gimpusers.com logo
German version English version

Not logged in

Sign up! | Lost password?

Latest discussion

  1. gimp-user | today 01:45 AM
    Crashes in GIMP 2.6.6
  2. gimp-docs | yesterday 11:28 PM
    Can the gimp-help-2 module be maintained using Damned-Lies?
  3. gimp-user | yesterday 11:25 PM
    Error on script-fu
  4. gimp-developer | yesterday 10:55 PM
    Summary: How to submit gimp/gegl bugzilla with GIT patch
  5. gimp-docs | yesterday 10:01 PM
    Where have all my pictures gone?

External news

Poll

Did you ever buy products (books, video dvds) about GIMP?

No, never did

Yes, helped alot (please post)

Yes, helped a little bit (please post)

Yes but I was disappointed (why? please post)

See results

Stats

gimpusers.com RSS feed

RSS feed Retweet this!

05 Sep 2007 01:23 PM, by devvv (Bernhard Stockmann)

A colored swirl of light

Some effects are just very simple to do and look still pretty cool. This one here is such an effect, usable vor all kind of graphics things such as flyers, splash-screens, wallpapers etc. I'll show you how to create such an colored light swirl below!

This article has been written using GIMP 2.4 rc2. It's divided into 8 steps and takes about 12 min to complete for an average user. 35556 times read so far. Category: Simple effects, required skill: 1 of 5

23 comments have been posted so far.

Available in other languages:

  1. 1
    Create a new Image. 640x480. You can take any size. Apply Filter / Render / Clouds / Plasma.
    Screenshot of step 1
    Click to enlarge
  2. 2
    Now do Filters / Distorts / Whirl and Pinch...

    Whirl angle: 130
    Pinch amount: 1
    Radius: 1

    It should look like that now.
    Screenshot of step 2
    Click to enlarge
  3. 3
    Create a new transparent layer.

    Use the gradient tool, use white as foreground color and black as background color. The fastest way to do this pressing D to reset colors and then X to swap the colors.

    Form: Radial

    Move the gradient from the center of the image to one of the four corners.
    Screenshot of step 3
    Click to enlarge
  4. 4
    Duplicate the layer. The original one name "fade black". For this set the layer mode to "Multiply".

    The duplicate, which should be at the top, name "light".
    Screenshot of step 4
    Click to enlarge
  5. 5
    Click the light layer.

    - Colors / Brightness & Contrast, use values -65 / +45

    Now apply Whirl and Pinch again. The values should be still saved from step 2, if not enter the same values. Only one value has to be changed: Pich from 1 to 0.8.

    Apply the filter.
    Screenshot of step 5
    Click to enlarge
  6. 6
    Set the layer mode for the layer to Dodge. Duplicate the light layer to enhance the effect.

    Activate the background-layer. Filter / Blur / Selective Gaussian Blur.

    Radius: 50
    Max. Delta: 70
    Screenshot of step 6
    Click to enlarge
  7. 7
    If you want a single color use Colors / Desaturate, then Colors / Colorize or Colors / Color balance like me if you want an icy version:

    Shadows -30 / -30 / +30
    Mids: -30 / +10 / 0
    Highlights: 0 / 0 / 30

    Have fun.
    Screenshot of step 7
    Click to enlarge
  8. 8
    Here is just an example i played with: a splash screen for gimp 2.4 ;)
    Screenshot of step 8
    Click to enlarge

This article is licensed under the following license: Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Austria

Links (pingbacks)

Comments

Post your own comments, questions or hints here. The author and other users will see your posting and can reply to it. Of course, you can also ask in the chat.

Comments are chronologically arranged.

  1. henriquemaia, 05 Sep 2007 07:24 PM

    Is this howto complete? It seems to be missing something after selecting the "light" layer mode to dodge. What about the other layers?

  2. devvv, 07 Sep 2007 01:10 PM

    hi! just tried it again and everything works fine. nothing is missing. why do you think something is wrong with the howto?

