that is like what you says it is. 
Can you tell me exactly what the error message says? Screenprint it for me? It'll be easier to look it up, if I have it word for word.


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

*sigh*
I've finally figured it out! I have no idea why the brushes i tried before never worked, but ive re-installed gimp again, and tried some different brushes and they're working, yay!
But thanks for the help


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## irydehorses4lyfe (Sep 8, 2009)

ThatNinjaHorse said:


> *sigh*
> I've finally figured it out! I have no idea why the brushes i tried before never worked, but ive re-installed gimp again, and tried some different brushes and they're working, yay!
> But thanks for the help


Yay! Sounds to me like you just picked some brushes with corrupt files. Oh well, I'm glad you figured it out. =)


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