Chapter 1 (On black and white)

This will be, when finished my very very last traditional tutorial...i want concentrate only on Video Tutorial because images explain and may teach much better then words


it is also the last time that i try to explain such simple and trivial concept...do not undervalue what is simple there is the key to stunning levels of complexity

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We want create ...but even in the most ancient myth and religion not even God(s) create from nothing...He start always from something ,as clay, dirt, water...

So we will not attempt more..i will show you how to start from the few pixel of a little and simple image to create in few and highly instructive steps
the most intricate and complex artworks at wallpaper size ...and even much bigger then any reasonable screen size

so here the few pixels needed for start...i could even have used any other image containing some geometric shapes (i.e.concentric circles or polygons)
BUT i chose this because was difficult:
was in black and white and the absence of colors for me was challenging ..i show now the BW hoping you able to imagine possible extension of same concept to colored images

But we start in monastical simplicity :
to understand better we kept simple ruling out colors for the moment ...just to better focus on the essential, once done we may apply same principles on colored images


1 SOURCE IMAGE



No bad but i want something more intricate and complex from that i want a good tile

2 SOURCE TILE

here it is



Did you see the difference? a lot of added complexity, but the trick is trivial

1 duplicate the layer 2 times
2 flip vertically the first dup (just above the BG layer ) and change layer mode to DIFFERENCE
3 we need now to restore the highlight:
just change the mode of top layer in LIGHTEN ONLY

Almost good now..but a bit flat we need just to improve the greyscale
4) New layer from visible ( i do not like flat )
5) no reasons for complex adjustment of level or curves here
Just Colors/Auto/Equalize will do the trick

If any doubt check the my xcf http://www.box.net/shared/r1t5qbgi5p
(toggle off visibility of top layer
and starting from the bg toggle on the visibility of the other layers )

EXPAND YOUR UNIVERSE

Now you may use the Saulgoode Mirror-Dup script http://gimpfx-foundry.sourceforge.net/b ... icates.scm
( Or GMIC /Array/ Mirrored array..if you use gmic check "expand size " option )

just run the script or the plugin for mirror in both direction...you should end in something as



GET LOST EXPLORING ENDLESS VARIATIONS

But that is just 1 of possible results,..now try before mirroring to flip and/or rotate your tile
and a endless flow of creation may start...





NOTE THAT NOT ONLY FLIP OR ROTATE BUT EVEN A SLIGHT CROP WILL CHANGE THE SEAMS CREATING NEW VARIANTS


But i promise something at wallpaper size and more ...those are still to tiny well once again you may expand your universe with same method

well to avoid to give problem also to broadband user i posted here below only examples dramatically scaled down (if somebody want see them at original size original..just post a reply )





APPENDIX: MORE MAGIC

For the most here that use WIndows another step is at hand reach:
is not with gimp because for some reason there are tons of (sort of) kaleidoscope script and plugin (some even interesting as effects ) but the real thing is still missed

So you will need something as Irfanview or XNview (both free even if not OS ) and the excellent and free Kaleidoscope plugin from MEDHI http://www.mehdiplugins.com/english/kaleidoscope.htm

(yes in theory can be used directly in Gimp with PSPI..in practice will be not a good idea, Gimp screw up the plugin preview AND IS STRICTLY NEEDED A GOOD PREVIEW for this kind of manip ...so better use in XNview and copy and past the results )

just to end this may be a NEW TILE



and resized this its mirrored version



BUT PLEASE LOOK THIS LAST ALSO AT ORIGINAL SIZE

HERE http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/421 ... c959_o.jpg

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Chapter 2 ( Color )

Now same principle but applied on colored images

[highlight]Update
Somebody asked how to create a good "original image"
A possible simple easy and effective method is explained by mikethedj4 here
http://www.gimptalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=46311&p=337917#p337917[/highlight]



Again i chose something not too complex and not too symmetrical for start

looks sort of symmetric but has not a real horizontal or vertical symmetry..and i wish both

ORIGINAL IMAGE





you may see that looks sort of symmetric but has not a real horizontal or vertical symmetry..and i wish both

1 duplicate the layer
2 then flip horizontally
3 change layer mode this is " difference "



Multiply, Darken only will also give interesting result...no sufficient space here to show them all



but we may first rotate the original of 90 then flip vertically

in case we get this, very different still symmetric



Well we may try again from this variant



we dup then will have no sense flip horizontally the duplicate(result would be identical to original ), but in this case we may flip vertically or of 90 or 270 degree...

then this will be one of possible results, Difference, Multiply, Darken only will all give interesting results





But even "lighting only" may be cool, effect is very different but always symmetrical




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Here a example with mirror, you may see

1 As first layer the first image flipped, then mirrored in both direction with a hole done in the center
2 below a duplicate of top layer but rotated by 90 degree
3 as BG the other kaleidoscopic variant of the tile



This has all layers (2 for the frames 1 for the center ) in normal mode

of course changing modes will change again results

Welcome in the Labyrinth



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Chapter 3 How add more depth and symmetries

well if you follow me till now trough this Labyrinth of symmetries another nice application of same concept

For this original has not to be too bright (but if is too bright you may use your brain to apply same concept:
instead then "Lighten only" you will use "Darken Only" ( and experiment also Multiply will not harm)

here how go in 3 trivial steps

Is so simple that do no require any knowledge, may be used with any graphic program that support layers ..so basically with any graphic editor

It suppose that you already have a symmetrical image image but you want add more complexity depth and symmetry

" BEFORE"and "AFTER " ...see the difference ?



