This tutorial is of my own creation and any resemblance any other tut is purely coincidental. This tutorial is for personal use only, using it for monetary gain is against our TOU's.

Supplies:

Gimp or program of choice

Tube of choice. I am using the art of ChrisPastel. You must have a license to use these tubes. Purchase the one I used at The PSP Project.

Texture- 5 from Ainhel
Animation- 167 from Scrappy Bit Of Fun
Fonts- Michroma & Sofia

-File>New 600x225 px.

-Choose 2 colors from tube. For my foreground I am using f0559d and the background f6a8ce. Select the blend tool. Gradient: FG to BG (RGB), Shape: Linear. Click the top left corner of canvas and drag mouse down to the bottom right.

-Open texture. Layer>Scale Layer 70%. Layer>Layer To Image Size. Change the mode to screen.

-Open tube. Place to the far left side of tag. Layer>Duplicate Layer. Move to the left a little. Layer>Merge Dow (to merge 2 tube layers together). Layer to image size. Duplicate. Select flip tool and click canvas. Merge all tube layers together. Change the mode to overlay.

-Open tube again. Scale 75%. Place on center of tag. Filters>Light & Shadow>Drop Shadow 1, 1, 5, black, 35. Duplicate. Filters>Blur>Gaussian Blur on default. Change mode to screen and lower the opacity to 65.

-Select the rectangle select tool. Make a fairly large rectangle selection on the center of tag. Layer>New Layer. Move this new layer below the main tube layers in the layer box. Add gradient to selection. Change mode to hard light. Filters>Distorts> Blinds on default. New Layer. Change foreground color to white. Select the bucket fill tool and fill selection. Filters>Noise>RGB Noise on default.  Select>Shrink 2. Press delete on keyboard. Select>Grow 2. New Layer. Move below white bucket filled layer. Bucket fill with black. Shrink 2. Delete. Grow 2. Repeat Gaussian blur. Select none.

-Select the text tool. Font: Michroma, Size: 15, Foreground color: f0559d. Click canvas and type 'Baby it's cold outside'. Place text on center left of canvas. Duplicate. Place duplicate to the center right. Merge text layers together. Add drop shadow of 2, 2, 1, black, 15. Duplicate text layer. Place at the top of tag. Lower opacity to 15. Duplicate and place at the bottom of tag.

-Make top layer active. Add new layer. Bucket fill with f0559d. Layer>Transparency>Alpha To Selection. Shrink 3. Delete. Bucket fill white. Shrink 1. Delete. Bucket fill f6a8ce. Shrink 1. Delete. Select none.

-Add name and copyright.

non-animated version:


If you don't want to animate then your done.

I am putting my animation below the main tube layer. Click HERE to learn how to use animations in Gimp.

To make the avatar:

-Make the main tube layer, name and copyright layers invisible by clicking the little eye next to each layer in the layer box..

-Edit>Copy Visible.

-File>New 150x150 px.

-Edit>Paste As>New Layer. Place how you like.

-Add tube.

-Add border (repeat from banner)

-Ad name/initial and copyright and you're done!