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| GIMP Coffee Cup Tutorial | |
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Notes: In this tutorial, I will assume you have a basic to advanced knowledge of most of the tools, filters, and options in the GIMP. If you don't, I strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with them by surfing for help websites (such as the GUG and GimpTalk) or just plain experimenting. Also, by the time this tutorial is finished, you will end up with about 25 layers (estimated), so you may or may not chose to merge them between steps (just make sure not to merge the saucer with the cup! -_^), depending on your habits and preferences. I would personally advise not merging them if you can deal with the clutter. Not all of these steps are necessarily needed to make a coffee cup, but they are the ones that gave me the most realistic effects. However, this does create a rather long tutorial for you to read. Therefore, for the sake of you being able to do a CTRL+F and search, the steps go in order of and are titled as: Basic Shape, Edge Shadows, Cup Side Shadows, Saucer Inner Shadow 1, Saucer Inner Shadow 2, Cup Drop Shadow, Cup Handle, Decorative Saucer Ring, Decorative Cup Ring, Back Rim (and Shadows), and Steam. If you have any questions about this tutorial (and you do know how to use the basic features of the GIMP), e-mail me at smart_chick2008NOSPAM@yahoo.com (remove NOSPAM, of course). |
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Step 1: Basic Shape Create a new image a little larger than the coffee cup you wish to make (so there will be room for steam and the saucer and such). Create two transparent layers and name them Saucer and Cup respectively. With the Saucer layer selected, use the elliptical region selection tool to get a good oval toward the bottom of the image. Fill it with white (or whatever color you want to use). Deselect all. Select the Cup layer. Get the paths tool. Make sure it is set to "Design". You will make four points. The bottom two are straight across from each other. The top two are also straight across from each other, but they are farther out than the others. Set it to "Edit", and make the sides curve out and the top and bottom curve down a little. Click "Create selection from path". Fill it with white. Deselect all. Use the paintbrush and erase tools to fix any sharp corners that need to be rounded. |
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Step 2: Edge Shadows Now you will create a slight shadow around the edges so that it can stand out from a light background. Create two new layers, and call them Saucer Edge Shadow and Cup Edge Shadow. Place them just above each their respective partners. Alpha to selection on the cup. Toggle on the quick mask. Gaussian blur about 4 px. Turn off quick mask. Invert the selection. Fill with black. Alpha to selection on the cup layer again. Invert selection. Make sure you're still on the Cup Edge Shadow layer, and cut. Set the opacity to about 15 or 20. Repeat all with Saucer Edge Shadow layer. |
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Step 3: Cup Side Shadows Create a new layer named Cup Side Shadow, and place it above all others. Select the paintbrush tool and black as your color. Pick a side right now where all of your shadows will be the darkest. Mine will be the right, so switch everything I say to fit you if you do the left instead. Paint almost half of that side on the cup (while staying on your new layer, of course). Make sure you paint a ways outside the line. Guassian blur of about 55. Change this amount if can't see the right edge ever so slightly through the black. Alpha to selection on the cup. Invert. Cut. Lower the opacity to about 30. Now for the second shadow. Create a new layer named Cup Side Shadow 2. Alpha to selection on the cup. Invert. Script-Fu > Shadow > Drop-Shadow. Offset X: -6, Offset Y: -4, Blur radius: 15, Color: 000000 (black), Opacity: 10, don't allow resizing. Merge down to your new layer. |
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Step 4: Saucer Inner Shadow 1 Create a new layer named Saucer Inner Shadow, and put it just above the Saucer layer. Alpha to selection on the saucer. Select > Shrink by 15. Toggle on quick mask. Guassian blur 25. Toggle off. Invert selection. Fill with black. Alpha to selection on the Saucer layer. Shrink 15. Invert selection. Cut. Erase any pointy edges on the sides. Guassian blur 2. Lower the opacity to 12. Add layer mask. Get the gradient tool, and set it to defaults. On the layer mask make a gradient go from just off the edge where the light is coming from to the edge where there is the most shadow. |
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