DIY: YouTube channel art, adding text

Continuing with the previous post about YouTube One Channel art, today we will be adding text.

After opening the GIMP file and before starting to use the text tool, show the template layer by clicking on the eye in "Pasted Layer" ("Layers - Gradients" panel).  To use the template for sizing and positioning the text as desired, set the visibility to about 25%.  The Opacity control is near the top of the panel, just above the Lock button.  (Remember that the content has been merged with the background.)

Invoke the text editor by clicking on Toolbox/"Text Tool" (A big letter A about 11 rows down).  Click in the image area and type a word or two, then hold down your shift key and arrow back over what you just typed to select it.  In the "Change size of selected text" (instruction seen when you mouse over the input field), enter or select the size you want.  I set mine at 100 pixels.  In the "Change font of selected text" field, type the first letter of the font desired and a dropdown of available fonts will show.  If you want to see more of the available fonts, backspace (in the select field) and type in another letter.  The number of fonts available will depend on what you have installed on your computer.  Because I have a number of graphics programs, my list is extensive.  If you can't find a font you want to use, fonts are available online to buy or download free.

Selecting a font that suits the work can be challenging.  I finally settled on AdLib WGL4 BT.  To exit the "Text Tool," select another tool -- the "Rectangle Select Tool" is probably the safest choice.  To revise your text, reselect the "Text Tool" and highlight the text once again.

To position the text, select Toolbox/"Move Tool."  After checking that you have the layer with the text you want to position selected, place your cursor directly over the text, click and drag.  If you accidentally move the layer beneath, Ctrl+z will fix it.  My text is in two separate layers so that each can be positioned separately.

With the text layer selected you can add a drop shadow by selecting Filters/"Light and Shadow"/"Drop Shadow." A dialogue appears.  I set the Offset X and Offset Y to zero, the blur radius to 45, opacity to about 70%, and the color gold for the effect you see below. 

With the Offset X and Offset Y set to 10, the blur radius to 12, opacity at 50%, and the color bright green selected, you see the effect below. 

Note that you can copy a drop shadow to another layer with Filters/"Repeat 'Drop Shadow'."  Also you can revise the drop shadow with Filters/"Re-Show 'Drop Shadow'."  Be aware that each time you revise a drop shadow a new sub-layer is made for that text layer.  The sub-layers can be deleted by right-clicking and selecting "Delete Layer."

This is what the work looks like now, with template.  Notice that the text isn't exactly centered.  I'm not sure whether this will work or not, but will have to wait to test it.

To export to a file format that can be posted, begin by hiding the template (click the eye on "Pasted Layer."  Now select File/"Export to..."  The default file format is "dot png" and a good choice.  Accept the options (they're OK) offered by clicking "Export."  This is the final product:

Seems to me the content should be blended a little better and corners rounded, but that's a topic for another day.

-- Marge

DIY: YouTube channel art

The other day I took a look at what's needed to add channel art to my YouTube One Channel page.  It wasn't long before I was confused (it sometimes doesn't take much).  When you sort it out it's not too bad, though.  You need:

• an image that's formatted to show well across displays in wide variety of sizes-- from TV to mobile phone.
• a Google Drive account because YouTube One wants to get its image from online storage (15 Gig of free storage is available).

Apparently the process for adding an image to your channel isn't functioning yet; here's the error message I get when trying to access the image uploaded --

There was an error!
Details:
The feature you requested is currently unavailable. Please try again later.

Be that as it may, setting up the image is fairly complicated, so a head start would be good.  Be sure to read the guidelines and get the template first.

What follows is a simple how-to on working with a template and conforming to requirements for image dimensions.  Note that I'm working in GIMP -- an application that is fairly new to me -- because it's open source (Windows download page).  While open source is free to use, it's only fair that you contribute to the project in some way.  Because I'm a new user of GIMP, I don't know all of the features and how to make them work. So here goes.

When you open newly-installed GIMP, three panels appear.  The middle pane is the one with the menus.  It's best to start a new image with the dimensions and resolution of the final product.  For YouTube One set the dimensions to width 2560 px, height 1440 px.  That's pretty big, so set the resolution at 72 pixels per inch (under advanced).  I prefer a resolution of 96 or 150 ppi, because the final product is sharper, but this will be a large file because of the image dimensions, so best to stick to 72 ppi, which is the default for most web images.  To save yourself some work later, set the background color to black, GIMP's default foreground color (remember this image may be shown on a TV). Set the view to 33% or 50% to see the whole image.

Always remember, Ctrl+z is your very best friend.

Download the template from the Channel Art guidelines, then open it with GIMP (File/Open).  Using the Toolbox/"Rectangle Select Tool" (left panel, top), select just the colored portion of the template, then cut it (Ctrl+z).  Close the guidelines image without saving, then paste the cut image into your new one.  It will automatically be centered and appear in the Layers list (right panel, top) as a "Floating Selection."  Right click on it and select "To New Layer."  This will be your reference for the placement of the image you want to show in your YouTube channel.  Currently this work looks like this:

Now you need some content.  One of my favorite resources is Hubble images, where I selected the view of M106 wallpaper, 2048 X 1536 (1.2 Mb).  This one was selected because it has a compelling center image and not a lot of 'noise' (small details that distract the viewer's eye).  Note that the dimensions of this image differ from the one I'm working on, in other words it won't fit.