3 really simple steps


first is look to your starting image
you may see that "BEFORE" has not vertical symmetry..if i flip vertically it changes
...exactly what we need to know..that means we may flip vertically to add new symmetry

1 duplicate the layer
2 flip vertically the duplicate
(vertically in my example..if your HAS vertical symmetry but not horizontal,
you must instead flip horizontally...
3 now you should simply change the top layer mode
Since the image is already a bit dark we will prefer "lighten only"

Again if the starting image is too bright lighten only mode will not work well but you may use your brain to apply same concept:
in that case instead then "Lighten only" you will use "Darken Only" ( and experiment also Multiply will not harm)

Chapter 4 More examples

As i said in this tutorial i mainly let the images speak

Here some more examples, please read the comment under the images if you wish to replicate

i really want make a video on this is harder explain with words

i may only say that all those derived from that first image you already seen and that i repost here below
+ the combinations with its rotated or flipped duplicate in different merging mode

ORIGINAL




MULTIPLY



same but using SCREEN mode



a different amount rotation ,same screen mode
( Rotation should be always of multiples of 90°...may be combined with flipping )



a touch of kaleidoscope for a new tile
( Again for use a good kaleidoscope on Windows you should open the image in Xnview, or Irfanview, or any other image viewer supporting PS plugin
use the Medhi "kaleidoscope" plugin...and then copy and paste the result in Gimp
On linux..we may just hope for a fix of the Mathmap Kaleidoscope script, or a new version of the GMIC "kaleidoscope" )



2 different ways to extend the same tile by mirroring



The difference here is the same explained in the first chapter:
both are mirrored in both direction ,this last was simply rotated before be mirrored



see me bigger http://www.flickr.com/photos/photocomix ... otostream/

Chapter 5 Practical Application

Some possible uses are obvious (i.e wallpapers ) but there are others

As example we may wrap our mirrored textures around 3D object ,here 2 spheres created from same BG (what changes is the degree of rotation of the sphere )



FULL VIEW WITH TRANSPARENT BG http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2265/208 ... 9ce4_o.png

The BG was created by mirroring in both direction a Celtic pattern..mirroring in both direction allow to map very well without apparent seams
(except then on the poles , but as you may see in this second example the seam could look nice )



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2015/208 ... 3f29_o.png

Who already use Blender or other 3D apps will not need more suggestion, but anyway also Gimp allow some basic map in 3D object

You may use Filters/Map/map to object to wrap your texture on Cylinder, Cubes or even Eggs
(for some weird reason the Map to Object function to create Eggs is mislabeled as "sphere", but will create a sphere only if the Width and Height of your image are identical ).
But often the result is a bit delusive (jagged lines and pixelation )

the Mathmap plugin http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/schani/mathmap/ offer more options and shapes (but miss at the moment the Cube and the Cylinder,even if should be easy to add that options ) and more important chosing the Supersampling option, the output is at much higher quality , and problem as pixelation and jagged edges solved or at least minimezed

Another possible alternative may become GMIC (http://gmic.sourceforge.net/ ) that offer some 3D filters
at the moment i wrote they show similar flaws of Gimp "map to object"(the original pixels once mapped look screwed up by pixelation and jagged lines )
but anyway GMIC offer also way to correct the problem ( "anisotropic smoothing" +"unsharpmask" will improve a lot the output)..more Gmic is constantly updated and improved so is possible that this will be solved soon

PS the 2 celtic globes were created using Matmap/map/sphere

I'm so glad you put that in here. I love this stuff even if it does make me crazy.

Now you've done it. You're going to get me messing with it again.

well Oregonian you also posted very cool images as reply to this tut...

I hope somebody may protect me by the revenge of dial up users..i am afraid that may have to wait a couple of days for the images to load but for this tut the images are essential and thumbs will kill the effect

But maybe Dial up users may wish to kill ME now

so a last possible use..

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this is less neat because very quickly done but is just to show another possible use:
i applied this tutorial from RobA http://silent9.com/blog/archives/153-Golden-Objects-in-Gimp.html to a couple of images from my first message

Sharp



(a bit too much) Blurred



maybe a possible idea for the carved wall of forgotten temples..

I won't tell who did it.

Fantastic PhotoComix.....

Quote from Oregonian
I won't tell who did it.


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that is perfect

I mean thumbs would have killed but thumb at that size are perfect
I didn't because..well..anytime i try to do something with html-php i do a lot of errors , and then to correct the errors i have to spend a lot of time...but again you have a good idea

But now where is the "Quote" button in this forum ?

I did a screen shot of the location. *grin* Got to use my new arrow brush.

The red text should say, The quote button is at the bottom of a post, just below and to the right of where the signature area is. I cropped the image so it is narrower than the page.



As far as the large thumbnails, GnuTux has made it so that images are automatically resized when they are a certain size. I don't know what the dimensions of the image need to be when that automatic resizing takes place. Hopefully, GnuTux will pop in here and tell us.

Photo, you have to use 'full editor' button under the quick reply box to find the quote icon...bunch of little blue lines inside quotes.

Don't understand what you mean, 2-ton. The quote button is in a picture I posted in the reply above your post and shows where it is located. It's a blue, rectangular button with the word, Quote, on it.

A member has to be logged in to see the quote button.

Those 3D spheres in chapter 5 are way cool.

Were those created exclusively in Gimp or was another app involved?

I'm gonna take my time to get my head around this one. Want to learn how you do this.

Well, PhotoComix, you got me playing in this stuff again.

Gimp + MathMap ..mathmap is perfect for thing

to melt the sphere



to square the sphere







Here few mappings posing toghether

Where is the Pin up ?
I miss the pin up.. ! ..

Ah ..here she comes...

Aha! Here's one of mine mathmapped.

And now the other. How did you make that cube, PhotoComix?