How to: Photoshop Filters in The GIMP

It is possible to get Photoshop filters up and running in The GIMP. It just requires a little legwork to set up. This has been tested to work on The GIMP 2.6.7, which is the latest release at the time of this post. I can’t comment or advise on any earlier version, but the good news is GIMP is freeeeeee, so upgrading won’t hurt your wallet.

Getting Photoshop filters to work requires two things.
The first is grabbing a GIMP plug-in that reads PS plug-ins.
The second is installing the PS plug-in with the GIMP plug-in.

Confused yet? Don’t worry. I’ll explain it more thoroughly, and include a heap of screenshots after the snip…

RGB Theta- Photoshop plug-in for SL “Fake Bake”

Somewhere deep down in the official forum archives you can find this absolute GEM of a filter for Photoshop. BUT- to save you the effort of finding that post (it’s not the easiest thing to find), I’m just going to post the jist of it here. The original thread for this dates back to December of 2006 O.o … WHY this wasn’t stickied I have no idea!

So… what the heck is “RGB Theta”, and what can you do with it? Short answer is- you can FAKE the BAKING process which you would normally need a 3D application for. It allows you to render a lighting effect based around the 3 dimensional avatar figure (or any normal map) WITHIN Photoshop.

All you need is Abu Nasu’s nifty lil plugin, and Chip’s Normal Maps and you are ready to start “baking”.

Sexy advert for where you can find the before and after bodysuits (male and female) if you want to run around looking like a spaceman. Image links to SLurl.

Read on after the cut for more information, as well as links to where you can find these goodies.

This is a Ramble!

So… I am still waiting on my laptop to be resurrected from the dead, and have been using a dinosaur of a desktop for the last 3 weeks. The downside is I’m not able to do *intense* work, hell, I am lucky to still be able to access SL at all BUT the upside is I’ve been delving in to *possibilities*. I’ve come across an awful lot of things that I might not have had time to browse if I had my head buried in PS or GIMP.

What follows from here is a list of utterly cool crap I’ve found over the last few weeks. Some you might find interesting, some might go over your head. Read on if you want to, or skip over this part. As I said in the title- this is a random ramble!

The GIMP vs. Photoshop

This could be seen as a narky entry on what works better, but I can assure you that’s not my reason for starting this post. I am both a PS and GIMP user, I spend an equal amount of time in both. As much as those of you passionate about your “weapon” of choice would like me to side with one or the other, that’s just never going to happen.

More after the cut if you’re interested.

Sweater Tutorial Using The GIMP

This is a follow on from the Denim Jeans Tutorial. It follows the same basic theory on bump mapping and displacement used in my previous entry. If you read this and find I am skipping a few steps, I suggest trying the denim tutorial as well.

As with before, the final outcome will be up for sale in Afton’s ONE dollarbie shop , with a link back to this blog.

Now… let’s get cracking!

Denim Jeans Tutorial using The GIMP

This is an adaptation of “Creating Denim in GIMP by *fence-post” from DeviantArt. I’ve changed it so it is relevant to texture creation in Second Life. But I encourage you to read or bookmark the original tutorial as well.

This is a pretty advanced tutorial… It’s not recommended for anyone new to The GIMP, or to clothing creation. However, if you understand the basics of GIMP and the templates, this could be *just* the thing you are searching for to really bring your creations to life. The principles can be applied to ALL you future creations and you will probably benefit greatly from learning some of this stuff.

The final creation will be up for sale for 1L in Afton’s “Dollarbie” shop at HSPL . Click the link to grab a pair now.

This is the poster to look out for.

Are you ready to get cracking? The tutorial starts immediately after the cut…

Better Photography- Part One “Capturing”

This one may be just the place to start the tips and tricks, because it give you a quick look into “better” photography for SL. Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, being able to take and even tweak a snapshot is an abosulte “must know”.

Part One looks at capturing images, and getting the most out of your settings. I’ll look at both in world capture methods, and touch lightly on how to use external programs for screen captures. I’ll also go in to some advanced menu options, to really make the most of your pics.

Get ready for some tips and tricks below the cut…

Welcome!

So here I am, full of hopes and ideas. Inspired constantly by the “pay it forward” notion, and ready to add my piece to virtual history.

The basics:

• I do not claim ownership over most of what I am going to post here. I am merely compiling link backs to things I have found useful and interesting for content creation in Second Life.

• I am a forum junkie for resources, most of what I’ve found has been referred from there.

• I feed off creativity and drown in drama. Please keep gossiping out of this place… please.

• I will strive to provide information first and foremost, I will add my own view on how each piece might help, and offer advice as I see it.

There is a wealth of information on these topics, if you are willing to search them out. I am merely making a shortcut for anyone wishing to find them quicker!

So here goes… wish me luck!