How can I create an image with a carbon fibre looking texture and lighting effects in GIMP?

Question

Here is an example of what I would like to create:

How can I create a graphic similar to this with GIMP?

Answer 1

To create my own "textile" patterns, I do:

• Select FG and BG color, I typically set a dark FG, and BG is the same color with increased Value
• Start the Blend tool, set to Shape: Linear and Repeat: Sawtooth, using the FG to BG gradient. You can get interesting results with more complex gradients.
• make a first layer of narrow stripes by dragging on no more that 4 or 5 pixels. Do not try to be exactly vertical or horizontal, give it some slant
• make a second layer the same way, approximately (but not exactly) perpendicular to the first
• Set the top layer to "Darken only" or "Lighten only"

For the second part of your question: Filters>Light and shadows>Lighting effects

Answer 2

just as the other answers say, but there's a more intelligent and time saving way to do this: take/make your texture, and instead of manually replicating them around. open it, go to edit > define pattern then you have two options: - a new layer filled with the pattern and then apply the layer effects mentioned - fill a layer and then add the pattern overlay style to it. then you apply the proper blending effects accordingly.

it is pretty much like the other answers here, just less time consuming.

Answer 3

Here's what I ended doing:

Get a pattern with a "carbon fibre" texture

I used this one: http://subtlepatterns.com/real-carbon-fibre/

Repeat the pattern

The image from subtlepatterns.com is a small square, something like 50x50 px so I needed to repeat the pattern.
To do this goto:

• Filters
  • map
    • tile

and specify final image size, that gave me this

At this point I wanted to change the color by adding a colorized semi-tranparent layer over the above image, but first I needed to desaturate the image as it existed above:

• Goto image, Mode switch from indexed to RGB
• Goto colors, curves and use levels tool to desaturate

Then add a transparent layer at the top of the layer stack

• use the color picker to get a sample of the image I was copying
• fill the tranparent layer
• adjust opacity to suit which produced:

Then to get a lighting effect

• add a new layer
• use filters -> light and shadow -> supernova and apply
• use heal tool to soften the "supernova" effect and the final result looked like this