New to mapping software

[jfrazierjr]

Ok.. few basics.

• Pallete = a collection of colors. GIMP comes with quite a few, and you can create you own. If you use the same x colors all the time, it's easier to create a pallete and save than to try to find the colors by the hex value.
• Layers = a stack. Things on top (higher up in the layer order) can cover things below it.
• Channel = a special type of layer made of a black and white image. Channels are created by creating a selection, and then using the Selection->To Channel menu item. Channels are one way to quickly create a mask.
• Layer Mask = a modifier to a layer that "masks" out part of an image from showing(see my sig for a tutorial on layer masks)

Note that channels and layers can be named. This is just informational data so you can keep them seperate and organized.

For the invert, it is only available if you have a layer or a channel selected. If there is no selection, it has no way to know what to invert.

[schuster]

Thanks for the reply! What I understand and don't, maybe it'll be easier for others....

Ok.. few basics.

• Pallete = a collection of colors. GIMP comes with quite a few, and you can create you own. If you use the same x colors all the time, it's easier to create a pallete and save than to try to find the colors by the hex value.
• Layers = a stack. Things on top (higher up in the layer order) can cover things below it.

• I get this stuff. A pallete is good cause the definition exists outside of image software. I figured out the layers thing pretty easily too.
  
  

  Channel = a special type of layer made of a black and white image. Channels are created by creating a selection, and then using the Selection->To Channel menu item. Channels are one way to quickly create a mask.

  From your description, I'm imagining a channel to be a way to allow bright and dark to flow through the layers underneath the channel. If the channel is really dark, the only the darkest parts of the layers beneath it get through. Vice versa for really light. This doesn't have to be an exhaustive definition, just a concept. Am I wrong?
  
  

  Layer Mask = a modifier to a layer that "masks" out part of an image from showing(see my sig for a tutorial on layer masks)

This makes a lot more sense. Somehow, you saying that a layer mask indeed partially masks a layer put two and two together in my mind. I told you I was new at this, heh.

For the invert, it is only available if you have a layer or a channel selected. If there is no selection, it has no way to know what to invert.

So I'm guessing I just didn't have it selected. I'll go back and give it another shot, thanks for the post!

[jfrazierjr]

From your description, I'm imagining a channel to be a way to allow bright and dark to flow through the layers underneath the channel. If the channel is really dark, the only the darkest parts of the layers beneath it get through. Vice versa for really light. This doesn't have to be an exhaustive definition, just a concept. Am I wrong?

Your a bit off. Remember I said a channel is "one" way to make a mask. The purpose of creating a(or multiple) channel is to be able to apply the same size/shape mask to multiple layers quickly. Think of channels as a layer mask "template" that you can reuse over and over.

[jfrazierjr]

Your a bit off. Remember I said a channel is "one" way to make a mask. The purpose of creating a(or multiple) channel is to be able to apply the same size/shape mask to multiple layers quickly. Think of channels as a layer mask "template" that you can reuse over and over.

Also, when you add a layer mask, anything on the layer mask that is white shows through totally, anywhere on the mask that is dark is totally obscured. Any color between the two (shades of grey), will be some level of transparency.

[schuster]

Thanks a lot for your help so far jfrazierjr. I'm working through the tutorial some more and I'm making some progress. Starting to understand why I'm doing stuff and what each thing does.

I'm stuck again at a pretty silly part though. In the second part of the tutorial, he says create a new layer and fill it with 50% grey. I've searched gimp, I've googled, I'm still not sure how to do it. How do I fill the layer with 50% grey?

[Alecthar]

Thanks a lot for your help so far jfrazierjr. I'm working through the tutorial some more and I'm making some progress. Starting to understand why I'm doing stuff and what each thing does.

I'm stuck again at a pretty silly part though. In the second part of the tutorial, he says create a new layer and fill it with 50% grey. I've searched gimp, I've googled, I'm still not sure how to do it. How do I fill the layer with 50% grey?

The gray on the palette that's part of the tutorial is 50% gray, but the meaning of the name is that it's the shade of gray that rests exactly in the middle between pure white and pure black. 50% gray is significant because, when using the "Overlay" layer mode, any shades darker than 50% gray darken the image, whereas shades lighter lighten the image. In an Overlay layer 50% gray is completely transparent, except that filters like bump mapping make it through to the layers below the overlay, thus giving you a good way to keep a bump mapped texture on a separate layer from a color, so that you can adjust texture or color without affecting the other.