How to use Inkscape's new blur filter. Use case: orbs, 3D text and shadows.
Introduction
The Blur filter is one of the most awaited features introduced by the newly released Inkscape 0.45, so the accent in this tutorial is put on presenting some applications of this filter.Orbs
The base orb
- Use the ellipse tool and draw a circle (keep Ctrl pressed to get a circle).
- Fill it with any solid color to your liking;
- Duplicate the circle (Edit > Duplicate, Ctrl + D) and make the duplicate black;
- Using the gradient tool, change the fill for the duplicate to a radial gradient starting with completely transparent white in the center to partly transparent black on the border;
- Place the center of the radial gradient slightly displaced from the center of the circle.
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Texture
- Duplicate the circle again and fill it with solid white;
- Reduce the size of the duplicated circle (Path > Inset, Ctrl + ();
- Draw a random shape using the Freehand Tool;
- Intersect (Path > Intersection, Ctrl + *) the random shape with the duplicated white circle;
- Fill the intersection with a radial gradient going from solid white to completely transparent white;
- Blur the path and decrease its opacity (Object > Fill and Stroke).
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Highlight
- Duplicate the circle and fill it with white;
- Duplicate the circle again, fill it with something if you want and move it a little to the right and down;
- Substract (Path > Difference, Ctrl + -) the second duplicate from the first;
- Inset the result one step and then apply blur and reduce the opacity to your liking;
- Draw some other random shapes, fill them with white and apply various values for blur and opacity. You are free to experiment.
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Darken
- Duplicate the circle and make it black this time;
- Duplicate it again, resize it (keeping Ctrl pressed to preserve aspect ratio) and move it a little to the left and up;
- Substract the second duplicate from the first one;
- Inset one time the result;
- Blur and reduce the opacity.
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Shadow
- Draw an ellipse, put it at the bottom of the orb, fill with black, apply some blur and reduce the opacity.
- For a perspective shadow duplicate the circle, fill it with black, reduce its height, skew to the right, move if needed, place it to the bottom, apply some blur and reduce the opacity.
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Variations
- Make a few copies of the orb. Select the colored circle (in this case red) and change its color. You instantly get complete orbs with different colors.
- Is possible to put even some content inside the orb: in this case I used a letter made with the text tool, added a highlight, a darken area and a shadow. Group them (Object > Group, Ctrl + G), move over the orb and lower their position down the stack (above the colored circle but under the various light or dark areas).
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- Import a photo, in this case a head, nicely cut on the contour with GIMP (read more about creating a hackergotchi);
- Trace (Path > Trace Bitmap) its shape for brightness using a high threshold to get its contour in vector form;
- Fill the traced path with a radial gradient going for partly transparent white to completely transparent black;
- Duplicate the traced path, outset it(Path > Outset, Ctrl +)), fill with black, blur, reduce its opacity and move to the bottom;
- Group the elements, place the group over the orb and lower its position in the stack.
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More
The possibilities are infinite, use whatever colors you want and draw the highlights and dark areas randomly, just after your taste.
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3D Text
Highlight
- Using the text tool add some text. I used for this tutorial the word "Orbs";
- Duplicate the text once and duplicate it again and move the second duplicate a little too the right and down. I used different colors to make the screenshot more relevant, you can leave them as is;
- Substract the second duplicate from the first;
- Make the resulting shape white, blur it and reduce the opacity to get the highlight effect.
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- Duplicate the text once, duplicate it for a second time, move the second duplicate to the left and up.
- Substract the second duplicate from the first;
- Make the result black, blur it and reduce its opacity.
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Compositions
Base shadow
- Import the 3D text and a few orbs. Align them to have the base on the same line;
- Draw a black ellipse at the base of the first letter of the text;
- Duplicate the black ellipse and move the duplicate under the second letter. Keep Ctrl pressed when moving to keep the movement only on horizontal;
- Repeat the step for all objects. As my orbs have a larger body compared with the letters, I used larger ellipses for their shadows;
- Unite (Path > Union, Ctrl + +) all the ellipses, apply some blur and reduce the opacity.
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Perspective shadow
- Duplicate the text and orbs;
- Keeping the duplicate selected, ungroup it if you have any groups and then do a union;
- Color the resulted shape in black, reduce its height, skew to the right, move if needed, place it to the bottom;
- Apply blur and reduce the opacity.
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Mirror
- Select the text and the orbs, group them;
- Duplicate the group and flip it (Object - > Flip Vertical, V), move the flipped group down;
- Increase the height of the flipped group and skew it to the left (or to the right if you like that way);
- Draw a rectangle over the flipped group and fill it with a gradient starting with solid white and ending with completely transparent white.
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Example files
All the files produced in this tutorial are available for download:- Red orb
- Orb with face inside
- Multiple orbs
- 3D text
- Composition with base shadow
- Composition with perspective shadow
- Composition with mirror reflection
Many thanks to my friends at OpenArt.ro, www.xdrive.ro and Inovatika for motivating me to write this.a disclaimer will appear here soon
