Learn Image Manipulation & Create a Glassy Wallpaper on GIMP

Playing with GIMP is never boring, every time you do some experiment you come to know of some cool effect. The best part are the filters, which if applied properly, can produce jaw dropping effects. While experimenting with GIMP I came to know that how easily I could create a glassy text with gimp. Although I am not a image maker, or a GIMP expert, I am trying my best to describe this process. I have broken down this process in eight sections, each one describing how to make each image effect component. So let’s start.

Glass Text

1. Create a new 1280×1024 image (or your best monitor resolution) with a black background.
   
   
   

   Creating the Text layer
2. Select Text tool, select a big area and type in a text. I have used Bitwise font, downloaded from Internet.
3. Change the color of text to white {#ffffff}, text size to fit the selection and position to justify.
4. Then right click the text layer and select merge down. This will remove the text properties and make the text you wrote into just an image. After this you will not be able to alter the text.
5. Now apply the below filters with appropriate parameters so that the effect looks the best for you and looks good in your display. I have provided the parameters, which I have used, in curly brackets.
   
   • Filters -> distorts -> emboss {Azimuth=236, Elevation=144, Depth=90}
     
     
     

     Emboss layer (section)
     
     

     Emboss layer (full)
   • Filters -> Blur -> blur
   • Filters -> Edge Detect -> Neon {Radius=4.78, Amount=0.07}
     
     
     

     Neon (section)
     
     

     Neon (full)
   • Filters -> Enhance -> Sharpern {Sharpness=50}
   • Filters -> Artistic -> Softglow {Glow Radius=50, Brightness=0.85, Sharpness=0.90}
     
     
     

     Softglow (full)
   • Select the text portion then Layer -> crop to selection
   • Color -> Colorify To Alpha -> From:{#000000}
     
     
     

     Colorify To Alpha (section)
     
     

     Colorify To Alpha (full)

Layers

The first step will emboss the text, next we blur the text, this is needed for the next step. When Neon edge detecting the sharp color transitions will get white, in this case the edges would get white. edges of the text will remain. If this layer was not blurred then the neon edge detection would result in jagged edged, and bad looking fonts instead of smooth edges. The Azimuth will control the white lining of the texts when applying Neon edge detection. Here you can do some research to get the white text outline as per your need. Then the layer is sharpened to compensate the blur. The softglow is applied to make a glowing effect of the text, so not apply too much of it, even it will look good when working, at some later time too much soft glow looks very bad. Then we select the text and crop only the text area. Note carefully when embossing, the values are very important which actually set how the text will look. Then apply the colorify to alpha and make the black background to alpha. And that’s it you get the basic glass text.
Name this layer “glass_text”.
Click “New Layer” button in the layer window and floodfill it to black {#000000} , send the new layer to bottom and rename it to “background” , so that we have the glass texts glowing out of the dark.

Glass Text Reflection

1. Select “glass_text” layer, click the layer duplicate button on the Layer Window, and send this layer just below the “glass_text”. Name this duplicated layer “glass_text_reflection”.
2. Select Flip Tool from tool box, select Flip Type to “Vertical” from the tool configuration.
   
   
   

   Filpped Layer (section)
   
   

   Flipped Layer (full)
3. While the “glass_text_reflection” is selected click on that layer, to flip it vertically.
4. Select Move Tool, and while Shift is pressed drag the flipped layer below the original text
5. Drag down a guide to make a reflection plane reference and place both the “glass_text” and “glass_text_reflection” equally separated from the guide. Use the arrow keys for fine movements of the layers.
6. With the Rectangle Selection tool select an area, such that 40 to 50 percent of the lower part of the “glass_text_reflection” layer is inside the selection.
   
   
   

   Rectangle Select Layer (full)
7. Now feather the selection with a good high value of about 200 to 250 pixels. Select -> Feather {200px}
8. Press Delete button once to feather delete the section, you can try hitting the Delete button twice and see how the effect looks and keep it if you like. Now the reflection will fade outward.
   
   
   

   After Deleting the Feathered Selection
   
   

   Layers

Glass Sparkle

Here we will make the text sparkle in 2 or 3 places of the text. We will draw the sparkles in the brightest edges of the text. We will make a small (1pixel) spot on a transparency so that it is on the glass text font, and then make the spots sparkle.

1. Create a new Transparency layer, and name it “glass_sparkle”, and bring it at the top.
2. Select the Pencil Tool.
3. Select the smallest brush {Circle (01)}
4. Select the foreground color to White {#ffffff}
5. Select the “glass_sparkle” layer and click on the points only once where you want the text to sparkle.
6. Click only a few edges of the text where you want it to sparkle (2 or 3).
7. Toggle the visibility of the “glass_text” layer to see actually where you have created the white spots.
   
   
   

   Pencil Spot (section)
8. Select The dots individually with the Rectangle Selection tool, and apply Sparkle filter as below to each of the dots individually. For each dot slightly change the parameters so that the three dots create different looking sparkles.
   
