Rod: That is really a neat tutorial. Will you have it added to the tutorials forum?

good tutorial but i didn't succeed to accomplish that.don't know why-maybe because of the alpha channel-because when I do auto crop the color disappears.I really need explanation from the beginning-step by step

I saw the video for the PS version of making the mandala and also started to do Rod's tutorial which was very good. Then I thought. . .why so many steps to get a segment of an image to make a mandala?

What I did:
1. Opened new image in gimp, transparent, 1000X1000 so I had room to play.
2. Made a path of a 1/8th segment of a pie.(can do a number of ways but I used Tin's Protractor).
3. Opened my desired image as layer and moved it around using the move, rotate, scale tools until I was satisfied with my choice with the path's boundries.
4. Did path to selection.
5. Select/Invert then delete leaving my triangular shape to duplicate and arrange to complete the pie as has already been stated in the tutorial above.
6. Add another layer for background color or pattern as desired.
Here is my result:
Original image:
Mandala image:

Pat - just brilliant.I love the image and the glassiness

Looks like I will be asking you for tuts very soon

The great thing about GIMP is there are all kinds of ways to do the same thing.
I will create a tutorial and place it on my website soon. If Odin or Wallace wants they can add the tutorial here also.

I'll make a tutorial this weekend and submit it on my website as well. That way, they can experience several different ways to accomplish the same thing. As Lyle always says, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

OMG: Thank you for your comments, but . . . your tuts are so well organized with such great content that I don't think I would measure up!

Rod: Thank you in advance for posting your tutorial especially since it involves using a mask. I need to practice with those.

Mahvin: I'm glad you are posting your method also. Sometimes one explanation does not click with someone but another one will. Then all makes sense.

I hope one of our methods is helpful to alin 32.

A bit late to this thread but I wonder if anyone looked at the Gimp 2.8 GEGL operation 'mirrors' (which becomes 'kaleidoscope' in Gimp 2.9)

source image is inset:

I got to thinking about the tutorial I would create and started asking myself all these questions that resulted from watching the Photoshop YouTube video. The biggest question is "Why do these people always do things the hard way?". If I were going to create digital mandalas, I would use the easiest possible way to obtain it, regardless of software. So, I'm thinking that instead of creating a tutorial based on the PS method, why not just make it freestyle and do it how "I" would go about obtaining the effect. Just makes more sense. Don't get me wrong, I used to get a kick out of duplicating PS tutorials, but then they got stale, because in GIMP there are coders aplenty who can do just about anything you ask for. And then I saw how easy it was to duplicate circular array using the Mura Meister copies. That's as simple as it gets, to be honest, and you can use just about anything for the effect, especially GMIC and like GEGL that Rich posted above.

I did it that way to show how to utilize a mask also. But you are correct. The best way is usually the simplest way.

Rod, you're spot on about layer masks, and yes, people should embrace and use them more, they make life SO EASY for us. I guess my feeling is that these older PS videos are behind the times and the newer programs are far easier to manipulate, including GIMP. If it makes someone feel like they are truly a graphic artist because they spend more time cutting and pasting images and manipulating, then more power to them, honestly! Me? I know I am an artist at heart, and my time is too valuable these days to play mechanic with PS. The kids I teach GIMP, they just want to try out all the cool scripts and plugins more than they want to design something, it's kind of incredible and interesting that more kids are learning to code when it comes to being involved with GIMP. The kids in the PS crowd are all elite "artists" and not coders at all. When a 13 year old kid comes to school with a book on Scheme, you have an "ah ha" moment. GIMP gives them the edge. Funny thing is, I don't teach scripting at all. I just introduce them to GIMP. Coming soon, a tute on digital mandalas, mahvin style. Isn't it cool we can all create something in uniquely different ways?

What does this one remind you of Mahvin?

Actually made me hungry, Rod, lol.

Is it possible to turn off the grid inside a rotating item? It would be nice to see the item itself and not the grid lines. If the item your rotating is small (a pie wedge) it's kind of hard to see alignment points for these.

I think you can control grid spacing, but I use paths and centered guidelines to keep my rotation from center.

Here is the link to my tutorial on digital mandalas: http://www.mahvin.com/2016/10/creating- ... -gimp.html

Nice Mahvin. Thanks!

I haven't quite got my site ready yet but will post one (a tutorial) when i do.

I guess I could copy and paste the tutorial into this post. Wasn't sure if I was breaking any rules or not (I didn't investigate) because other sites don't want you promoting your own site. My website has been up since the stone age, and before the wheel. I have followers on Google Plus, etc, so that is why I chose to post it there. Plus I can tailor it better on my blog, than I can here.

thank you all so much,I accomplished what I wanted thanks to your help.You are great

You're welcome, glad we could all participate and help.