How to Morph Animals Using GIMP (free Software)

I will teach you how to morph 2 animals during this instructable. You can use this method of morphing for any animals, or any creation you can come up with.

Show me your creations, using this easy to follow guide!

Things needed: computer, creative mind, and patients!....oh and GIMP of course, download that here: http://www.gimp.org/ (version 2.6)

be sure to download the picture of this girrafe, and turtle if you want to try this creation out step by step.

Feel free to ask for help in the comments!

Note: Make sure to look at all of the pictures, and read everything i included in them, via the image notes.

AND dont forget in GIMP, edit: undo (ctrl+z) is your best friend!

Step 1: Opening GIMP, and Cuting Out the Head.

First open Gimp, and click open, and find the picture of the turtle, and open that. Then click open again, and open the picture of the girraffe on top. Procceed by cutting the girraffe head, look at pictures below on how to. You can either use the smart scissors, or free select (see pictures)...just keep clicking along the girrafes head, getting the whole head cut out.

Once the Giraffe head has been cut out, then click inside of it, and right-click, and then copy. Go back to you picture of the turtle now, and right click it and go down to the options where it says "dockable tabs" highlight that, and open the layers and channels one.

Then click the Button on the layers you just opened that looks like a New pages icon, (it is a new layer icon). Now make sure you make the new layer transparent, (it will be one of your choices to select.). Now with your new layer opened, paste that girrafe head you cut out onto the turtle (it will still be seperate from the turtle, but you will see it on top.

(your giraffe head may be bigger that it shows in the picture below, dont worry, i will cover that in the next step.

Step 2: Resizing Giraffe Head

Make sure in the last step (when you pasted the Girraffe head you pasted it onto a New Layer) This is crutial, to be able to move it around to get it into the right position.

Ok so now that you have pasted the girraffe head on top of the turtle picture, you are going to want to resize it. (refer to the pictures for the locations of everything)

With the giraffe layer selected, click the resize tool, and make sure you click the thing that looks like a paper clip (refer to picture).

It should link together when you click it (if it was allready together, then leave it like that). Ok, now click one of the down arrows next to the height/width, and just hold it until the size of the girraffe head is where you want it. ok now move the giraffe head over where you think it fits right, and that is all for this step.

(if your turtles head is still visible that is ok, it will be covered in the next step.)

Step 3: Fitting the Giraffe Head Over the Turtle Head.

Ok now in this step you will need to be a little familiar with the clone tool (shown in picture).
Now for the different brush's you can use whatever suits you best, but i think the "fuzzy dot" is the best one, because it blends great.

Select you turtle bottom layer and get rid of some of the pieces of turtle head showing by holding (ctrl) with the clone tool selected, and selecting an area that you want to clone over it. Then release ctrl and draw (clone) over the area you want. (you can clone over the whole turtle head, but that is not neccesary in this tutorial)

After this step (or before, it doesnt matter) select the giraffe layer, and erase whatever part of the girraffe neck you want using the eraser tool, and a fuzzy brush, to make it fit perfectly into the turtle neck.

You can do a little blending or smudging if desired (i recommend it, it will make the final picture more realistic.) look at pictures for smudging/blending tool.

Step 4: Color Balance, and Saturation

Now the picture needs a little bit of color blending, to give it all the same tone, and balance, making it realistic.

You are going to want to change the brightness/contrast first before anything, so refer to the picture for how this is done. (i even included the exact balances, but mess around with them a little and see what works best for you) (edit: i cant remember now i did this before the hue/colors, or after, so if someone tries this and the picture is not on balance, then change the brightness/contrast again.

After that is done, then you are going to want to change the hue, and colors of the picture to give it that dull yellow and black of the turtle. (refer to picture)

So first the colors, click on color balance, and change each setting to what the picture says.

After this click on hue-Saturation... (i didnt include what hue/saturation i used, but just play with it, and see what you think works best)

When you are done with this step, you can try changing the brightness/contrast again, or hue to make it blend to your liking.

Step 5: Blending the Girraffe Head With Turtle the Final Product.

Ok now we are almost done (i hope that you had an easier time going through this tutorial than i did writing it)


So what we want to do now is use the clone tool (and the fuzzy brush) select an area on the girrafes neck (ctrl +click) then change the opacity to around 70, or whatever you like best, and start drawing the spots as you'd like, where you'd like.

You may have to select the girraffe layer, then (ctrl click) on the neck, then select the turtle layer and draw. (It will create different effects depending on what you do, and where the layers are)

Now just keep playing with the blending or colors to your desire, and use the blend tool to make smoother edges, and make the neck/turtle go together nicely.

I Hope you liked the guide, and would appreciate your comments, and suggestions....this is my first instructable, so i hope you enjoyed it, and learned something, please rate it if your happy!