How to Make a Starfield in GIMP
Make a starfield in GIMP, the free image manipulation program, by enlarging and refining the imagery created by the program's "Noise" filter. Filters are algorithms that realistically simulate natural phenomena like lens blurs and starfields. After making a starfield, use the "Sphere" filter to create real-looking planets with a starfield backdrop.
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Instructions
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1
Click the "File" menu's "New" command, then click "OK" to accept the default parameters for a new canvas for your starfield.
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2
Click the "Filter" menu's "Noise" submenu, then click the "RGB noise" command, which lets you add random, multicolored speckles to the canvas. These speckles represent the planets and stars of a starfield. Click "OK" to accept the default parameters for this filter and create the noise.
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3
Click the tool palette icon, which is shaped like an expanding rectangle, to run the "Scale" tool, which lets you increase or decrease the size of image regions. Drag on the canvas until the noise from Step 2 expands to fill the canvas, then press "Enter" to complete the resizing operation. The individual speckles from the "Noise" filter are now much larger, making them easier to see.
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4
Click the "Layer" menu's "Color to alpha" command, which converts a color you choose from your image to transparency. Click "OK" to apply the command. This step enables the blackness of empty space to appear through your starfield.
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5
Click the "Background" item of the "Layers" menu to select the background, then click the "Edit" menu's "Fill with foreground color" to fill the background with black. This action creates the empty deep space mentioned in the previous step.
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Click the top item in the "Layers" palette to select your starfield, then click the "Filter" menu's "Unsharp" command, which makes faint and blurred images sharper. Drag the "Amount" slider of the dialog box that appears until the image in the "Preview" window clearly shows your starfield. Click "OK" to complete the sharpening operation and your starfield.
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References
- GIMP: Online Documentation; 2009
- "Design Basics"; David Lauer; 2007
