Tutorial: Drop Shadow Mat & Signature Brushes

[Wirefox]

CREATING A BORDER - WHITE MAT AND DROP SHADOW

Open the subject image. Then from the command bar; Filters/Decor/Add Border in the Add Border Dialog Box set;

Border X size = 5
Border Y size = 5
Border Colour = Black
Delta value on colour = 1

Click 'OK'
Then from the command bar; Image/Flatten Image

Then from the command bar; Image/Canvas Size/

In the ensuing dialog box set;

Canvas Size: Width = 120%, Height = 130%. Click 'Resize'

Use the move tool to position the subject image to taste leaving the wider portion of the border at the bottom for text

Then...Layer/New Layer

Set the toggle Layer fill type to 'White' - click OK

In the Layers Palette drag the 'background' layer above the new (white) layer

Ensure that the subject layer (background) is highlighted in the Layers Palette

then from the command bar Filters/Light & Shadow/Drop Shadow. In the Drop Shadow Dialog Box set;

Offset X = 60
Offset Y = 60
Blur Radius = 120
Colour = Black
Opacity = 45

Click 'OK'

From the command bar Image/Flatten Image then File/Save (to wherever you wish to store your image)

ADDING TEXT TO THE BORDER (and making the text available as a GIMP scalable brush)

If you wish to add text to the bottom of the mat

Create a new 'blank' image (you only need do this once since this method will provide you with a 'Custom Brush' to use on any image). From the command bar, File/New

In the New Image dialog set;

Width = 500 pixels
Height = 80 pixels

Note: The size you specify within this dialog will depend on the initial text height and its width in characters

Click 'OK'

Select the 'Text' tool from the toolbox palette then create a text box within the blank image. The GIMP Text Editor dialog box will also appear. Check the 'Use selected font' toggle

In the Gimp Text Editor dialog type your text

Hint: if you require a copyright symbol open MS Word (yes, even us mackies get to use MS Office). From 'Add/Symbol in Word insert a Copyright sign (I used Ariel. It does not matter too much about the size since you can resize in the GIMP Text Editor) Copy the symbol from Word into the GIMP Text Editor dialog box. Type your text into the GIMP Text Editor dialog. Highlight the text you have just typed (but not the copyright symbol and select the font and size from the GIMP Toolbox palette. Click 'Close' in the Text Editor dialog when finished. From the command bar Image/Flatten Image.

Signatures can be scanned in and pasted into the 'brush'

To save the image as a brush select File/Save As from the command bar. At the bottom of the ensuing dialog box you will see an option 'Select File Type (By extension). Click on this and select the GIMP Brush (.gbr extension). Save the file with this extension to a convenient Folder and an appropriate file name(e.g. MySignature.gbr)

This method of making brushes available in GIMP is for OSX (but i dare say you can work your way to it in Windows)

From the command bar select; Edit/Preferences. In the menu to the left click 'Folders then 'brushes'. In the box in the RH half of the dialog box you may see an existing folder. Click the check box against that folder to make it writable,

Next switch to your desktop (or any convenient location) and create a folder naming it 'GIMP Brushes'. Move the .gbr file you have just created into this folder. Now back to GIMP and in the preferences dialog box click the 'Folder' control which is situated at the far top right of the dialog box. This will allow you to select the folder where you have just stored your .gbr file. Click 'OK'

Quit GIMP and X11 app. Then restart GIMP. Open the Image on which you created the border. On the Toolbox Pallet click the Brush control (depicted as a paint brush). The lower half of the Toolbox Palette will now show the Paint Brush options. Click the control immediately to the right of the word 'Brush:' select your 'signature' brush and and place in position (by clicking) on the border of your image....done.

A rather shaky tutorial is available on `You Tube'....by someone else suffering from vertigo I suspect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjgOu89wNU

The brush is now available for any image and the brush is fully scaleable (using the scale slider on the Paintbrush area of the Toolbox Palette)

You can create as many brushes as you like an place them in your Brushes Folder. You can also get brushes ready made from sites like Deviant Art. Just go to the Deviant Art website and type 'GIMP brushes' in the search box. You can download these brushes to your GIMP Brushes folder.

IMPORTANT: when the download is complete check that all the files have a .gbr extension any that do not MUST be deleted before using in GIMP. You must restart GIMP before you use any new brushes

[Donald]

That's going to take a bit of time to get the head round. Am just off on hols for a week. Will study when I get back.

Sorry to hear you haven't been firing on all cylinders. Hope that is short-lived.