Here ya go Drac...lots of hugging goin-on.
Hugging going on

Thanks Molly but I found one in my family photos I wanted to use cuz I'll probably frame it and use as a Christmas gift if it turns out well.

Erisian - I having problems understanding several steps. Some screenshots of the layers would help tremendously. At first I couldn't figure out which layer was named what and also I've never used the Dodge and Burn tool and don't have a clue what settings to use or what to apply it to.

I messed something up in step 4 cuz I ended up removing the hair instead of vice versa so I just did a regular selection and did the copy/paste as and made a new layer then deleted the selection from the original. I ended up at the same place you did.

I'm not sure what you are doing with step 5 so I just locked the alpha channel and applied the blur. That way I didn't have to do all the duplication process and the other part. If I understood it correctly you were just going for a blurred hair layer that does not overlap the boundries of the original hair layer.

In step 6 you duplicate the newspaper layer and add an alpha channel. It should already have an alpha channel because you already did that in step 1.

By virtue of the fact you are working on the newspaper layer when you duplicate it, it is the one selected when you open the Displacement map filter which doesn't work. Which layer should be selected and active when you open the filter?

What settings did you use in step seven for the levels? I never could get it to come out right.

Is the "people" layer you refer to in step 8 the same as the "Hug/Image" layer in steps 1 and 2?

I'm so confused I think I'm going to start over. Nuttin' like feeling dumb!

I haven't started it yet Drac. I was busy out at the garden. I have tomatoes coming out my ears.
Anyway, I think I found a picture that isn't full of water marks to use.

The newspaper layer should not have an alpha channel because it is the background layer. In step 1, you add an alpha channel to the figures not the newspaper. I didn't name all the layers but I thought everything was clear. The idea of step 5 is to blur the hair without the coloured image showing at the edges. Dodge and burn, use the default settings. The levels are adjusted to your satisfaction so I can't give precise figures. Just play a bit and if you can do it better than me - fantastic.

Displacement map. Both the map and the newspaper copy layers should be the same size. To make sure, do layer to image size on both layers. The newspaper copy layer should be selected when you open the filter. The people layer is the hug layer.

EDIT: With the displacement map, if the lettering is too badly distorted, try lowering the displacement figures with the sliders. I wouldn't go below about 10 for this.

I hope I can find a good photo to try this out...sometimes finding the right photo takes much longer than the tutorial itself.

detailed description.
Maybe video Flowing Text Tutorial

This is as detailed as I know how to make it. My computer is too slow to make video screen captures. Sorry.

computer is too slow to make the video screen captures. OK
maybe Gimp screenshots step by step

In Step 7 you state "Put the layer into overlay mode and use colours>levels to improve contrast. Remove the selection."

This is the Newspaper copy layer correct?

Tomatoes or corn, hahaha?

Both Nixxy

Yes Drac.

Erisian Wow!
I loved this effect.
I could not get a result so convincing, but I was glad to first experience!
Thank you for the tutorial!

I have been trying to get this effect for some time now. You have gotten pretty close.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=911&hilit=text

Wow!
Rod was excellent effect in this topic!
I tried to find the original images that were used there, but found only finished images.

Achieve the same effect in this tutorial has not been possible yet.

But that your post is 2010! Does all this time no one has yet found a technique to get that effect?

Challenger ...

That is correct.
But this is very close and the first time i saw this post since it was written. So i will try again using some of these techniques.

Beautiful work Akros! You have proved that my tutorial is understandable as well.

Rod - it was your challenge that led to this of course.

Erisian Cool, and thanks for the tut. Look to complicated for me.

Argh, seemed to go ok until leaving step 7 on to 8. It just didn't look right and now I can't remember how many steps I need to erase to get back to that! I guess I am not positive what layers to do what to at that point, or what to set the sliders at. Back to square one.