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How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP

Ever watched one of the Star Wars movies, or even a fan film, and been dazzled by the special effects? Well, in this tutorial, you can learn how to recreate the lightsaber effect using Gimp, a free photo editing/animation software. Strap...
Part 1 of 3:

Creating the Lightsaber

  1. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 1How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 1
    Open up Gimp. Once that is done, find the photo you want to add the lightsaber to, and click-and-drag it into Gimp.
  2. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 2How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 2
    Go to Layer r> New Layer. Name it whatever you want, and make sure it is set to "Transparency". If you have two lightsabers in your shot, you'll want two layers.
  3. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 3How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 3
    Go to layer into your toolbar and select the "Isolation Tool". This should look a bit like a coil of gray rope. Then, make a mask around you lightsaber blade. You can also draw a curve at the tip of the blade. Try to be exact as possible. Repeat for any other lightsabers that may or may not be in the shot.
  4. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 4How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 4
    Grab the "Brush Tool" from your toolbar. Bring the size up to something larger than your lightsaber blade mask, and set the color to white. Then, fill the mask.
  5. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 5How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 5
    Right click on each core layer and select "Duplicate Layer". Rename each duplicate, and put them below your core layers. Then, select your "Bucket Fill Tool" from the toolbar and fill the white part with whatever color you want your lightsaber to be.
  6. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 6How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 6
    With your colored layer selected, go to Filters > Blur & Sharpen > Gaussian Blur. For a standard quality picture (480x640p.) select a blur radius of 20. This will create a glow, but it will be kind of faint. Duplicate the glow layers using the method mentioned in step five until you have a good looking glow.
  7. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 7How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 7
    Tidy up a little. Your "Layers" window will be kind of crammed by now, so right click on the top layer and hit "Merge Down". Repeat this for all layers, until the background and all lightsaber layers are merged into one.
  8. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 8How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 8
    Good work! You should now have a good looking lightsaber. But what if you want to add a clash for when two lightsabers touch?
Part 2 of 3:

Adding Clashes

  1. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 9How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 9
    Go Filters > Lighting Effects > Supernova. Set the supernova center to where the lightsabers meet.
  2. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 10How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 10
    Adjust the settings. Set the "Radius" to whatever you want, and set the "Rays" to 25, set the "Color" to a nice yellowish-orange, and set "Color Randomness" to zero.
Part 3 of 3:

Adding To Your Video

  1. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 11How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 11
    Add your image to a video if desired. There is only one way to do this. It's called rotoscoping.
  2. How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 12How to Create a Realistic Lightsaber in GIMP Picture 12
    Import every frame of your video and add the sabers and clashes. Do this enough times, and you  have a good-looking lightsaber sequence. Happy rotoscoping!
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