07-30-2011, 04:55 AM
Napalm's signature-making tutorial with GIMP 2
Hey guys, I'm gonna teach you how to make simple yet nice signatures using GIMP(GNU Image Manipulation Program).
So after opening up GIMP, make a new transparent image about the size of 650x200 or whatever you want. The first thing we're gonna do is getting a nice font, I recommend using Black Caps, it's a pretty nice font and I use it a lot. Download it by clicking here.
After you install the font, click the Text Tool button in GIMP , find yourself a good font or the one which you've just downloaded, and write out your username on the transparent blank image. We're also gonna make a reflection thingy of it later, so make sure it's not bigger than the half of the image. You can also choose any color you like.
Now it should look somewhat like this: Click here to view image.
Let's make some part of it another color to make it more attractive. On the Layers window, select your text's layer and above the layer selections, you will see a checkbox, check that. This locks the alpha channel, and when we use our Paintbrush , it will only color places that have colors in them and not transparent.
The lock alpha channel checkbox: Click here to view image.
Now select the Paintbrush tool, change the color to something else than the text's color and recolor some parts of it. I'll just make the first letter black for now. Click here to view image.
Now let's make it glow! On the Layers window, right click your text's layer and click Duplicate Layer. Click here to view image.
Now select the middle layer, make sure the Lock Alpha Channel checkbox is checked, select the Paintbrush tool, change the color to light blue or some light color and paint all of the middle layer to that color.
It should look like this when the first layer is not visible, make you you don't color the first layer but the middle one though! (Click to View)
Now uncheck the Lock Alpha Channel checkbox and select the Blur tool , select the middle layer, and not the top one, set the Blur tool's Size to like 10, and start blurring the middle layer.
After you've done that, it should get a nice light blue glow (Click to View)
Select the Mirror Tool , and use it on the second layer from top(let's call it reflection layer!).
After you've got the reflection layer mirrored, select the Rotate Tool , and rotate the reflection layer by 180 degrees. If it's on the bottom too much, feel free to move it upwards a bit.
It should look like this. (Click to View)
Afterwards, it should look somewhat like this (Click to View)
Here's the finished signature (Click to View)
Hope you guys liked this tutorial, all credits to me, Napalm™.
Thanks for reading!
-Napalm™