Open this new image with GIMP, select it all (Select/"All"), cut it and paste it into the work.  In the Layers list right click on "Floating Selection" and set it "To New Layer."  Being sure you have "Pasted Layer #1" selected, choose the Toolbox/"Move Tool" (five buttons down) and position the new image so that the portion you want in the center is in the center.

Because the image doesn't fit correctly, it's necessary to crop and blend it.  Being sure that you have the correct layer selected, use the Toolbox/"Rectangle Select Tool" to select the size you want, then use Layer/"Crop to Selection." Remove the selection by choosing Select/"None."  Now we have this:

Now to blend the content with the background.  Hide the template by clicking on the eye next to "Pasted Layer" in the Layers list.  Re-select the content layer (Pasted Layer #1) and drag it down to just above the background.  With Layer#1 still selected, right-click and choose "Merge Down."  Using Toolbox/"Rectangle Select Tool," select an area within the layer.  (I like to use View/"Show Guides" and drag the guides from the ruler for reference.) What we have now is shown below.

Invert the selection with Select/"Invert." By clicking Filters/Blur/"Gaussian Blur" you will get a dialog for setting the blur parameters.  I tried setting it to 75px and that worked well.  Turn the guides off by deselecting View/"Show Guides" and remove the mask with Select/"None."  This is the final image.

There's still text to be added and the work needs to be exported.  Because this post is so long, these topics will be addressed in the post on Monday.  If you have questions or want to advise on better ways to use GIMP, please be sure to leave a comment.

-- Marge

DIY pop art

Since pop art often doesn't look that artful, seems to me it's the perfect beginner's do-it-yourself art project.  For an idea of what pop art looks like, check out this Smashing article by Vitaly Friedman, "Pop Art Is Alive: Classics and Modern Artworks."

The sample used below is digital, and done in Corel PHOTO-PAINT (Corel's caps).  You can do the same kind of work in Gimp, a free alternative.  Key to producing work with image-handling apps is learning to use masks and layers.  And, unless you photographed or drew the elements you use in a work yourself, it's best to select only public domain images. 

My sample of pop art could also be called a collage because it's a composite of several images.  Disclaimer: I don't claim that this is good art, just an example of a genre.  The theme is coffee and there is a suggestion that we would rather judge than appreciate what comes to us through the hard work of others.

My first element is the background -- a photo I took of an old coffee filter.

To this I added an image purchased at Dreamstime that is royalty free.  If I were going to offer my work for sale, I would have to buy an extended license.  It was necessary to use masks to prepare the image for use in the larger work.  I also changed the color tone, but passed on using special effects.

Now the work looks like this --

At Wikimedia Commons I found images of a laborer's hands, coffee beans, and a Russian ad for coffee that are in the public domain.  After editing the images using masks, adjusting colors, and making a variety of color and size versions of the coffee beans, this is my final product:

On second thought, it appears something more is needed.  Here's the final final:

As I said earlier, I don't claim that this is good art.  But it will do for today.

-- Marge

Tools for holiday artwork

Starting with a look at the free holiday clip art that's available online, I found that the word for today is brushes.  Since I can't seem to find a site that defines what they are, here goes.

Digital art software comes in mostly two categories, vector (for line drawings) and raster (for working with bitmap images, like photos).  Brushes are usually associated with raster graphics programs; however, Gimp brushes can be in three forms: animation, raster and vector.  

Essentially a brush changes the shape, and possibly other attributes, of your cursor.  In a way a brush acts like a rubber stamp (some programs have a separate feature called rubber stamp). Most art software comes preloaded with a variety of brushes.  You can also download additional ones and/or make your own.  Most of the additional brushes available online are compatible with Photoshop.  Since Photoshop, an Adobe product, and PhotoPaint and Painter, Corel products, are both proprietary software, I'll be talking about Gimp brushes today.  Gimp can use Photoshop brushes and is open source -- version 2.8 is the latest and it's very good.

There's a very long, but good, tutorial on using brushes in Gimp on YouTube. In fact there are many Gimp tutorials on YouTube.

Below is a sampling of the brushes you can download and install for use in Gimp.

All-free-download vector brushes for non-commercial use (Exercise caution clicking at this site -- it's closely tied with Shutter Stock):  

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Obsidian Dawn, byline "digital design resources":

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Brushlovers, byline "amazing free Photoshop brushes":

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If you're wondering about Gimp and Photoshop compatibility, here's an article from Chron, small business division.

Photoshop may be the industry standard for digital graphics, but I dislike working with it.  My preferred money-sink is Corel.  But seeing the video above on Gimp, I'm beginning to wonder about switching.

-- Marge