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8.7 Rendering Project III: Chiseled Text

This project describes a nice rendering effect that creates the illusion of chiseling into stone. The example is illustrated using text, however, it can be applied to any shape. The chiseling effect is created using gradients, bumpmapping, and shadows--basically all the rendering tools discussed in this chapter.

The finished project will consist of three layers. The background layer will contains an image pattern, in this case pink marble. The top layer will contain text filled with the same image pattern and bumpmapped to make it look chiseled. The middle layer will be a drop shadow for the text.

To begin, a new image of dimensions pixels is created. It is then filled, using the `Bucket Fill` tool, with the pink marble pattern from the `Pattern Selection` dialog. This layer is labeled Marble Background in the Layers dialog and is shown in Figure 8.34(a).

Figure 8.34: Creating the Background, Text, and Drop Shadow for the Chiseled Effect

The next step is to create some black text on a transparent layer above the Marble Background layer.

The transparent layer is made by clicking on the `New Layer` button in the Layers dialog, and the text is created by, first, selecting black as the `Active Foreground Color`, and, then, invoking the `Text` tool. The `Text` tool is used to place the word CHISELED, in the Engraver font, at a size of 72 pixels, into a floating selection. Cutting and repasting the float perfectly centers the text in the image window. It is then anchored to the transparent layer beneath it by clicking on the `Anchor` button in the Layers dialog. This layer is labeled Text in the Layers dialog, and the resulting image is illustrated in Figure 8.34(b).

The drop shadow is created by duplicating the Text layer, blurring it with `Gaussian Blur (IIR)` using a radius of 5 pixels, and then applying `Offset` with the values of 3 pixels for both the X and Y directions. This layer is then positioned between the Text and Marble Background layers using the positioning buttons in the Layers dialog button bar. This layer is labeled Text Shadow in the Layers dialog. The result is shown in Figure 8.34(c).

The next step is to fill the text in the Text layer with a shapeburst gradient. For this, the layer is made active by clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers dialog, and the text is selected using the `Alpha to Selection` function from the Layers menu. Setting the `Active Foreground Color` and the `Active Background Color` to white and black, respectively, the `Gradient` tool is used to fill the text with a `Shapeburst (angular)` gradient. The selection is then canceled by typing `C-S-a` in the image window, and the result is shown in Figure 8.35(a).

Figure 8.35: Using the Shapeburst Gradient on the Text Layer

The associated Layers dialog is shown in Figure 8.35(b).

The project is now almost complete. What remains is the application of the shapeburst filled text as an embossing map to the marble background layer. This is done, of course, using `Bump map`. The Marble Background layer is made active by clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers dialog and the `Bump map` filter is invoked. The filter dialog illustrated in Figure 8.36(b)

Figure 8.36: Creating the Chiseled Effect Using `Bump map`

shows the parameters used and Figure 8.36(a) shows the resulting effect on the Marble Background layer. Note that the visibility of the Text and Text Shadow layers has been toggled off so the chiseled text can be seen in the figure.

All that remains to complete this project is to move the chiseled text to the top layer of the stack. This is done in the following steps:

1.
  Make the Text layer active by clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers dialog.
2.
  Select the text using the `Alpha to Selection` function from the Layers menu.
3.
  Make the Marble Background layer active by clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers dialog, and copy the chiseled text into a buffer by typing `C-c` in the image window. Due to the selection obtained in step (2) only the chiseled text is copied to the buffer.
4.
  Cancel the selection by typing `C-S-a` in the image window.
5.
  Make the Text layer active by clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers dialog, and paste the buffer contents to a floating selection by typing `C-v` in the image window.
6.
  Anchor the float to the Text layer by clicking on the `Anchor` button in the Layers dialog.

The result is shown in Figure 8.37(a),

Figure 8.37: Copying and Pasting the Chiseled Text to the Top Layer

and the Layers dialog is shown in Figure 8.37(b).

As a final flourish, the chiseled text is lightened somewhat to make it more prominent against the marble background. This is done by making the Text layer active and, as shown in Figure 8.38(b), by adjusting the middle control of the input slider of the `Levels` tool dialog. Figure 8.38(b)

Figure 8.38: Lightening the Text with the `Levels` Tool to Produce the Final Chiseled Effect

shows the resulting settings in the `Levels` dialog, and Figure 8.38(a) shows the final effect.

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