[GIMP Plug-in] Creating a starfield

[RobA]

For gimp, the easy ways are figure out either python or scheme... for scheme there a re a number of pointers on the net.

Search for "script-fu"

I usually take one close and modify it.

-Rob A>

[Sagenlicht]

Thanks for all your replies

@Karro
no worries I usually have the problem that I cant rep RobA cause I did it recently I just rate the threat then But way more important than repping me, is that you find the script useful I will post an update soon, I just didnt have time the last two days.

@bryguy
Thanks bryguy About the plug-ins. To add some words to what RobA said:

There 3 ways to do plug-ins/scripts for GIMP (or at least I know 3 ways).
- Scheme
- Python
- C code and compiling it afterwards.

If you know scheme its easy, as there are (as RobA said) alot of scripts in Scheme for GIMP so you can easily get into it.

If you know python it aint as easy as with scheme as you do not find that many scripts in python for GIMP and the documentation is rather... useless. Open the procedure/routine browser in the help menu (whatever its called in the english version) in GIMP, there you can find all GIMP specific script functions.

If you dont know scheme nor python I would suggest trying out python because if you ever wanna do some scripting outside GIMP chances that you can use python are much higher than for scheme. Atm scheme is better integrated in GIMP but I think this will change sooner or later. For GIMP 2.8. a better python support is allready planned.

For the interested, here is roughly what is planned for GIMP 2.8, the next stable release:

* Merging Google Summer of Code 2008 projects to trunk, namely on-canvas text editing, tagging of GIMP resources and Python scripting enhancements.
* Continue integration of GEGL.
* And of course many other improvements...

Though if you know one script language it should be rather easy for you to learn another cause in the end they do all the same only the syntax is different. While I cant script in scheme cause I do not know its syntax I can read it pretty well. So ultimatly if I would wanna use scheme I would be able to learn it pretty fast.

I did not mention the C code at all, cause if you arent a C coder this wont be the way you wanna go, trust me

[Sagenlicht]

Ok, I did find some time do some quick updates to the script

About more than one nebula: atm my code cant handle it, and I dont think I will change the code

So if you want to have more than one nebula do the following:

• Generate your starfield with your first nebula.
• Create a new transparent layer below the nebula color layer
• use the free selection tool to select your cloud area
• Fill it with the desired color
• Discard the selection
• Apply a gaussion blur with the value of about 50
• Set the opactiy of the layer to a value you like, I suggest arround 35 for dark and 15 to 20 for bright colors

This will take about 30 seconds to do

[RobA]

@bryguy - one more thing...

Scheme scripts are slower and less flexible with their GUI, as python scripts can use the whole python GUI library (WX I think?).

Both scheme and python are cross platform, unlike C that needs to be compiled with different targets to get binaries.

The scheme (script-fu/tiny-fu/tiny-scheme) interpreter exists internal to GIMP, so every user has it. Python can be a pig to install in windows, and 90% of windows gimp users don't bother, so won't use python scripts.

Another thing I didn't mention before is the mathmap plugin. http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/schani/mathmap/

It can be quite powerful and easy for simple, single layer image manipulation. Though with its animation support it can do some pretty neat things, too, like this explosion example.

-Rob A>