GIMP Tutorial: Flat Icons with Long Shadows

Create flat-style icons with a long shadow using GIMP.

Intro song: "In Da Mood" by Combustibles, used with written permission

[csponge]

Long Shadow is now the replacement for this procedure in newest version of GIMP. Works great :) Under Filters, Light and Shadow, Long Shadow. Thanks!

[SeipherNL]

So many cool little tricks in your tutorials! I mean, maybe they're standard but I'm just starting out and find these tutorials a great way to get familiar with the programs and techniques to use. Thanks Nick!

[drutgat]

That was great. Thank you very much. As someone who is new to Gimp, though, I am hoping that in future tutorials you might say a few more words of explanation about things, in addition to showing how to do what you are doing. For example, I am unclear on the function of the alpha layer, so a few words about what it is and why you are using it would be great.

And why use a .PNG as opposed to another format?

Another example, for others who are new to the world of graphics in general, might be to explain what a raster image is.

[bioLarzen]

Great tutorial. easy to understaand and follow.

A couple of notes: at around the 4:18 mark - you use "Autocrop layer" - the function has been renamed to "Crop to content" in the new version (GIMP 2.10.22 in my case). anyone following this tutorial using the new version should go on using that instead - the same function under a different name.
As for the shadow part - as others have mentioned balow, the new version of Gimp has a "Long Shadow" function in Filters/Light and Shadow - this makes the seperate shadow layer and the whole shadow creating process (about 4:45 to 8:05 in this video) unnecessary, . for me the best result was to have black for the shadow color, "Fading, fixed length" for Style ", 45 for the angle and around 300 for length. but each to his own liking, of course :)

[sherifsaad]

Thanks alot for the tutorial.
Full support from Egypt 🇪🇬✌

[noureddinehamaidi]

One small tip. To go back to black/white in foreground/background colour, you could click the small icon that contains back and white colour. Thanks for your tutorials.

[theabdulqawiyy]

thanks nick, please kindly keep in mind our discussion yesterday

[marcobenavente]

Gimp 2.10 brings improvements to handle gradients before applying them. Thanks for the tutorial!

[guitarbrad]

I found a way to create the effect in GIMP 2.10. Once you have the black G layer: Make sure the G (letter) is selected. (Alpha to Selection.) Then use the Free Select Tool with "Add to the current selection" checked to draw a selection down and to the right as in the video. Try from the left edge of the G to outside the circle (in the checkered area) then back up to the top right tip of the letter. Continue thru the G to join with the starting point. After you hit Enter the G should be selected along with a path leading down to the bottom right corner. Then with FG black & BG white, use the Gradient tool and click from just under the arch of the G (left of center) to just inside the circle within the selection area. Make sure under Color, "Foreground Color (transparent)" is selected. Click another tool or press Enter so your gradient will remain. Then Select > None. That should give you what he has in the video.

[sorgulabiraz]

Crash is possible but saving the project helps a lot. Thanks for the tutorial.

[SEANKAHR]

one question: in the newer version of GIMP for Windows, the option is to do Blur --> Linear Motion Blur, then selecting similar options to what you selected above, the blur goes bi-directionally, i.e. not just down toward the bottom-right, but also toward the upper-left. that is, it blurs in both directions... Do you know how this would be done using this new blur tool?

[cyrusredblock]

Yet another interesting tutorial. :-)

I'm thinkin' the shadow might have been done with a polygon.

[manusim]

Great tuturial as usual, but i'm having a bit of an issue with the motion blur in GIMP 2.10.2. It doesn't do quite the same thing, and it's not easy to make it do anything similar to your example. Have you, or anyone experienced this same problem, and how to solve it?

[carlovaldez]

Can't seem to recreate the linear motion blur on GIMP 2.10 (Filters > Blur > Linear Motion Blur). Most of the tools now use totally different values with different results.

[iamlinux]

plz more make tutorials about selection techniques in gimp

[marlencitaflores]

Hey nick! Do you gave special offerd in thisblack friday?

[d]

what is the white layer mask for? 7:40

[chadwittman]

you channel is very good would you mind doing something with QR codes with gimp, please thank you very much for you work very helpful

[CRogers]

Newer GIMP has real time gradient preview so the trial and error using the blend tool is not necessary anymore.

[nimbuscloud]

Hi ! can you re-create icons just by looking at it?...there is this dark themed icon pack (Noctum Icon Pack) in Google PlayStore and the developer stopped updating the icons, now i am creating one with the tips and tricks you taught in this vid.... but i cant perfect the edges, it has this thin white light around the top edges and thin dark shadows at bottom making it look like 3d but cant re create hehe :D but the long shadow is Cool !