How to Make Bullet Holes in Multiple Surfaces on Gimp

Use gray around a bullet hole on metal objects.

Using GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, you can add bullet holes to multiple surfaces of any image. Create a bullet hole in a separate file using a black circle in the center, and use the Paths Tool to draw splinters around the hole on a separate layer. You can then select the appropriate color for each surface for the splinters, as well as resize and change the perspective of each bullet hole depending on the orientation of the object and its distance from the camera.

Instructions

Making a Hole

1. Launch GIMP. Press “Ctrl" and "N” together to create a new document. Set the width and height at 100 pixels each and click “OK.

2. Click the “New Layer” button at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Type “Hole” in the Layer Name field. Leave the Layer Fill Type at its default Transparency setting. Click “OK.”

3. Click the “Ellipse Select Tool” in the Toolbox. Drag it across the canvas to make a circle in the center approximately 100 pixels in diameter. Click the center of the circle to drag it into the middle of the canvas, if needed.

4. Click the “Bucket Fill Tool” in the Toolbox. The default color is black. Click the tool in the circle to fill the circle with black.

Adding Splinters

1. Click the “New Layer” button in the Layers Panel. Type “Splinters” in the Name field. Select the “Paths Tool” in the Toobox, then click on a point inside the edge of the circle to create an anchor point.

2. Move the mouse outside the circle, then click and hold the mouse button to create a second anchor point. Before releasing the mouse button, drag it to the left or right by 10 to 20 pixels to create a slight curve in the line.

3. Move the mouse inside the circle again and click the mouse, creating a shape that looks like a flower petal.

4. Continue around the circle until you have eight to 10 petals of different shapes and sizes. You will color these empty petals later to make splinters in the surface that was struck by the bullet hole.

5. Click the “Background Layer” in the Layers Panel and drag it onto the “Trash” icon at the bottom of the Panel.

Bullet Holes in Multiple Surfaces

1. Click the “Background Layer” in the Layers Panel and drag it onto the “Trash” icon at the bottom of the Panel.

2. Click the “Splinters” layer and drag it below the Hole layer.

3. Click the “Hole” layer in the Layers Panel to highlight it. Click the “Layer” menu, then click “Merge Down.”

4. Save the bullet hole to be placed in any image by clicking “Save As” in the File menu. Type “Bullet Hole” in the Name field and select a folder to save it in. Click “Save.”

5. Click the “Foreground Color” icon in the Toolbox. Select a color for the splinters in the bullet hole. The color depends on the surface that was struck and the color of the material under the surface, such as a light brown for wood or gray for steel. Select the “Bucket Fill Tool” and click it inside one of the splinters to fill them with color.

6. Press “Ctrl" and "A” to select the bullet hole, then “Ctrl" and "C” to copy it.

7. Open any image by clicking the “Open” in the File menu. Paste the bullet hole in the image by pressing “Ctrl" and "V.” Use the “Move Tool” to move the bullet hole, the “Scale Tool” to resize it and the “Perspective Tool” to change its perspective on surfaces that are not square to the camera. Use the "Brush Tool" and the same color used for the splinters to add to the splinters so each bullet hole shape is distinct.

8. Go back to the Bullet Hole window. Press “Ctrl" and "Z” to remove the color from the splinters, then select a new color and refill them with the Bucket Fill Tool. Copy it again and paste it onto a new surface in the image.

References

• Enukee: Bullet Hole GIMP Tutorial
• GIMP: Drawing Shapes With the Path Tool