How to make an ‘Obama’ HOPE Poster in GIMP

There are a few tutorials for this in Photoshop and Illustrator, but I haven’t found any for the GIMP, so I attempted it myself! It is a fairly simple method and easily done with great results!

My Hope Poster :)

OK let’s get started!

1. Starting

• Firstly choose your portrait – the less detail in the photograph the better the results!
• Open in GIMP
• Duplicate Original 4 times
• Then Add Alpha Channel to all layers

Add Alpha Channel

2. Threshold (~ = APPROX.)

• On First layer – Go, Colors –> Threshold
• Set to ~25 as shown:
• REPEAT for each layer:
• Second Layer: set to ~50
• Third Layer: set to ~100
• Fourth Layer: set to ~130

Threshold

3. Blur (This will make it smoother) (~ = APPROX.)

• Now, for all layers again:
• Go, Filters –> Blur –> Gaussian Blur
• Set to ~2.00, ~2.00 (any more and they’ll be large white outlines later)
  
• (Speed up the process by selecting your layer –>go, Filters –> Repeat ‘Guassian Blur’ , Ctrl F)
  

Blur

4. Remove Background

• Grab the Selection Tool
• Select the parts you don’t want to include:
• Delete them from all layers (keep selection, then select layer – Press Delete)
• The most detail will be on the Fourth Layer:

Remove Background

5. Delete the rest

• Grab the Color Selection Tool
• Select the white parts of each layer
• Press Delete (You need to select the white parts for each layer, otherwise you’ll delete other things)

Delete the rest

6. Adding Colour

• Select Layer – Right Click –> Alpha to Selection
• First layer: Strip Pattern (download my version here) (goes in Pattern Folder of GIMP Folder)
• For the Strips to fit nicely you may need to scale down the image(~350) or edit the .pat file!
• Apply a little blur if you like!
  

Strip Pattern

• Select Layer – Right Click –> Alpha to Selection
• Second Layer: Creamy Colour: fbde90 (or you could use a Light Blue: 0087a1)
• Settings as shown: (remember Fill Whole Selection)

Creamy Colour

• Select Layer – Right Click –> Alpha to Selection
• Third Layer: Red Colour: 820606 (or for a brighter red e7000a)
• Settings as shown: (remember Fill Whole Selection)

Red Colour

• Select Layer – Right Click –> Alpha to Selection
• Fourth Layer: Blue Colour: 004754
• Settings as shown: (remember Fill Whole Selection)

Blue Colour

7. Background Part 1

• Create a new Layer:
• Grab the Selection Tool
• Go round the edges just slightly in off the edge, as shown:
• Now, Fill the selection with the Blue Colour: 004754
• Then use the Selection Tool again, but select one half (right), fill with Red Colour: 820606 (or for a brighter red e7000a)

Just inside the edge - Fill with Blue Colour

Fill the other half with Red Colour

7b. Background Part 2

• Now, go Image –> Canvas Size
• Adjust so it is slightly wider and the length is increased to fit some text (‘HOPE’)

Enlarge Canvas

8. Move

• Now, go Right Click (on a layer) –> Merge Visible Layers
• Then centre the layer in the middle-top, as shown:
• Now create a new Layer and fill with a Creamy Colour: fcdf91

Centre-Top

9. Add Text ‘HOPE’

• Use the Text Tool
• Whatever word you’d like underneath? (‘HOPE’)
• Use Text: Franklin Gothic Demi
• Size: ~180
• If there is excess length or width just crop away!

Insert 'HOPE'

10. Adjusting Colours

• If you’d like to experiment with colours, just Right Click (on a layer) –> Merge Visible Layerd
• Then, go Colors –> Hue-Saturation

That’s it! Some parts are tricky so feel free to ask if you need clarification!

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Posted by Keyla Eff, Published at 6:10 AM and have 0 comment