131 lines
6.0 KiB
HTML
131 lines
6.0 KiB
HTML
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<title>Backgrounds With the Gimp</title>
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</head>
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<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
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<H4>
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"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"
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</H4>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><h1>Using the Flame Plug-In for Backgrounds</h1></center>
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<center>
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<h4>By <a href="mailto: layers@marktwain.net">Larry Ayers</a></h4>
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</center>
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<hr>
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<center><h3>Introduction</h3></center>
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<p>Lately I've happened upon a technique for making unobtrusive but pleasing
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screen backgrounds using Scott Draves' <b>Flame</b> plug-in for the Gimp.
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These backgrounds possess characteristics common to many fractal images,
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especially those created with some variation of the Iterated Function Systems
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(IFS) algorithms. They aren't symmetrical, but there is some mysterious
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organizing principle which gives them a quasi-organic appearance, though they
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don't really resemble any organic forms (on this planet, at least!). They
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also can be reminiscent of microphotographs or scanning-electron-microscope
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photographs.
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<p>Before I outline the technique I've been using, here are some
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examples of these tile-able images:<br>
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<p>
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<center><img alt="flame background #1" src="./gx/ayers/flame1.gif">
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<img alt="flame background #2" src="./gx/ayers/flame2.gif">
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</center>
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<center><img alt="flame background #3" src="./gx/ayers/flame4.gif">
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</center>
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<hr>
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<p>These images were originally 512x512 pixels but they have been reduced to
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half size for faster loading. They are usable as backgrounds at this size but
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are more detailed and interesting in the original size. I've also converted
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them to GIF format (from JPEG) and reduced their color-usage. This has
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degraded the images somewhat. Generate one from scratch to see the finely
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detailed tracery which Flame can render.
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<hr>
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<center><h3>Procedure</h3></center>
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<p>Before starting the Flame plug-in (in the <i>Filters->Render</i>
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sub-menu) it's a good idea to first create a new blank image. It will appear
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with the default white background; flood-filling it first with a background
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color or pattern saves a lot of time later. After the Flame pattern has been
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applied to the image it can be difficult to alter the background without
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affecting the fractal portion of the image. Two layers could be used instead,
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but this is intended to be a quick procedure. Any background image will
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eventually become nearly unnoticeable after a while, so it's handy to have a
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fast means of creating new and interesting ones.
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<p>Once your background is satisfactory, select the Flame plug-in (a
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screenshot of an earlier version of the interface is in one of my articles in
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LG #24, <i>Updates and Correspondence </i>). The main window will display a
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thumbnail image of a pattern rendered with random parameters and one of
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several built-in color-maps. Controls in the window allow tweaking
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several variables, such as position, zoom-level, and color-map. Click on the
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<i>Shape Edit</i> button and a new window will appear with nine thumbnail
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images, the center one being the original and the others variants of it.
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Click on any of these (with the left mouse button) and it will become a parent
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to eight new versions. There are several different types of mutations (such
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as spherical, sinusoidal, or horseshoe) available from the <i>Variations</i>
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menu. Though not immediately evident, clicking the right mouse button on any
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of the nine selects it and it will take the place of the original image in the
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main window when the "Ok" button is clicked, dismissing the Edit window.
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<p>Make any adjustments in the main window, perhaps even returning to the Edit
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window if necessary, before clicking the main window's "Ok" button; once this
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is clicked there is no going back without starting all over. Though all of
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Flame's thumbnails are displayed with a black background, the only part of the
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rendering which is applied to the empty destination image is the foreground,
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thus the need for the preparatory background filling described above.
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<p>The <b>Make Seamless</b> plug-in (in the <i>Filters->Map</i> menu) isn't
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suited for every sort of image, but these Flame-generated images usually tile
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well. After saving the image in the format of your choice, try it out with
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<kbd>xv -root -quit [filename]</kbd> on an empty desktop. Though there are
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several utilities available which will load a random background image when X
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starts up, my favorite set-up is to have a simple image or background color
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load in my <kbd>.xinitrc</kbd>, then set up a window-manager sub-menu with a
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few favorite tile-able images. Here is an example from my
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<kbd>.fvwm2rc</kbd>:<br>
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<pre><kbd>
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AddToMenu Backgrounds "Backgrounds" Title
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+ "Flame1" Exec exec xv -root -quit ~/.backgrounds/ft1.jpg
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+ "Flame2" Exec exec xv -root -quit ~/.backgrounds/flt5.jpg
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+ "Bluetile" Exec exec xv -root -quit ~/.backgrounds/bluetile.jpg
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+ "Marble" Exec exec xv -root -quit ~/.backgrounds/marb2.jpg
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</kbd></pre>
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<p>Have fun!
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1998, Larry Ayers <BR>
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Published in Issue 27 of <i>Linux Gazette</i>, April 1998</H5></center>
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