   
   

   Making Spots Sparkling Individually (full)

My initial setting for First Dot:
Filters -> Light And Shadow -> Sparkle {Luminosity Threshold=0.001, Flare Intensity=0.50, Spike Length=20, Spike Points=4, Spike Angle=15, Spike Density=1.0, Transperency=0.0, Random Hue=0.0, Random Saturation=0.0, Select Natural Color, Uncheck all check boxes}
Changes for Second Dot:

• Spike Angle changed to: -1 (Random)
• Spike Length changed to: 45

Changes for Third Dot:

• Spike Angle changed to: -1 (Random)
• Spike Length changed to: 68
• Spike Points changed to : 2
  
  
  

  After Sparkle (full)
  
  

  The Effect
  
  

  Layers

This is a matter of personal taste, so you should keep on researching and make trial and error and see which parameters come with the best. After this, select a rectangular portion of the “glass_sparkle” layer include all the sparkles and crop the layer to the selection. this will keep the sparkle layer compact by only keeping the needed area. Make the “glass_test” layer visible from the Layer window. Put the “glass_sparkle” Layer just below the “glass_text” layer.

Sparkle Reflection

We could have applied the sparkle to the text and then created the reflection of the text along with the sparkles but this reflection is done separately so that it can be removed or modified at any time, and manually adjusted. We will do this just like as the text reflection.

1. Select the “glass_sparkle” layer, and duplicate the layer from the Layer Window, and name the duplicated layer “glass_sparkle_reflection”, and make sure that it is below both the “glass_text” layers.
2. Select the Flip Tool select to flip vertically and then click on the “glass_sparkle_reflection” layer.
3. Now move the flipped layer on the reflected text on the proper positions where the sparkles would appear when reflected. This could be easily done if you add guides to the bottom and left side of the “glass_sparkle” layer and then use them for reference for the “glass_sparkle_reflection” layer. At last remove the guides.
   
   
   

   Flipped Sparkle
   
   

   Layers

Reflection Plane

There is no reference plane line on which the glass text stands on. You only can imagine it, we will now create that plain which will make this picture more complete. The reflection plane will be just between the “glass_text” and “glass_text_reflection” layers. Now add a horizontal guide just between these two layers and create the plain. Create a new transparency layer from the layer window, and name it “reflection_plain”. Place the layer above the “*_reflection” layers. Select this layer and do the following -

1. Select a large rectangle from just below LFY text in the “glass_text” layer. This should be big enough so that it goes out of the image borders.
   
   
   

   Select Large Rectangle
2. Now feather the selection by 20 pixels. Select -> Feather { Feather=20px}
3. Select the foreground color as white {#ffffff}.
4. Select the Blend Tool , and set {Gradient=FG to Transparent, Offset=0.0, Shape=Linear, Repeat=None}
   
   
   

   FG to Transparent Gradient Dragging
   
5. To make the blend the gradient click just a bit below the top selection line (the top line of the rectangular selection) keep the mouse button pressed, press Ctrl so that the dragging be straight and then drag the mouse down to about half a way of the rectangular selection and release the mouse and Ctrl buttons.
6. Now set the transparency of this layer so that it looks okay (check “Setting Transparency”).

The length of the FG to transparent blend depends upon look and choice. A very short length leaves the bottom half of the screen dark.

Layers

Setting Transparency

Now for some transparency settings to be done to make the picture better. Set the Opacity levels in the Layer window to each layer as shown below.

• glass_text -> 90%
• glass_text_reflection -> 70%
• glass_text_sparkle -> 50%
• glass_text_sparkle_reflection -> 15%
• reflection_plain -> 45%

The sparkle and its reflection’s transparency needs to be adjusted upon taste. Also looks different in different displays and same display different settings. It’s good to keep it mild. Also the major layer is the “reflection_plain” do not set it too bright or it would look bad, its better to keep all light.

After Opacity Adjustments (without “reflection_plain” layer)

After Opacity Adjustments (with “reflection_plain” layer)

Some Effects

Now when the text logo is complete we can add some other effects. I have some ideas about these.

1. Use the “Tube Red” Gradient make the blend mode to radial and blend in a separate layer. and then feather delete needed partition to only keep a halo. Then you can use Color -> Colorify to color it. (I used #006cff for halo).
2. For the green halo of the “i”, select the “Flare Radial 102” Gradient , make a new transparent layer and then make a glow spot on the i. Then colorify it to any color (i used #33ff33).
3. And make reflections of both of them, as done with the “glass_text” and “glass_text_sparkle” layers. There is another good idea to color only one letter to stick it out of the others etc.

Finally, we have finished the picture. My friends complain that this is black and white and they want more colors, but this is the way I like these types of logos with all black and white with a touch of color. There are a lot more to add in this logo like a spot light and shadows, which can be easily done by selecting feathered ellipses and flood filling with white or black. The thing to be noted is that the font selection is very important not all fonts make the same smooth edges. I have used Bitwise font for the text.
Here are a few wallpapers that I have created, using similar styles.

Basic Picture

Effect One

Effect Two

Wallpaper created for my friend's CounterStrike Clan

A Wallpaper for my desktop