So basically, I didn’t have the money to go out and buy Photoshop, so Greg (an admin on OMF)showed me a link to download GIMPshop(not GIMP, but GIMPshop). After going to that link I was able to download it onto both of my computers, even my older one which tends to be a bitch about downloading anything in general. Anyways, after downloading it I messed around a little on GIMPshop, trying out several of its tools and whatnot. I finally gathered up the courage to try making “art” with it, so I grabbed an image from Nakenashi Wisdom to work on. Its only one image, but it’s Galatea after the 7 year time skip.

This is the original image I found on Nakenashi Wisdom.



And this is what I did with it.



Basically what I did was, I used the magic wand to erase the white background, making it all transparent so a new background would be visible. After I used the magic wand to erase everything that wasn’t needed, I made a second layer that I put behind the render (Galatea) so it could serve as the background. I messed around with the fractal explorer until I found an image I figured would work well as a background. I put it up in there, and duplicated the layer and flipped it, setting the opacity for both those background layers at 50%. I then went back to Galatea and smoothed out the jagged edges around her and her sword. After that I smoothed the rest of the render so it would all look OK to me. Afterwards I messed with the lighting effects a bit so I had a colour that resembled a sunset, and adjusted the rays and the light intensity, making it appear as if it were the sun shining down on Galatea. I moved the light over to the top left corner (it was originally at the center of the image), and did a little more adjusting so the light was more directed at her than what it was (the light was directed just above her head >_<). I flattened the layers together afterwards so I had just one image, rather than a bunch of layers.

I still consider myself a newbie at this, so if anyone has any comments or advice they want to share I’ll be happy to hear it :D

Another thing I did on GIMPshop.



I put in the "Wind" effect to try and give the image a little motion, but I'm not sure how well it turned out :huh: Once again I used 2 layers for the background, and adjusted the opacity on them so they seemed to mix together.

The first one is great, the second one's background is far too grainy.

I would try something more dynamic than a sand looking thing

Second version.

Much better, You may want to try using more than one color/ swirling

Yeah...lol, the fractal explorer option was harassing me with how the swirl would go, and I just made a layer that was around 1000x700, so I could rotate the layer to make it go with the way she seemed to be moving.

BTW should I be using the Wind effect or no? I'll get up the original image soon, but Wind is just a distortion effect that make the image look like it's moving a little. The first time I used it I don't think it turned out so well :huh:

Hmmm, its kinda bland, hence the suggestion of the swirl. Meh, I'm not an expert, ask useless

I like the Galatea one, the Miria one-not so much.

Miria looks great and stuff, but I just don't like it for some reason. Too metallic?

I really wish I still had GIMP, I was such a newbie on it and got confused with everything. D:

Yeah...I'm not a big fan on the Miria ones either >_< I think the Galatea one was the best work I did so far.

GIMPshop...it's sort of a mix between GIMP and Photoshop, if that's any help. It can be downloaded for free in a couple sites, some will try and make you buy it. But for a handy system, it didn't take a lot of memory (like only 7.5 MB)

That sounds good, I had GIMP but the layering was rather bad.

I could never figured out for example how to get rid of the previous backround (like the Galatea picture you found on the web) and then when I finally got rid of it (after erasing it away) the new backround I made would always contrast with the picture. No matter what I did, the picture would never appear on top of the new backround.

Well this is where I downloaded it from...http://www.photo-freeware.net/gimpshop.php

I just hated how the whole system GIMP had was so complicated; like you said the layering made no sense, the tools were overly complicated, everything in general was a flat out splitting headache. GIMPshop has a PS format so it's like you're using Photoshop instead. Much easier to work with, IMO.

That sounds excellent, I'm going to download it. :)
Just wondering, is it a thirty day trial?

edit: There is some sort of error that happens, and I can never open one of my files or make a new file... /wah

Nope, once you download it it's yours to keep, for free and without a trail :)

Unable to make a new file/open a file? Hmm, odd... :/

The only thing I can think of is the computer you may have. Is it an Apple or a Windows?

Before I can actually do anything I have to click on the gimpshop_2.2 setup thingy, at that usually installs GIMPshop onto my computer, after accepting everything. Then if I click on the new GIMPshop shortcut that takes me there...

Or, have you tried saving an image onto a folder that has pics and such, and tried opening that folder, and then the pic you want to use?

Ah, another final thing. Are any of the pics you're trying to open in .png, .gif or .jpg format? Like they have .png, .gif or .jpg at the end of them?

And one last thing...I want to make an image using the below render...but I'm sorta stuck on how to go about it. Like the background, and what special effects I'd use, like Wind, blurring or gradient mapping, etc. Don't actually make an image for me, I just want to hear some suggestions.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/S...tz-render-1.png

Freaking huge image...

