# Aquascaping with The GIMP



## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Gimp, short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, if an open-source program similar to Photoshop. It is actually very powerful and extremely useful for all the same things as Photoshop. However, being open-source it is free. A google search for Gimp will return enough hits to keep you busy for days.

So, sparked by Steven Chong's amazing "Aquasketches" and my complete lack of desire for studying, I spent a little time making brushes and creating a quick little tank layout. It is not all that good as my focus was really on making plant bushes and learning to use the software for this application. I ended up with about 10 brushes with ideas for several more. In a few days (when I get more time) I will host and post all the brushes I have. Maybe if others start doing this also we can form pool of Aquascaping brushes that slowly improves. I'll also talk a little about some tricks I learned along the way and beg people to send me money for a Wacom tablet This is a PITA to do with a mouse!

In the mean time, feel free to discuss or critique. Maybe share ideas you have with Gimp that would apply to this, etc (for example, the sand foreground is not very good. How to improve that?)


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

This is a great Idea.
I will go search for this later today when I get home and see if I can't get the hang of it.
In the mean time anything you can do to help me / others grasp this software would be great.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

I found these two links and tutorials to be fundamental in learning the software. Its not to hard but it take some dedication and practice to get the hang of it. Focus on learning what functions do what and how they interact. For example, with photo manipulation, learning how/why contrast masking and layer masking work will help you realize techniques that apply to a wider concepts.

Grokking the GIMP - Learning Advanced Image Editing Techniques

GIMP Talk - FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions (Knowledgebase)

Here is a great tutorial on photo manipulation that can improve aquarium photos but can also be applied to other things.
Creating a Neutral Density Filter with The GIMP

A search for GIMP will keep you busy for days

Making brushes is pretty straight forwards. Look up how to isolate an image with Quick Masking and how the magic wand tool works. My avatar was made like that.


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## Nevermore (Mar 26, 2007)

This is Great! I just downloaded the GIMP a week ago and have been trying to learn how to use it. I haven't been so bold as to try to construct an aquascape. That's terrific! Thanks for doing this, it's just what I needed to nudge me along.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

:: note to self: revisit this thread later! ::


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## gacp (Sep 11, 2006)

Much harder, as cheap, and far more rewarding: _blender_, httP://blender.org/ .

Attached, an early sketch of mine as example.

Anyway, just an idea


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## Suikei (May 5, 2007)

Seems very useful for imagining aquarium design.  It's a good idea to make plans like this! Thanks for pointing it out Dennis. What is an aquasketch though?


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Suikei. your welcome. Aquasketch is a term coined by a fellow APC member Steven Chong. You can see some of his works here, http://stevenchong-no-gmf.deviantart.com/

gacp, Blender looks totally cool. I'll have to download that and play with it.


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## Suikei (May 5, 2007)

Thanks for the link Dennis!  Some cool stuff

In your drawing though, what plants were you trying to do?


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Man, I have to find some time to figure these things out.

You would think that it would be totaly easy for me, I am a CAD / CAM engineer and do lots of solid modeling for mechanical design and for CNC programming, which is similar and I could probably do something like this in something like SolidWorks, though it would not be quite as artistic, could be, but not in the time it took you to do this.

Well, if all the menu's and buttons and hot keys were the same, piece of cake, but it really throws you a curve when you know what you want to do and you know how to do it, but you keep trying to do it like you do on the software you use on a daily basis.

Oh, well, in time.

That bender looks really cool, man, which one do I do first?


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## colonel mustard (Apr 21, 2007)

gacp said:


> Much harder, as cheap, and far more rewarding: _blender_, httP://blender.org/ .
> 
> Attached, an early sketch of mine as example.
> 
> Anyway, just an idea


isn't blender an animating sofware so you could actually do a tour of the tank


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## gacp (Sep 11, 2006)

colonel mustard said:


> isn't blender an animating sofware so you could actually do a tour of the tank


It is. There is a way people can interactivelly tour places. It is called _game mode_, often used... well, in games but also for architecture. Never tried it, yet.

Also, you can make videos. :bathbaby: Again, never tried it for fishes and plants. (I did try it for things that do not deform, like cosmic ships orbiting planets.) You cold animate moving around the tank shooting a video... but it would look "frozen". May be worth a test.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Suikie, the plants are Rotala macranda green (the pinkish colored plants), Rotala sp. Green, Bacopa araguaia, anubias nana, ricca rocks and Hydrocotyle sibthorpoides. There are actually 3 brushes for the Rotala sp. green. The brushes actually look pretty realistic but I ran the final "drawing" through an impression filter a couple times to give it more of a painting look.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Here is the link to the brushes I have so far:

.zip file of brushes

About 900kb. Once download is complete, unzip the brushes into c:/documents and settings/your-user-name/.gimp-x.x/brushes

Refresh your brush list and you should see them in the brushes dialog.


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## Moo (Apr 27, 2006)

blender and GIMP are amazing programs I started with GIMP. And recently within the last year I moved over to Blender.
Now I use both in conjunction.

this is some of my early GIMP work.

















and I can't find my blender work. But I love the program. I would attempt to download and use both if you are serious about planning a tank this way.


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## MikeD (Feb 26, 2006)

Why dont you use Phtoshop. Its not the cheapest, but for students and pupils there are these "student" oder "education" versions, that cost about 200-300$ and the problem is just the best....


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

While Photoshop Elements would be a less expensive but fairly capable option. Keeping with the educator pricing, http://www.academicsuperstore.com is great for discounts like that. In fact, Paint Shop Pro which is quite capable as well is less than $60.

Regardless...GIMP is quite capable and could be compared almost directly to Photoshop in functionality, IMO.


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## gacp (Sep 11, 2006)

Blender users:

If there are enough of us, may be we could start creating a library of sorts, of 3D meshes, materials, lightings, &c., all aquascaping-related.

As a sample of what I mean, take these 5 archetypical iwagumi rocks (Reishoseki, Taidoseki, Shintaiseki, Shigyoseki, Kikyakuseki) I made for myself. You may recognize them from my earlier post


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Great work guys! I'm a PS guy, so I think i'm going to stick with using it. But overall those alternatives are pretty nice for those who aren't looking to spend a whole lot on a program.

I should start doing some Aqua Sketches!


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