Gimp tutorial: How to create an aluminum style background

Ever wonder how to create a background with an aluminum look? Well, in Gimp this effect can be achieved very easy with help of noise filter, wind filter and some layer effects.
Let’s get started.

Step 1 – Start with a new, 800x600px white background image.

Select the blend/gradient tool (‘L’ key) and fill your background with a color gradient from a light grey to a dark grey. I used for light grey #c8c6c8 and for dark #767676.

Step 1 – Gradient background

Step 2 – Add a new layer, fill it with black and make some (graphic) noise.

Create a new layer, name it Noise and fill it with black. Then go to Gimp’s menu, Filters -> Noise -> HSV noise and adjust the parameters as follows.

Step 2 – HSV noise parameters

Go to Gimp’s menu Colors -> Desaturate and choose desaturate by luminance. Until now we have the following image:

Step 2 – HSV Noise desaturated

Step 3 – Create the aluminum’s feel

It’s time to simulate the aluminum’s appearance that range from silvery to dull gray and the surface roughness. For this will apply the wind filter to our Noise layer.
Go to Gimp’s menu Filters -> Distorts -> Wind and adjust the parameters as follows.

Step 3 – Wind distort parameters

Now from the Gimp’s menu Colors select Invert, then go to menu again and select Filters -> Blur -> Motion Blur. Set the Motion Blur parameters as in the next image.

Step 3 – Motion Blur parameters

Don’t set the blur length to high values because it’ll make the look to soft.
After this step our image looks like this:

Step 3 – Intermediary result

Now set the Noise Layer’s mode to overlay and that’s it for the background.

Step 4 – Add some text, shadows and lights

Let’s add some text. I’ve added the text “Armino’s aluminum tutorial” and used the font “Saved By Zero” from http://www.dafont.com/saved-by-zero.font. Add whatever text you want.

Step 4 – Initial Text

Go to Filters -> Lights and Shadows and select Drop Shadow. Uncheck the Allow resizing check box.

Step 4 – Drop shadow parameters

This is what we have ’till now:

Step 4 – Text with shadow

Select the initial text layer, lock layer’s transparency and color the text with the gradient blend tool from light grey to dark grey.
Go to Gimp’s menu Filters -> Map -> Bump map and select it’s own layer as bump map.
We are now done. Hope you liked it.

The final result:

Armino’s Aluminum Tutorial – Final Image

Download the tutorial’s GIMP file from here.