Today I want to talk a little about making patterns in GIMP. I'm no expert, and there could be a better way to do this, but this works perfectly for me. If you're no expert, and you'd like a simple way to replace the boring free patterns GIMP comes with, this tutorial is for you.
Begin by opening GIMP, and selecting the 'bucket fill tool', and the pattern fill.
Then open the pattern selection dialog box.
This box will open up, and then you will select the file looking button on the bottom right.
Once the image is open in it's own window, increase the px to 800%, which can be found on the bottom bar. Next, select the eraser tool, and run it over the entire square.
Then go to View and check the 'Show Grid' box. Next, change the canvas size, found under image.
Lock the width and height, and make sure to resize all layers, then change the pixels to 40 x 40.
Now use the circle tool to make circles in each square of the grid. Pick whatever color you'd like to fill them! This is my current favorite color. Make sure to fill the circle before making your next one, or your previous circle will disappear. Once each square has a filled circle save your new pattern. That's all! Simple as pie.
Let's test it out. Looks great!
This is the pattern filled at 50% opacity. Playing with the opacity can create a softer look.
I love playing with mixing and blending my homemade GIMP patterns. This is my pink polka dot pattern over the previous image I created.
Then I turned both layers back on, and played with the opacity of the top layer until I got the look I was looking for. I'd use this background for a photo collage or maybe just some simple text for a header. Like my Saturday Blogger Love, Fun Friday Fascinations, and Nom Nom Monday banners I made recently.
Hope ya'll enjoyed, happy DIYing, chris.
