I've had an idea for a useful tool, but I've got no idea how to code for GIMP.

There have been a number of attempt to make seamless patterns from images using filters. None work well with images containing structures at the borders as the filters use blending/blur to achieve the "seamless-ness".

Instead I propose a way of painting the images to be seamless. When the paintbrush hits a border it starts from the other side again.

I don't think this could be easily done with a plugin.

However it is possible to modify a paintbrush from a single point to nine points with a script.
The X distance between the nine points needs to be the X size of the painting area. Same for the Y.
i.e. a 100x100 pixel area painted with a 1xpixel paintbrush will need a 201x201 pixel paintbrush with the 1 pixel paint area 100pixels apart.

This way when the central pixel in the paintbrush hits the right hand side the left pixel of the brush will start painting from the left hand image border.
You can now just stop painting, move the central pixel to the left hand border and start painting again.
I don't think this would work with animated brushes.

I'm doing it manually at the moment.
Anyone feel up to the challenge of coding this paintbrush transform?

Alternately it may be possible to use cloning to "live" clone the painted line with an offset in multiple directions. No ideas how this could be done.

Started this thread a while ago. Alexia told me that this is one of the major request/features for GIMP. Maybe she might help implement it soon.

http://www.gimptalk.com/forum/summer-of ... 37949.html

also a related thread: http://www.gimptalk.com/forum/need-to-k ... ml#p348319

I can browse to the cartographers forum page OK, but when I click on the link to the script, it says I am not allowed because I'm not a member. Does anyone have that script and could they attach it in here?

Hi lylejk

I think that changing the brush into a matrix brush with the offset equal to the size of the image is a simple way to go - until the developers make an application level tool to do this.

I'm just looking for a script to make it easier to generate the matrix brush.

What would be even better is to define the whole layer as wrappable so that even if you smudge, the effect will be felt at the opposite end of the layer (not to mention clone, heal, or brush work). Creating tileable textures is sort of a side hobby of mine (see my Deviant; I know; shameless self promotion; lol).

http://lylejk.deviantart.com/

Well I had to join Cartographers Guild in order to get the script. I'm attaching it in here so others won't have to join to get it.

Thank you "O"

Hey O; didn't know this was the Script you were referring too. It is pretty good. RobA posted a link at the Registry too.

I just found out that copying an image that is larger than 512² to the clipboard and using the clipboard copy as a pattern doesn't work. It cuts the image to 512 instead of resizing it and you come out with seams in a larger image.

An image larger than 512² can be saved as a pattern in SaveAs <newpattern>.pat will save properly in the larger size.

Anyway the script is pretty nice. Depending on what you are making seamless.

Yeah; that one's a bummer O; wish you could override this limitation. Anyway, I know I got the link at the registry, but couldn't find it for whatever reason. Below's a link to Rob's Script-fus though.

http://silent9.com/incoming/scripts/

Thanks for that link!!!! I'm always on the lookout for new scripts and it looks like there are some very interesting ones in there.