  3. henriquemaia, 07 Sep 2007 01:40 PM

    You’re right. I have tried now and it’s ok. Great howto, by the way.

    Note to self: do not follow howtos when you’re sleepy. My apologies.

  4. Ian, 07 Sep 2007 08:43 PM

    That splash screen is awesome! Best I've seen yet for Gimp! Excellent!

  5. Josh, 02 Nov 2007 04:08 AM

    So how do you activate the background? I couldnt do this because you didnt tell how to activate the background =[

  6. Lexor, 08 Nov 2007 11:09 PM

    would you send me the gimp file for the splash screen, I'd like to see how you did the change color witht eh little box things lol
    thanks

  7. devvv, 09 Nov 2007 08:12 AM

    i would, but since i have no email address to sent to, i can't ... ;)

  8. Amyk13, 11 Nov 2007 03:02 PM

    Nice splash screen! I love it!

  9. bluegimp, 15 Nov 2007 02:30 AM

    hi devvv, how did you do the splash screen? can you please tell on how to do that kind of artwork? thanks!

  10. bluegimp, 15 Nov 2007 03:42 AM

    hi devvv, can you also send me the gimp file of splash screen above?thank you

  11. bluegimp, 15 Nov 2007 03:44 AM

    or you can send me the tutorial of that splash screen so that i know how do you do that...

  12. Anonymous, 24 Aug 2008 02:20 AM

    Ok, all is good until Whirl and Pinch. My 4 corners have disappeared in the process and the colors are off. Then the gradient isn't a circle and is transparent...not likeyours. So I gave up for the moment. Help???

  13. rafi, 23 Oct 2008 06:13 PM

    Dude that splah screen is damn awesome...
    big props yo

  14. falloutboy, 15 Nov 2008 01:30 PM

    Nice... but how do u do the Gradient thingy?? That's my only problem...

  15. Airplane, 26 Dec 2008 04:27 PM

    May I know how the detail how do you make a "splash screen for gimp 2.4" from step 7 to 8?

    It was a really nice splash screen you made.

    Thanks.

  16. Adianna, 26 Jan 2009 02:39 PM

    I'm having difficulty with step #5 after I do the whirl and pinch the second time it doesn't give me that whirl effect.. it just stays a sphere.. I've gone over it again and again... I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Can you help?
    Thank you in advance if you can...

  17. Micah, 28 Jan 2009 02:47 AM

    Adianna, are you sure you're applying the whirl and pinch to the right layer?

    And my question is that I do all of the steps but the fade black layer just covers up the back layer so all i get is the Dodged and whirled top layer. Am i missing something?

  18. J'ann Baill, 03 Feb 2009 10:08 PM

    Thank you for this :-)

  19. Anonymous, 18 Mar 2009 05:35 PM

    Where do u get this picture!?!?!?!?!

  20. Rachel, 16 Apr 2009 10:02 PM

    I'd love to know how to get from the end of this tutorial to the finished splash screen. Is there another tutorial that shows that process?

  21. Daniel, 17 Apr 2009 11:50 PM

    Ok, im having difficulties with step 3. Im triyng to figure out how to do the gradient thing.Need help.

    P.S.: I have GIMP 2.6.6

  22. Grant, 09 May 2009 10:27 PM

    Yeah can u send me a tutorial or how-to of somekind on how to make that last image

  23. asdadf, 22 May 2009 06:02 AM

    This is retarded i did every exactly the way it said and it ddnt come out anything like te picture... wasted my time

Registered users can log in (top right of the page) to use their profile name to post comments, request email notification on new comments and attach images (e.g. their versions of the effect) to their postings.

Are you human?

Adobe® Photoshop® is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Ubuntu and Canonical are registered trademarks of Canonical Ltd. | Clock times are shown as CET / CEST | Imprint / Privacy policy | powered by bitfire it services