Well before that, I want to tell you what I at first had in mind. Obviously I'd get rid of that red dot, and then I'd scale down the image a little so it isn't so big. I was thinking of using a red-orange background that looked like a strong wind behind him, as I'm still trying to figure out how to make it look like it's in front of him as well, for now I'm kinda restricted to having it behind him. I think there was more but I can't remember >.<

Any suggestions?

Try making a semi-transparent layer on top of him, that would be in a different direction than the one behind him

First picture good, second uncoolbackground, third the same thing.

Latest work.

In case anyone is wondering, no I did not take this long to make it. In fact I just made this today in about 15 minutes :D I was just taking a break.

OK...no comments on the Gantz LP so...>_>

More works of mine!

I was asked by Pansori (an OM member) to make an image for Nishi, another Gantz character. This is what I came up with, but it didn't go too well. >_>



This is a sig I made recently. Feels a tad empty to me >.<



And this is the same sig, with my name on it.


A .hack Sig I made. Used a few c4ds to make it...



A Metroid sig, though it feels kinda plain to me...



And though this isn't my work, I hope I can render it someday so I can make a sig out of it.



Comments or crits?

I like the signature that has your nick on it, its real cool for a banner. Color wise and effect wise. :) Its a pity the protagonist in the banner isn't Walter or you would have created your very own EG Walter signature! /nope

For the Metroid signature, I can't really read the words "Silent Buddhist" due to the color contrast. Took me a while to notice the words, maybe a different shade or word color will make it clearer?

For your sigs... you gotta be conscious of your color combinations. I can barely see your name in your .hack and metroid ones.

Yeah, that's another thing I disliked about the Metroid Sig, was the text >.< It was plain overall and was hard to see. Same with Kite (in .hack), the text didn't go too well.

Hmm, a Walter siggy...that'd be cool, though I need to render it first before I can turn it into a sig. I forgot how to render though, and that's partially why Nishi went bad >.<

Basch(the guy in my sig with my name on it) is my personal favorite. The text looks good and it fills in that empty space just right, IMO.

Too bad all the borders I've done feel kinda lame...

So that's what your doing instead of posting..your excused :D

LOL. XD

New LPs and redid some of the sigs...

Large Piece for Basch.


And I squeezed it down to an avatar...


Large Piece for .hack...


Downsized to an avatar XD


Redid the sig. Any thoughts?


And then a Metroid Large Piece. Still redoing a sig though.


This is all I have for now. Plan to get up more art though :D

Your border overwhelms the rest of the sig. I'm not quite sure if overwhelm is the right word but... its the border. The rest of it is okay.

Yeah...somehow I finally saw at the very end that the border was too large. lol, lazy me not wanting to go back and change it :P

I think what you mean is, rather than the stock(image in the sig, like the character, etc.) being the main focus, it's the border?

Are the rest of the borders I've made like that as well?

Yes they are. ^_^

I thought so. >.<

Eh...I'll work it out...I know there's a border tut somewhere, I just need to find it >.<

Your sigs/photomanips have certainly improved, good job on that - but you need to work a little more on composition =P

Latest sigs!





Now I love the first to death but...what are people's comments and crits on the sigs?

It's wonderful! It's positively beautiful!!

Thanks Blue :)

Another one...



Didn't turn out as good but how is it? Oh, and still waiting for other comments/crits on the other two sigs :D

Clare one is great! You just added that one?

The last one looks cool but that guy looks kinda creepy. I like his background though.

I've had the Clare sig up for awhile lol. Like not long after I added Miria to the gallery...

The latest one is Light Yagami from Death Note. I wasn't too fond of the background because I felt one of the brushes I had was overused, but in the end it came out alright. I just like the Miria and Clare sigs a bit more XD

And others...







I liked the first one, but Saber and Ed feel meh to me...especially Ed. >.>

I agree the first one is good, and I like the second one, but not ed. I don't know what I don't like about it, just that I don't really like it.

The others look great though! Keep up the good work man!

If you did a signiature with Tohsaka Rin, I would luv you - I could even get you a material to work on - I have 6894 pictures of FSN, mostly Rin related.

That would be fine--doing some sig requests will make me feel more confident in my sig making. xD Just send me an image and I'll see what I can do.

What really screwed Ed over was that I was messing around with the sharpness and blur waayyy too much. In the end it killed the entire sig.

Oh, and another new sig :P

This one is actually from the game, so the only "Original"

LOL, it's done. How does it look to you? I can always redo it, IMO I think I could have done better but by the time I realized that it was already to late into the "project" :P



And another sig I made.