Searching the net for Gimp tutorials, I came across a couple of photoshop tutorials for glossy balls which used lens flare and the polar filters, Never found a similar tutorial for gimp. So I decided I would create one, the results are good and I've also tried to make the whole thing more flexible by being able to control colour, lighting and shadow.

I know there are loads of Glossy Ball tutorials out there but being a juggler I have a fixation with creating balls and this one is very different in approach to most of the other tutorials.

Gimp Glossy Ball Tutorial

Admin note: he4rty, I'm adding another link. The one you posted no longer goes directly to the Glossy Ball Tutorial. - O
http://he4rty.deviantart.com/art/GIMP-G ... -315045258

Thank you he4rty, got it into bookmarks to try later tonight.

Excellently written tutorial. Very easy to follow. Nice job, he4rty.

I used Starry Background to fill it with.

Nice tutorial. I've downloaded it and I'll be doing it tonight.

Oregonian,
loving the starry background.

Makes a good brush.

I like that, maybe a bowling ball next?

Or a script (hint hint )?

Had to give it a try. Thanks! The starfield doesn't show but it's been majorly scaled down.

That's lovely O. I used plasma to colour mine. Did you use a gradient?

Yes, I used a gradient. Thanks! Reminds me of the Mardi Gras throw beads I posted.
viewtopic.php?p=173#p173

Ooh! More gorgeous brushes. Thank you very much - those beads are stunning!

There are two or three batches of shiny brushes in that post to download. I kind of like those disco beads in there.

I've got them all now. I'll be playing with them later.

I did this tutorial with no probs the first time. I wanted to do it in a different color so I started over from scratch. I went back to the beginning three times and I can't get past step 12, map to object, the same thing happens every time, I get that halo ring around the sphere. I attached a screen shot below and I still have the xcf. Can anyone see what is going on here?

That's normal. Next step is to resize yor mapped ball so that all the spheres are the same size.

thanks Eris, I will go back and look again one more time.

You're welcome Molly.

Geez, I had it figured out just before you posted Eris, I turned off the orange layer and I saw that the sphere looked okay, thanks anyway.

Nice work. Keep your layered XCF and all you need to do is change the colour of the colour layer if you want a new ball.