My Twitter Background GIMP Tutorial
Okay, you will need GIMP (I have 2.4.5), older versions you may need to get Script Fu, many of the fancier things I found under Filters were uner there previously. The directions that follow are as my version does them. I do assume you know how to reorder layers.
Insert a random blank layer. This keeps the limits on the background layer from coming into play.
Go to Filters > Render > Clouds > Plasma. I didn't adjust any settings.
You will wind up with this:
Now you duplicate the layer (under Layer) and set the copy to colorize (under Colors)and the color you want. I will use part of the image for the example. Yours should resemble the center of the following image. Then put the colorized layer below the rainbow layer and set the rainbow layer to multiply (under the Layers Dialog where you just reordered it). Now yours should resemble the right section.
Now you need to Image > Merge Visible Layers. You can now use the rectangular select tool to select a segment of the image. You then go to Select > Distort. Once it does its thing you go back to the Color menu and up the lightness and possibly the saturation of the selection under Hue & Saturation. DO NOT deselect or in any other way mess with the selection at this point. It should now look like this.
Now go to Filters > Light & Shadow > Drop Shadow and add a drop shadow making sure to uncheck "Allow Resizing." I tend to lower the opacity of the shadow. Now you can deselect.
This step tends to be more involved, because the Flame render randomizes so you have to play with it a bit. Create a new layer.
Go to Filters > Render > Nature > Flame
Click Edit if you dislike the random swirly in the preview and hit random or click one of the 9 boxes until you like it. Click the drop-down next to color map and set to your layer that has the torn page look. Go to camera and adjust the zoom to the right size for you and click OK.
Now go to Color > Hue & Saturation and adjust until it shows up. A analogous color is good (like yellow with orange and red or purple with blue and green).
You can now move the layer to where you want the flame. I duplicated the flame and Layer>Transform>180 degrees to have one in the upper right and one in the lower left. Because of the scale on this example the lower left one is smaller here.
This won't show up too clearly this small, but the next step is to add a drp shadow, just like you did before but this time you don't need to select anything. Add one to each flame layer. Select these new Drop Shadow Layers and se them to Burn, and if needed adjust the opacity to make the ligther color stand out.
Now select the flame layer again and go to Filters > Map> Bump Map and adjust the sliders, making the depth deeper and then adjusting the ambient until it is a little darker than the color it was. Next select the other flame layer and go to Filter > Repeat Bump Map
I actually did the text before the flower on the twitter version, but I assume you all know how to add text. I merely added a bump map to it.
Find or make source image that has a transparent background. If the image is color, make sure to Color>Desaturate it before pasting it in.
Copy-Paste it into your working file. Next do Layer>New Layer to give it soemthign to attach to. Use the scale tool to shrink it to fit within the light area. Move it into position.
Set the layer mode to Overlay (Value also works, but if use overlay if you want to tint the logo).
To tint the logo, use Color>Colorize and adjust to your desired color. To make it sepia like on my twitter version, make sure not to saturate it too much.
You can adjust the layer transparency a little if you want. I like to put this layer directly above the background.
There you have it, your final masterpiece!
The sparklies below my watermark are from the standard issue GIMP brush "Sparks"
©2009 Agnieszka Jedynak