I started reading up on using GIMP's Script-Fu console tutorial so I can learn how to make some of my own scripts/filters. Wish me luck, because it looks like there will be a bit of "head-to-wall" banging involved.
This post is actually a continuation of my last post on creating abstract backgrounds. Because I am fairly new to using GIMP, from a tutorial standpoint, I spent a great deal of time reading and using other tutorials in hopes of achieving the effects I wanted. The cutout effect you see in the bottom image is only 80% of what I was actually shooting for. It's quite possible that the remaining 20% all hinges on the type of font I am using, so I'll keep testing different fonts to see if the desired result finally shines through.
What I am after is more of a sheet metal text inverted, much like you see in the bottom picture, but only more squared off, like a die cut. Like always, I'll bet there is a much easier way to creating this effect and I just haven't found it yet. Would using a reverse bevel give me the inverted look? We'll see. Count on me posting the methods to anything I discover.
A little more experimentation found me seeking out how to create cool looking metallic text. Inverting beveled text didn't give me the result I wanted, so I settled for the above effect. I'll keep practicing and testing different techniques.
Metallic text tutorial can be found here. (It's the niftiest of the ones I checked out)
An even better text tutorial can be found here. (If you're using the newest version of GIMP, ignore the "anchor to layer" instructions in part 2)
In the meantime, check out this tutorial on how I obtained the cutout text look.
The tutorial for the abstract background tips is up. For the text effect, follow the metallic text tutorial above, but instead of creating an individual drawing, just open a new transparent text layer when following along. The tutorial worked for me in GIMP 2.6.6 but instead of using a Gaussian blur of 16, I used a blur of 3, bypassing the Levels filter altogether, and went straight to Bump Map. (IMPORTANT!: When using the Bump Map, make sure you follow the instructions when selecting the correct layer to use).
There is a slight difference in the text tutorial instructions because the author is using an older version of GIMP plus using the Linux OS. Menus will be slightly different. Post a comment here if you have problems, and I will help you.