I think what you would have to do is create a page of text.
Place the image you want as text over that layer (rendered)
Alpha to select the image selection
Select the text area Copy/Paste

After that i played with bevel and emboss a bit.



From there i am stuck. =\

the original looks to have some bump mapping effects to make it look 3-d

That's what i was thinking, displacement maps have something to do with it i am sure.
I created this one with ACN-GEN and Gimp layer modes (cheated)

I would rather be able to do the entire thing with Gimp alone though.

This may look better..

I am beginning to believe this is only possible with Gimp and a text generator program.
You have to have the image written in text and then place the original behind it...set the opacity real low on the original, and create a new bg layer and select the white in the text image and delete it. (the bg layer you create should be a little darker than white...eggshell sorta.)

Now you have the text layer with no white just text
the original image for depth - set at low opacity
the new bg for the entire image

Some blue eyes added to make it look more colorful.

Hey Rod, is that even just a graphical effect or part of a photograph?
Touch Someone With A Letter
Christopher Tovo

That's a classic, it won awards back in the day. You bet your bippy (showing my age) I'd like to get one.

Akros, i believe the original photos were taken then manipulated with a graphic editor.
I think the Mothers Day card looks very much like the effect Erisian did the tutorial on.

Edit: Upon further up close investigation this does indeed look like a photo with someone painted for the effect.

My idea would be that:
-- A text layer
-- A embracing couple.

Isolate the couple because we'll need the text as BG.

Try over a couple's desaturated layer as map apply to the text layer the Garagecoder g'mic warp map. (#17)

Using layers mask to do the rest.

Work lights and shadows.

Pretty sure that is the ticket.
http://www.gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f ... =20#p81541

Hey Rod look this!

PhotograPhy retoucher and graPhic artist ed croll discusses howhe distorted words in order to increase their sense of meaning
project FocUS

warping typography

Thx Jamac4k, i will try above that technique!

Nice find Akros!
Man what a pipeline to go through for that effect.
I suppose with a lot of time you could get such great results in Gimp then.

Bookmarked and thanks again Akros.

I decided to give this a try using displacement
Here's an image of brucelee's face.
I like the face, the hair is too flat and not convincing at all.

I sort'a followed this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDleLQkxQ_M

Not quite the effect but followed another ps tutorial in conjunction with G'MIC to get the following. Will try again tomorrow with different subject(s).

That is quite nifty, Dalia! I'm waiting on the tutorial on this one!!

Nice anthropomorphic result, Dalia.

Pat, if I had something consistent I would certainly, at least, show the way. Honestly, at this point I'm not sure what I'm uploading or if it should even be on this thread.

lylejk, whoa! I had to look that word up. Thank you for your comment.

What I want is for it to appear as if the second subject is trying to come through the "drape" (I know what the original post was meant to convey).

Will keep trying.