Sin City Composite February 23, 2009

A composite or composite image is an image made up of distinct parts.  We may “cut ourt” parts of several images, and paste them together.  You could make a composite image look like all the parts were always part of the image, or something more abstract.

In this next tutorial you will be making a composite image in the theme of the movies Sin City or The Spirit.  We will still be working with text, but more of your efforts will be on the image as a whole.

In the tutorial the words “GIMP” and “TUTS” are used.  I would like you to use “COMM” and “TECH”, or if you have any ideas that are school related. 

Tutorial Link: http://ajitgraphics.blogspot.com/2008/09/gimp-sin-city-tutorial.html

Expert Suggestion:  If you are interested in more of a challenge, try following this tutorial but using different images thatn the one given.  The images you use should still fit with the overall “feel” of the image.

The Fire Text Effect February 12, 2009

The Fire Text Effect we will be creating is an advanced tutorial.  The original tutorial was based in Photoshop and is quite good.  I have edited the tutorial so that the steps are all GIMP friendly.  I have emailed you the tutorial.  In the tutorial the word “FIRE” is used.  You can choose whatever word you’d like, maybe something for Raider sports.  Keep in mind you will be adding in a tagline of text as well beneath.  Whatever you choose, a shorter word is best.  This is because it will take a while to edit and render all the flames for each individual letter.

Take your time and read each step carefully.

Working with Text in GIMP February 10, 2009

There are many text effects we can create in GIMP or Photoshop.  The only thing we can really be limited by is creativity.  So where to begin?  Well, we’re going to start with two tutorials that are fairly simple but have dramatic impact.  For ALL of our text images, we’re going to do something special.  When you choose the words or phrase for your text effects, they need to be Raider oriented.  I’d like to use some of these images in our Athletic Banquet video.  Keep in mind these are athletic oriented.  Or if you are interested, you could make a text effect for “Aquinas Music.”

These are the two warm-up text effects before we get into the advanced effects.

1)Glass Text – http://gimpology.com/submission/view/transparent_glass_lettering/

2) Rays of Light – http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/rays-of-light-behind-text.html

These two tutorials will help you prepare for the advanced tutorials which are going to be super fly, but challenging.

Understanding Layer Modes February 9, 2009

We have already used layer modes in class for some other tutorials.  Now we are going to llok more closely at what our layer modes do.  It is not necessary to memorize all of the different modes and what they do.  But what you should have is a basic understanding of the different modes.  That way you will have an idea of which one(s) you may want to us for your projects.

Complete the handout below:

understanding-layer-modes

The GIMP files you need are located on the X drive at school: X:\Data\yantho\TGJ2O – Comm Tech

A Series of GIMP Tutorials February 5, 2009

I’ve collected series of tutorials (made by others) to help learn some of the basics of using GIMP. We will be completing quite a few tutorials as we begin. This is a much better way to learn how to do things rather than watching me demonstrate or watching a video.

1) Blurring the Background– You will practice how to selective blur an image, in the background.  Be sure to complete both parts.  Save your final image as “dog blur.xcs”

2) Using Layers– Layers are fundamental to GIMP (and Photoshop.)  This tutorial help you understand what they are and how they work.  Save your final image as “starfield.xcs”

We will complete the tutorials over the next two days.  For homework, you are to read what-is-a-pixelon pixels and resolution.  There are questions at the end, be sure to complete them.  Answer the questions using MS Word.  Then email the file to your own Gmail account.  That way when you come to school you can save them to your H drive.

 

what-is-a-pixel1

Introduction to GIMP February 3, 2009

GIMP (GNU Image Manuipulation Program) is a powerful image editing software title.  It may be a bit less polished looking and slightly less powerful, but for most purposes it works great – and it’s free.

We will be using GIMP for the Digital Image Editing portion of the class.  Because it is free, you are able to install it and use it at home.  We will be learning how to use GIMP alongside learning about things like pixels, resoultion, layers, etc.

Let’s get started with a couple beginner tutorials from the makers of GIMP themselves:

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Lite_Quickies/