Gimpdome

Melt Me!

Hello, fellow GIMPers!  In this lesson, I'm going to show you how to make any image appear like it's melting along a piece of glass, like
so:



Although I recommend you try out the tutorial to learn some new tricks, if you would rather download my script which will do the same thing with just a few mouse clicks, go here: Fencepost's Melt Me Animation Script-Fu

The steps to create this are very easy and go by pretty quickly.  In fact, you'll be able to create this animation in just a couple of minutes!  Although simple, I hope you'll be able to add a few tools to your GIMP arsenal.

Before you start this tutorial, you'll need to have GAP (the GIMP Animation Package) installed on your machine.  We're not going to use GAP in the fashion many of you may be accustomed to; however, GAP does add a very important filter which will be of big use in this tutorial, as well as your other graphics creations.  This filter is called the Filter All Layers filter.  You'll see how important it is in just a minute.  If you need to download GAP, Windows users can get it here: http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html and Linux users can get it here: http://gimp.org/downloads/.  Sorry Mac users, there is no GAP for you.    Windows users can just unzip the file and double-click the executable file to install.  Linux users.....well, you'll know what to do.  I haven't a clue.

Also, please download the following script Animation Settings by saulgoode.  The script is nothing more than a text file.  If you're using firefox, go to File Menu > Save Page As and then add a '.scm' extension to the end of the file name and save it to your GIMP/Scripts folder.  If you're using Internet Explorer, go to File Menu > Save As and make sure under the "Save As Type" box, you choose Text File.  Then add a '.scm' extension to the end of the file and save it to your GIMP/Scripts folder.

Next, start GIMP or, if GIMP was already open, go to the main GIMP window Xtns Menu > Script-FU> Refresh Scripts and, if you followed the instructions above, the script will be found here:

Filters Menu > Animation > Settings...

If it's not there, try installing the script again, as it will make your life a whole lot easier in the end.

Please note: some of the images may appear to be poor quality.  This is due to automatic resizing on the dome.  If the images don't look correct, try right-clicking on the desired image and choose View Image from the menu for a full-size, full-quality view.

Step 1:

Open your image (size doesn't matter; however, keep in mind, larger images tend to make large file sizes when animated.)  I'll be using the logo for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team for this exercise.  They are a big rival to my Tampa Bay Lightning and I'd really like to see the Flyers (or Cryers as we like to refer to them) melt! 



Step 2:

Duplicate this layer as many times as you want.  To duplicate the layer, click this button at the bottom of the layer window: 
I decided I wanted my animation to have 50 layers in it, so I duplicated the original image 49 times.  Yeah, it's a lot of clicking, but you'll
be fine.

Step 3:

While keeping your original image open, start a new GIMP image - Ctrl +N (Not a new layer) in GIMP with the same dimensions as the
image you will melt.  Color does not matter as we'll change this in a minute.

Step 4:

On the new image, grab your sparks paint brush: and paint the entire image until it looks like so:



Step 5:

Keeping the sparks layer open, go back to your original image and highlight your bottom layer in the stack:



Step 6:

Go to the Filters Menu > Filter All Layers....

When the first window opens, type "displace" in the empty space as shown in the imag below and then click the "Search by Name"
button. (Right click on the Image and choose View Image for a full size shot.)



The window will open again and this time should show list the displace filter in the top left (if you have more than one displace plugin
showing up, please click on the one listed as shown).  Next, click the "Apply Varying" button. (Right click on the Image and choose View Image for a full size shot.)



What we're doing is telling GIMP to use the displace filter on every layer in the stack and we're going to use different settings each time. 
GIMP will ask us for a beginning number and then an ending number and it will calculate the rest and apply the filter automatically!  How
'bout them apples?!

Step 7:

When the displace window opens up, don't use the X value.  That will shift pixels left to right.  All we want to do is move up and down.
Make sure you use the sparks layer as the displacement layer (you did keep the sparks layer open, didn't you?).  Your Y value will most
likely be different than mine.  I suggest you use the maximum positive Y value that GIMP will allow.  Also, make sure your On Edges value is set to black.  Click OK.



Step 8:

Click Continue when the the following windows opens up:



Step 9:

When the displace window opens up a second time, change the Y value to the maximum negative Y value that GIMP will allow.  In my case it's -210.  Again, make sure your On Edges value is set to black.  Click OK.



Step 10

Click Continue when the following window displays:



Now, let GIMP do it's thing!

Step 10:

Remember the script we installed at the beginning?  We'll use it now.

Go to Filters Menu > Animation > Settings....

I'm using the following settings.  If you want your animation to be faster, use a smaller number.



Step 11:

Test your animation.  Filters Menu > Animation > Playback

Do you like what you see?  Do you want a pause at the beginning? In the middle? Both?  How 'bout do you want it to be totally
transparent when it starts and then when it ends?

If you said 'Yes' to any of the following here's what you can do. 

If you want want the image to start out and end totally transparent, add a transparent layer to the bottom of the stack.  Then, double-click the layer name, type in parenthesis, the number of ms you want that frame to appear (the larger the number the longer the pause.  100 ms = 1/10 sec., 1000 ms = 1 sec., 2000 ms = 2 sec., etc. Then, type in parenthesis, 'replace'  Use the layers above it as a guide for the way it should be typed out.

If you want a pause in the middle, find the layer that looks the closest to the original unmelted version.  Double-click the layer name and
increase the number of ms seconds as described above.

Retest your animation and make any needed changes until you're happy.  Then, go to File Menu > Save As and give it a name with the
'.gif' extension on the end.

Update the windows as the open with the following settings and your melted image is complete!

I added a transparent layer with a 1.5 sec delay to the bottom, as well as a 1.5 sec. delay to a frame in the middle.  You can download my image and check out what I did, if you need some extra information.





Again, here's my result:



Well, how'd you do?  I hope you had fun and learned something in the process.  Make sure you show me your results!  Questions and comments are always welcome.   Happy GIMPing!

Art

Good luck with it.  Let me know if you have any difficulties.

No problem.  Glad you like it!

Fence...

Step 6, where is the filter all layers??

Wow. That's an A.W.E.S.O.M.E. tutorial Fence. I'll try it asap