[Heaven Tutorials] Very Simple Heaven Style Sig (GIMP)

Very Simple Heaven Style Sig
This tutorial is aimed toward those very new to using GIMP who wish to learn a basic way to make a good-looking, Heaven style signature. This is far from a perfect signature but it gives general concepts. Credit goes to KoopaDasher and namank05 for renders used. To view most images separately, click the image.

The first thing we need are our renders ("cut-outs"). I've chosen the following two:
http://planetrenders.net/renders/displayimage.php?pos=-31708
http://planetrenders.net/renders/displayimage.php?pos=-46145
I recommend Planet Renders as a first place to look for your renders if you don't wish to take the time rendering your own.

The next thing we'll need is a good font. If you want something you don't have on your computer I recommend 1001 Free Fonts or dafont. You can install fonts for your computer by going to control panel > fonts and dragging the font there. To install only for GIMP (causes more startup lag for GIMP so I don't recommend unless you must) go to C > documents and settings > USERNAME > gimp 2.6.... > fonts (where USERNAME is your user; e.g. "administrator"). For this tutorial I'll be using Pokemon Solid.


First, we start with a blank, white image 350x120.

Color - Paste one of your renders (edit > paste) and, on the layers toolbox, click the new layer button (looks like a page) to anchor the pasted image on a new layer. Use the eyedropper (color picker) tool () with "sample merged" selected in tool options pane. Be sure you selected "sample merged" and not "sample average." This allows you to select from the visible layers; not just the selected layer. Click a color on your character render that you'd like to use as your main color. Click edit > fill with FG color. You should now have something similar to what's shown below:


Texture - Create a new layer (click the new layer button in layers panel again) and select white as your layer fill type; then click OK. Click filters > render > clouds > difference clouds. In the layers panel (above the layers) there is a layer mode dropdown menu. With your clouds layer selected change the mode to "grain merge."


Border - Now, create another layer with fill type set to transparent. If your front color isn't black (in tools panel) click the black/white boxes next to the colors to change them back to the default. Click select > all. Then, edit > stroke selection. Change the line width to 1 and click ok. It may be hard to notice with the dotted border around the active layer, but you've created a black border.


Dropshadow - Now's where it gets interesting. Be sure to save this background somewhere in case something hapens. Edit > copy visible. Then, file > new. Create a new image, preferably with a 640x480 dimensions (just select it from the dropdown). This will be your workspace. Now paste your image and click the new layer button (in layers panel) to anchor it onto a new layer. With your new layer selected click filters > light and shadown > drop shadow. Change the values to 3, 3, 5 and opacity to 66. Click OK.


Partial render - Drag your render where you want it using the move tool (). Paste your inside render and click the new layer button to anchor it on its own layer. Then click layer > autocrop layer to bring in the borders (crucial for when you're ready to publish the finished copy and easy resizing). Use layer > scale layer to get the size you want (in this case, a height of 150).


Partial dropshadow - Click filters > repeat dropshadow (if it's not there follow the same steps as the previous dropshadow). Using the rectangle selection tool (top-left tool in panel) cut off unwanted parts. Then select the dropshadow's layer and cut off unwanted parts from that as well.


Full render - Paste your outside render and click the new layer button. Resize it to what you like with layer > scale layer. Click filters > repeat dropshadow (follow previous steps for dropshadows if the option isn't there).


Text - Select the eyedropper tool and, with "sample merged" still checked, click a medium-darkish shade of your main color. Select the text tool () and click anywhere you'd like on your image. Type in what you'd like and, in the tool option panel, change your font size and font (in this case, Pokemon Solid). Use the movement tool to position your text where you'd like. Then, with your text layer selected, click filters > repeat dropshadow (or the first dropshadow steps if the option isn't there).


Light effect - As a final touch, with your text layer selected, click filters > light and shadow > lighting effects. Drag the small, blue point in the preview window to change the position of the light point. When you're satisfied, click OK.


To do/experimentation:

• Experiment with the lighting effects, changing from point do directional, etc. Lighting positioning from tutorial could flow better with renders' lighting.
  
• Use an alternate texture in place (or with) the difference clouds. A great place for textures is CG Textures
  
• Use different settings for dropshadows
  
• Fill extra space with alternate text or a personalized symbol
  
• Use less realistic renders inside and the more realistic outside to give a billboard feel.

Dude this is great thank you!
Im gonna try on tomorrow!
And thanks again for taking the time to do this! =D
EDIT: Ive moved this to the GFX Gallery and stickied it ok
i also combined your two sig topics, made it into one, changed its name and brought it to the GFX Gallery ok

No problem

Heaven wrote:

No problem

I moved it again to the tutorials section..
Forgot it was here lol

...
Heaven wins again.

Whoever made that sprite needs to try again at least 5 times harder...but nice tutorial otherwise.

Now if only I could come up with a legitimate use for the knowledge gained; that's not saying it's a bad one through sarcasm, but I'm taskless.

Heaven, I hope I meet you in heaven.

Rey_J wrote:

Whoever made that sprite needs to try again at least 5 times harder...but nice tutorial otherwise.

If you mean , it's the actual old sprite for Jigglypuff in the original games, just with an "awesome" face modded onto it. Can't expect much from classic, handheld games.

You sure? Looks more like Advance because of coloration, but I can see the classsic in it. I, personally, can expect more due to my...eh, expectations :d'oh: .
The eyes need to be bigger and colored/aligned properly.

Anyways, this might be what Asakura foretold recently.