How to do 80's Chrome logo in Gimp?

[Neon Streak]

I've been wanting to make an 80's-style chrome logo similar to this:

But using Gimp.

Unfortunately, the only tutorials I could find were for Photoshop, and some of the features and techniques these tutorials use aren't available in Gimp. Granted there are chrome text tutorials for Gimp, but they're all for making crappy modern-day chrome effects.

So if someone could teach me how to create an 80's-style chrome Logo in Gimp (If it is possible.), then please do so.

[DarkGrievous7145]

It's certainly not impossible.

The only advice I really can give is try dissecting your example image.
What is it that gives it that particular style?
Some noteworthy things:
beveled edges
high-contrast colors
intense highlights
It might not hurt to give gradients a spin

And, when all else fails, trial-and-error

Good luck!
I, myself, struggle finding ways to do this kind of stuff, and to make matters worse, I use paint dot net. Useful tutorials for that aren't exactly in abundance, either.

If you'd like, I could show an example of how to dissect an image to learn how to re-produce a certain effect?

And another important thing:
As with all forms of art, there is technically no right or wrong way to do it. There are many ways you could create the effect you want.

[Neon Streak]

Heh. Funny that you mention Paint.NET because I use it too, mainly for touching up Garry's Mod screenshots or coloring my drawings.

But I'm glad to see we're both in the same boat on trying to make an 80's logo.

[puggsoy]

http://gimp-science-labs.blogspot.co.nz/...ffect.html
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Chromed-Out/4426427

The second one is for Photoshop but you can possibly use it to understand the general process.

[Petie]

The color scheme is straight out of Microsoft Word 2003 (and probably later) WordArt. If you can apply a bevel to an existing image, you can probably make the text in Word, export the WordArt, and touch it up in Gimp.

[psychospacecow]

Played with some fonts a bit. It looks like a gradient with a few pinned colors and an aggressive bevel. I couldn't quite recreate the bevel because I was just using a normal font instead of one of those thick shapes, but it shouldn't be too hard to do if your image is large enough. If you can't do a proper bevel, try and put an outside stroke with the same gradient and an exclusion blend mode.The lights part seems like it could be tricky though.
   

[DarkGrievous7145]

Heh. Funny that you mention Paint.NET because I use it too, mainly for touching up Garry's Mod screenshots or coloring my drawings.

But I'm glad to see we're both in the same boat on trying to make an 80's logo.

lol

I use it due to my roots in mspaint.

I do technically have PS CS3 , but i use it mainly as a converter of .psd files

I grabbed gimp with the insane idea I'd learn how to use it, and so far touched it maybe once. I found the UI so cluttered, and the resource usage just insanely high.



Oh, I should have been more specific...
I meant with creating certain visual effects or textures, though.
Although, metallic styles are one I'd like to get a feel for.
Currently, my process for metallic textures is basically just a linear gradient.
Hmm, I think I should screw with some of those resources I've got, I feel inspired to do...SOMETHING!

Played with some fonts a bit. It looks like a gradient with a few pinned colors and an aggressive bevel. I couldn't quite recreate the bevel because I was just using a normal font instead of one of those thick shapes, but it shouldn't be too hard to do if your image is large enough. If you can't do a proper bevel, try and put an outside stroke with the same gradient and an exclusion blend mode.The lights part seems like it could be tricky though.

NICE!
I'll just say you nailed it, cuz, you've captured the main style Neon seems to be going for there, like perfectly!

[Espermachine]

Hi !

Im the owner of Gimp-Science-Labs, the blog puggsoy linked to (thank you very much, i appreciate it !).

To answer Neon Streak's question, how to make this kind of chrome effect, you must first understand the concept behind it.
Apparently this style was ubiquitious on all kinds of record covers in the 80ies and painted by hand. The key idea is, that this chromed looking texture inside the text is a landscape.
A desert landscape in fact, with the blue being the sky and the earthy tones being the sand and hills.
There are a lot of variations on this main idea out there, to a point where its no long looking like a desert and has completely different colours.

But its still a gradient basically.

So the tricky part is making your own custom gradient with the gradient editor.
I experimented with this in the past, here:
http://gimp-science-labs.blogspot.de/201...cycle.html

I took a shortcut by splitting the gradient into two seperate gradients. One for the sky, and one for the earth part.

The spiky bits, that simulate the colours getting distorted in the shiny chrome, you can get by using a displacement map.
Or layering two layers of gradients on top of each other. One having the wavy shape (drawn with a path).

For the bevel i advise you to learn how to shape bevels with curves. My blog is full of this stuff. In fact, this technique was the whole reason i started it in the first place.
Here is one example of many:
http://gimp-science-labs.blogspot.de/201...kniqz.html

Probably the easiest way of doing this gradient effect is using Inkscape. You can live edit the gradient, instead of fighting Gimp's esoteric gradient editor.
But on the other hand bevelling is a bit harder in Inkscape. I love using both programs back to back, but that requires a learning curve.
You can see a few experiments, here:
http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=24990

   

So thats an overview. I'd say this is not exactly an effect for beginenrs. You must get a bit artsy and experimental.