Make Awesome Gold, Silver, Brass, or Copper Text

RobA · **Joined:** Jul 14, 2010 **Posts:** 697

Nice adaptation!

-Rob A>

2-ton · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:25 am **(#12)**

Finally got time to try this out....gold using the environment on gold gradient

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16023

A little sparkle at the brightest spot would really set that off 2-ton.

2-ton · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:46 am **(#14)**

I am so bad at using the sparkle filter. I can never manage to get it the way I want it, and can't seem to figure out what the settings will produce.

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16023

You can make your own sparkle brush.

Here you go just make sure you paint with both foreground and background colors white.
Paint the sparkles on a new layer so you can set the opacity.

Here are the brush settings

Just in case you can not read that the settings are
Radius - 75.0
Spikes - 4
Hardness - 0.09
Aspect Ratio - 1.6
Angle - 106.2
Spacing - 20

2-ton · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:57 pm **(#16)**

OK, gold with sparkle...made mine a bit different.

I still would like to figure out how to use sparkle better...sometimes I want my sparkle to have really long spikes but not be too bright.

mahvin · **Joined:** Oct 06, 2010 **Posts:** 4050

Awesome! Looks like actual gold laying on a sheet of gold.

Oregonian · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:44 pm **(#18)**

2-ton wrote:

I still would like to figure out how to use sparkle better...sometimes I want my sparkle to have really long spikes but not be too bright.

You can make the radius larger or increase the brush size then put the sparkle on a separate layer and lower the opacity.

Actually, the brighter star is four layers merged together and the lighter one is a single star at regular opacity in this image. I included the brush editor image so you can see the settings I used.

2-ton · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:42 pm **(#19)**

oh, yeah, lightbulb! I can make one with longer spikes, then make one skinnier and with shorter spikes and put it on top for that "neon glow" look. I should have thought of that. I also see that the 4 spike is actually better than my 7 spike. so radius is the size from center to end of spike and the aspect ratio is how fat or thin the spikes are?

mahvin · **Joined:** Oct 06, 2010 **Posts:** 4050

Quote:

so radius is the size from center to end of spike and the aspect ratio is how fat or thin the spikes are?

Yes and Yes.

You can also angle the smaller spikes/star at 45 degrees and use it centered on top of the longer spikes/star to create twinkling effects.

2-ton · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:47 pm **(#21)**

well now I understand how to make my sparkles by hand, and it seems much easier than trying to use the sparkle filter for most instances.

mahvin · **Joined:** Oct 06, 2010 **Posts:** 4050

OK, a couple of things:

1. This script does what my tutorial explains, and I've "Americanized" the French menu options.

2. Unless you speak and read French, you can use Google Translate to view this description page for the script. Just to help you out, I've included the Google Translate URL, as well:

http://abcdugimp.free.fr/gimp/telecharg ... golden.php (Original site)

http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... hp&act=url

The description page gives you an idea of how certain settings look. Remember your text needs to be on a transparent layer in order for the script to work.

Script is added below:

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16023

Excellent script.

akky · **Joined:** Apr 09, 2011 **Posts:** 1764

PhotoComix wrote:

ofnuts wrote:

Anyway, it's time e stop faking hard materials and start doing something organic. How about faking the texture of the flesh of an apple?

Before that i will like to see good emulations of not existing metals (i.e."Superman" Kriptonite,"Ka Zar" Vibramium, more to be found in old Flash Gordon and Micky Mouse comix..)

Add Unobtainium (Avatar) to that list!

Oregonian · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:23 am **(#25)**

mahvin wrote:

OK, a couple of things:

1. This script does what my tutorial explains, and I've "Americanized" the French menu options.

It does a nice job. Here is mine. I smoothed up the edges a little by using the original text, alpha to selection, grow by 3, invert the selection and save to path. Unselected, then From Path, Delete.

Willy · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:15 pm **(#26)**

Run on Fractal

akky · **Joined:** Apr 09, 2011 **Posts:** 1764

Well I know I have done this in the past but today for the love of me I just cannot get that tutorial to happen for me Mahvin...when I get to Step 3. the
Light and Shadow/Lighting Effects/Bump Map Its only giving me the view of the environment map and not of the text layers at all..I've been battling with this for hours and restarted GIMP a gazillion times today trying to figure what I am doing wrong..and getting nowhere

mahvin · **Joined:** Oct 06, 2010 **Posts:** 4050

If you don't make the text layer the same size as the image, it won't show up in the bump map tab in Lighting Effects.

akky · **Joined:** Apr 09, 2011 **Posts:** 1764

ok thanks...that might be what I am doing wrong thank you...back to the drawing board!!

akky · **Joined:** Apr 09, 2011 **Posts:** 1764

Well its got me stumped!! I dont think I am doing anything other than what is in the instructions...I can see the layers when I click on the environment tab but not when I click on bump map