Making Signatures and Banners on GIMP

Okies, well this guide here, written by Misakii, should teach you how to make a basic banner on GIMP. ^_^ I admit, I'm not the best at making graphics, and probably will never be, but this easy to understand guide will teach you how to make a simple banner. Feel free to change some bits if you like~ =)

What you need

• + The computer program called GIMP
• + A Pokemon render/png/image
• + Other stuff (fonts, brushes, etc) --optional

Tutorial starts here!~

1. Okay, firstly, you need to have a Pokemon render or image in mind. You can use the official artwork, (which you can get here), or, you could try searching Photobucket, Google Images, or Tinypic for suitable images. In this tutorial, I'm going to be using this Buizel render.

2. Now, open up GIMP. Go File --> New, and set the size to 800px by 200px. Then click the "OK" button. You should get a blank 800x200px sized canvas.

3. It's time to add effects now!~ We'll start with a gradient. Select the gradient tool, and then choose a gradient from the huge list. Once you've taken your pick, hold down the left mouse button, and swipe your mouse pointer across the canvas.

4. After adding the gradient, we'll add some filters and effects. Go up to the "Filters" tab near the top of the GIMP Window. Go down to "Artistic", and choose "Cubism". Adjust the levels of cubism until you're happy with the result. Remember, you can always undo your last mistake by going to the "Edit" tab, and choosing "Undo". Also, you don't always have to "cubism" your banner. Try various effects under the Filters tab, and find out what works best for you~

5. Now, your banner is nearly finished!~ But it is kind of looking a bit plain, so why don't we add some light to it? Go to the Filters tab, then "Light and Shadow", and then select "Supernova". Fiddle with the new popup window's bars and stuff (like adjusting the color of the Supernova) and wait for the preview to show up. When you're happy wiht it, go ahead and click OK. Remember to drag the supernova on the preview to the place you want before clicking OK. ^^ your banner should look something like this:

6. Okies, now it's time to finally add in the Pokemon image/render that you chose!~ copy and paste it onto GIMP, (right-click --> Edit --> paste) and then use the very first dotted box tool on the top left corner of the Toolbox. After clicking on the dotted box tool, drag the image around until it is exactly where you wanted it. If your image has a whitish background, right-click on it (on GIMP) go to "Layers" and then go to "Color to Alpha". Then a popup window should appear. Just click the "OK" button. Okay, you're all set!~ You've got yourself a banner!~

7. Now time for addding text. Select the big "A" (text) tool from the Toolbox. You can adjust the font size and font you'd like to use. In this example, I use "Bleeding Cowboys". You can download it at Dafont.com.

8. Okay, you're basically finished now~ You can add some last-minute touches if you want~ I used a "spark" brush on my Buizel banner. =D

Conclusion:

I hoped you learnt something from this tutorial. ^_~ If you need any help with anything in this tutorial, please don't hesitate to contact me at wishjiirachii@gmail.com

--Wishjirachi-

Shoutbox

Credits go to Umbreon's Palace for the Shoutbox smilies.

Home/Index

Pokemon

Designs

Graphics

Requests

Tutorials

Other

Kasumi is owned and copyrighted by Misakii, aka Wishjirachi. No content, graphics, or designs shall be redistributed anywhere on the internet. Design/CSS by Miko Reznor.