Tutorial: Exploding Planet

Written by devvv (09 Dec 2007 05:58 PM)
Translated to English by Paraknight

Various special effects are just there to get to know some techniques that you might need once. The result of this tutorial will probably not be further used, but it still looks cool ;)

1. Like some others, this tutorial is an implementation of an existing Photoshop tutorial.
   
   Create a new image (700px * 700px) with a black background colour.
   
   click to enlarge
2. Download the attachment to this tutorial (right), open the JPG and copy the cracked soil (ctrl+c) into your new GIMP-File onto a new layer. Press CRTL+T to transform and type in 700x700 pixels. Now move the layer into the middle, so that everything can be seen.
   
   Optional: To achieve an exact positioning, you can also use the alignment tool. Click the tool, click on the layer with the cracked soil. Now go to: "Relative to:". Then click the icon for the horizontal and vertical middle each once - your layer should now exactly fit in the size of the image!
   
   click to enlarge
3. Now, stretch the active layer on a ball: Go to Filters / Map / Map object and select "sphere". See the settings in the picture below. In the "light" tab select: No light.
   
   click to enlarge
4. Invert the colors (Color / Invert). You will get a blue and white sphere:
   
   click to enlarge
5. We will now add the exploding rays. For this we first need the sphere streched on the layer: Filters / Distorts / Polar coords. Disable the bottom-right checkbox "To Polar". Click OK.
   
   Then go to Image / Transform / Rotate 90° CW.
   
   click to enlarge
6. Click Filters / Distorts / Wind with the values:
   
   Wind
   Direction: Right
   Edge affected: Leading
   Threshold: 5
   Strength: 37
   
   Use the filter again by pressing CTRL+F.
   
   click to enlarge
7. Now we must undo the stretching from before to get our sphere:
   
   - Turn the Layer by selecting Layer / Transform / 90° CCW. It should now be on the top side.
   - Now select Filters / Distorts / Polar coords. Check the box for "To Polar" again.
   
   click to enlarge
8. Then it looks quite cool. Take the Select Eliptical Regions tool (Key E) make a selction around the planet - invert this and cut the white edge away.
   
   After that go to Select / None to make the existin selection dissappear.
   
   Press CRTL+B to make the tool window appear - then L to activate the Gradient tool. Search for the gradient seen on the picture.
   
   click to enlarge
9. Turn it around and go to Colors / Map / Gradient Map and you have your exploding planet!
   
   Optionally, you could duplicate the planet layer. Soften this layer with the value 11, turn the transparency of the layer to 65% and change the layer mode to "screen" or "color". Thus, it reached a little more color intensity and softer transitions. Have fun with it.
   
   click to enlarge

This work is licensed under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Austria.

Discussion / comment this tutorial

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From: amy (21 May 2008 01:57 PM)

"Filters / Distorts / Polar coords. Disable the bottom-right checkbox "To Polar". Click OK."

this box was already checked for me but i tried it anyway and when i clicked ok it just gave me a weird curved semi circle

From: matt (18 Mar 2008 08:02 PM)

How do you soften in gimp 2.2

From: paulseph (24 Feb 2008 10:37 PM)

but other than that this rocks, im very pleased with the result thanks :)

From: paulseph (24 Feb 2008 10:36 PM)

similar to lolzlolz below

From: paulseph (24 Feb 2008 10:35 PM)

I found that that last invert on step 8 is not necessary, in fact the result of that made it look like a weird dark red cracked ball w/o the exploding effect.

From: devvv (20 Feb 2008 05:00 PM) – Send a private message

i've corrected it! thanks. gradient map is found in the base colors menu not in filters / colors.

Colors / Map / Map gradient

From: Arbiter (20 Feb 2008 03:58 PM)

With the last step. There is no Map gradient option in gimp 2.4
What do you think could replace it.

From: Ztoph (15 Feb 2008 02:44 PM) – Send a private message

Can U do this on a human, or another object??

From: anuja (22 Jan 2008 09:22 AM)

simple and very realistic effet.

From: devvv (19 Jan 2008 05:05 PM) – Send a private message

it was an error, i corrected it already ;) thanks!

From: lolzlolz (19 Jan 2008 04:16 PM)

no its supposed to go right i think
maybe not

From: Koantig (19 Jan 2008 11:04 AM) – Send a private message

Cool stuff. In step 6, the direction of the wind should be 'right' not 'left' though.

From: devvv (30 Dec 2007 02:30 PM) – Send a private message

the image needs to be square, and in step 2 make sure the layer that contains the soil is also exactly square. you can try Layer / Layer to image size.

From: Mike (29 Dec 2007 08:01 PM)

My mapping comes out ovalish... not a cirlce.

From: lexor (27 Dec 2007 10:21 PM)

he didn't make it, he found it online lol

From: backdrop001 (27 Dec 2007 08:14 PM)

I'd actually would like to know how to make that soil pic you had us download, that would be perfect for something i'm trying to make in gimp, is there a tutorial for that?

From: lolzlolz (21 Dec 2007 01:53 AM) – Send a private message

nvm working now

From: lolzlolz (15 Dec 2007 08:27 AM) – Send a private message

there's no gradient that matches that color, so i have a weird result that doesn't have the same color,
any ideas?
thanks

From: Justine (14 Dec 2007 11:07 AM)

How to make the screen black?? lols

From: LukasT (12 Dec 2007 06:30 PM)

I just love this site :) Cool tutorial

From: redforce (09 Dec 2007 06:27 PM) – Send a private message

Thanks to Paraknight for translating this tutorial from German to English!

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