Make 3D DVD covers with Linux and the Gimp
There’s this whole big community of people out there making custom covers for their DVDs. These covers are really pretty, most of the time. People work on them for days and days and days, and then release them to the amazement of the community. However, when they do release them, they don’t normally demonstrate them by just showing people the cover image; instead, they show a pretty drop-shadowed 3D view of the cover instead, looking like it’s in a DVD case. To get that 3D view they tend to use either IMANDIX Cover, a closed-source Windows-only program, or a Photoshop Action (which is a plugin for a closed-source program available only on closed-source operating systems). We in the Free Software community need to get some of that 3D DVD cover action! We need to be able to turn
into
Well, now you can. Grab dvdcoverdisplayer.py and store it in the .gimp2.2/plug-ins/ directory in your home directory, and then make it executable. Then, get yourself a DVD cover image from somewhere, open it in the Gimp, and click Python-Fu > DVD Cover to get the pretty 3D version. GPL-licenced. I’d be interested in suggestions for other “views” it should do.
Now I have one more reason to suggest to people that they can use the Gimp and move away from Windows.
Wow!
Very cool
8 hours later
That’s really nice, like it.
How about one that just shows the edge and front/back? The kind of picture you get for box-art when you browse software stalls in online stores.. As an example go to http://ebuyer.com/ and click “software” on the menu at the top. They pretty much all use this view.
Would be good for showing off the box even if your product is delivered as an ISO image with no box and/or manual included.. :D
11 hours later
Looks great, a book view would be nice too.
11 hours later
Nice work Mr Aq
12 hours later
Michael: what does a “book view” look like?
14 hours later
Like a book ;)
See: http://www.erynn.ca/assets/temp/book%20cover%2024%203D.gif
(Sorry for the crappy book subject, just googled for something suitable)
Basically a box with a slightly altered top section.
41 hours later
How about a version that will run on a mac? maybe.
–cheers
olseda
20 weeks later
olseda: the Gimp runs on Macs.
20 weeks later
Does this only work with Ubuntu?
55 weeks later
Dkid: it shouldn’t do. However, it hasn’t been touched in a while so it might not work in newer versions of the Gimp…
55 weeks later
How do you make it executable .. :|
55 weeks later
Dkid: right click the file, say Properties, and then look under Permissions.
55 weeks later
Hey, erm sorry bout all these questions but where can you find the python_fu
55 weeks later
Ubuntu: Add/Remove Programs, search for gimp-python
Debian: apt-get install gimp-python
Other distros, I can’t help you with, I’m afraid.
55 weeks later
good work.
do you mean about 3d that it can be rotated at any angle or can be viewed only in 3 angle. since youre looking for a suggestion i suggest have a video demo in yuotube.
58 weeks later
just remember to run a : chmod +xr dvdcoverdisplay.py
67 weeks later
cool. demonstrate on you tube.
71 weeks later
i love it
71 weeks later
I just tried it and it’s so very cool!
Just so everyone knows, in my Ubuntu 7.04 install the directory should be “.gimp-2.2/plug-ins/” not “.gimp2.2/plug-ins/”.
Also, the forum thread I started with my DVD cover design can be found at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=38345.
I’m going to post about this script right now.
82 weeks later
Hi, I’ve got Gimp for Mac OSX. I’m wondering if you could post up an executable version of dvdcoverdisplayer.py for me to install?
89 weeks later
André: I’m afraid not — as far as I’m aware it requires the gimp-python plugin. I don’t know if that’s available for OS X; the #gimp IRC channel might be able to help with that?
89 weeks later
i can’t get this to work, their is no permission under the properties to make in executable so i just changed the extension to .exe and it still won’t work. Help
110 weeks later
OK, if there’s nothing in the permissions section, then try opening a terminal window and typing:
chmod +x ~/.gimp2.2/plug-ins/dvdcoverdisplayer.py
and that should do it.
110 weeks later