How to Turn a Photo Into a Puzzle Using GIMP
Drag and drop the jigsaw pieces from the file manager into the Inkscape canvas one by one:; , Repeat until you have a full table with all the pieces., Change each piece's color, so that they will have a distinct color. , Export as a PNG for Gimp...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Drag and drop the jigsaw pieces from the file manager into the Inkscape canvas one by one:;
These pieces have a shadow and a black outline, those are not needed so have to be removed. ,, You are done with the Inkscape part, save the SVG (for future use) or export as PNG at the same size as the target photo and close Inkscape. ,,,,, Place it to the desired position. , You are done when you have reassembled the original photo, this time assembled by layers holding each one piece.
It may not be visible at this point, but the jigsaw puzzle is almost ready.
The rest is only polishing. , You can do all this select stuff by an alternate route.
Import the SVG shapes as paths, Transform the path to selection, Cut and copy in a new layer.
This tutorial used the select by color way as it is easier for beginners. , For a fake 3D look a Bump Map filter will be used.
This canvas has been enlarged (Image
- Canvas Size) to have enough space for working. , It will be used as a mask.
One way to make it white was to check "Keep Transparency"
paint white with the brush tool and uncheck "Keep Transparency" when ready. , Select a radius value as you like.
When done you may make this layer invisible, we don't need to see its content. , Select from the Bump Map drop-down the corresponding blurred white mask and adjust the Depth value, as it will be the one defining the 3D look. , In the end you should have a fake 3D look of the table.
To make it more realistic I added a background with a wooden texture (optional). , All the following steps are optional use only what you want. , Use whatever angle you like, our intention is to obtain something looking like a mess.
After rotating you can also move the piece a bit. , Note:
You may consider applying bump map after this step of rotating pieces. , To make a future step (shuffle) easier, 'two layers have been merged. ,, A final look -
Step 2: Repeat until you have a full table with all the pieces.
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Step 3: Change each piece's color
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Step 4: so that they will have a distinct color.
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Step 5: Export as a PNG for Gimp.
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Step 6: Open your photo in GIMP and add the jigsaw from the previous step as a new layer (use File - Open as Layer).
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Step 7: Switch to the coloured jigsaw and using the magic wand ("Select contiguous regions Z") select by color one piece.
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Step 8: Switch to the photo layer
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Step 9: preserving the selection.
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Step 10: Cut the selection.
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Step 11: Add a new layer and paste the selection into it.
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Step 12: Repeat the operation by selecting by color
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Step 13: cutting
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Step 14: adding new layers and pasting.
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Step 15: You can also try an alternate method.
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Step 16: Simulate a 3D effect.
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Step 17: Select a layer holding a piece
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Step 18: duplicate it (Layer - Duplicate Layer) and color the copy in white.
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Step 19: Apply a Gaussian Blur filter to this mask image (Filters - Blur - Gaussian Blur).
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Step 20: Switch to the original piece layer and apply a Bump Map Filter (Filters - Map - Bump Map).
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Step 21: Repeat the operation (duplicate layer
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Step 22: make it white and blurred
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Step 23: apply bump map) for all the remaining pieces.
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Step 24: Scatter
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Step 25: shuffle and increase the 3D look.
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Step 26: Select a piece layer
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Step 27: make a rectangular section and rotate it using the Rotate tool (Shift + R).
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Step 28: Repeat the operation for all the pieces.
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Step 29: Select one piece layer and add a Drop Shadow (Script-Fu - Shadow - Drop Shadow).
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Step 30: Repeat the operation for all the pieces.
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Step 31: Go to the layer selector and randomly change the order of layers
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Step 32: as stated above
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Step 33: you want a mess.
Detailed Guide
These pieces have a shadow and a black outline, those are not needed so have to be removed. ,, You are done with the Inkscape part, save the SVG (for future use) or export as PNG at the same size as the target photo and close Inkscape. ,,,,, Place it to the desired position. , You are done when you have reassembled the original photo, this time assembled by layers holding each one piece.
It may not be visible at this point, but the jigsaw puzzle is almost ready.
The rest is only polishing. , You can do all this select stuff by an alternate route.
Import the SVG shapes as paths, Transform the path to selection, Cut and copy in a new layer.
This tutorial used the select by color way as it is easier for beginners. , For a fake 3D look a Bump Map filter will be used.
This canvas has been enlarged (Image
- Canvas Size) to have enough space for working. , It will be used as a mask.
One way to make it white was to check "Keep Transparency"
paint white with the brush tool and uncheck "Keep Transparency" when ready. , Select a radius value as you like.
When done you may make this layer invisible, we don't need to see its content. , Select from the Bump Map drop-down the corresponding blurred white mask and adjust the Depth value, as it will be the one defining the 3D look. , In the end you should have a fake 3D look of the table.
To make it more realistic I added a background with a wooden texture (optional). , All the following steps are optional use only what you want. , Use whatever angle you like, our intention is to obtain something looking like a mess.
After rotating you can also move the piece a bit. , Note:
You may consider applying bump map after this step of rotating pieces. , To make a future step (shuffle) easier, 'two layers have been merged. ,, A final look
About the Author
Judy Taylor
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow hobbies tutorials.
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