GIMP Tutorial: Artsy Sketchy Header
I was messing with some various GIMP effects the other day while working on a new design and I came up with a very good sketch effect for the photograph I was using. This is the image I started with:
I am using small images in this tutorial but the original image is larger (about 1200×700) and I recommend starting with a high resolution for this.
Step 1 was to apply the Van Gogh filter (Filters->Map->Van Gogh(LIC)) with the standard settings and save the result for later. This filter creates a blurry, oil-paint-like result:
Step 2 was to return to the original image and apply the Photocopy filter (Filters->Artistic->Photocopy) with the following settings: mask radius 10, sharpness 1, percent black 0.1, percent white 0.6. The result is a grainy black and white image:
Step 3 was to use the Threshold dialog (Layer->Colors->Threshold) to reduce the image to just black and white. There are no numbers for Threshold but here is how far I dragged the slider:
The result is a pure black and white shadow of the original image:
If there are anny errant splotches of black in the image (as in, black spots that are not part of the tower), erase them now with a white paintbrush. The next step is to use "Select by Color" (Select->By Color) and click on any white area with these settings: antialiasing, feather edges 2, threshold 10. After selecting all the white, I deleted it to get the black isolated over a transparent background:
Finally, I took this result, copied it (Edit->Copy Visible), and pasted it over the original Van Gogh filtered image:
Presto! The result is an artsy, sketchy looking photo-manipulation, and exactly the effect I was going for. It looks better at full size, but until I have the completed design up you will just have to take my word for it.
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- Pingback: Redesign: ihavesenioritis.com | Christian Montoya on December 4, 2006
Honestly, I much prefer the photo with just the Van Gogh filter on it. Some years ago we had a scanner at home that came bundled with simple photo manipulation software, and one of the effects you could apply looked very similar to your finished sample. I hated that effect :/ Nothing personal.
Did you take the original photo?
Jenn, I did take the original photo. I think I like the final result, at least it should fit pretty well with the whole design I'm working on. We'll see.