Creating a folded corner effect on images can bring a sense of depth and realism to digital documents and photographs. Whether you’re looking to add a special touch to a digital scrapbook or want to create a convincing mockup of a pamphlet or flyer, the versatile graphics program GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) provides the tools to achieve this effect. Follow these steps to draw a realistic folded paper corner in GIMP with ease.
Preparing Your Image
Before adding a folded corner, you should start with the image you wish to edit. Open GIMP and load the image by navigating to File > Open
and selecting the image from your computer.
Creating a Folded Corner with the Path Tool
The Path tool is your best friend when it comes to creating detailed selections like the triangle needed for a folded corner effect.
- Select the Path Tool: In your toolkit, click on the Path tool or press B on your keyboard to activate it.
- Draw the Fold Path: Click on the canvas to create the points of a triangle in the corner of the paper where you wish to simulate a fold. The first click creates the starting point, and subsequent clicks will create a path connected by straight lines. To complete the path, connect the last point to the first one.
- Create a Selection from the Path: After drawing the triangle, you’ll need to convert the path into a selection. Right-click on the path in the Paths dialog and choose
Path to Selection
. This will outline the triangle. - Refine the Fold Effect:
- To create the illusion of a lifted paper corner, copy the selected area by going to
Edit > Copy
and then paste it onto a new layer usingEdit > Paste As > New Layer
. - With the new layer selected, lower its opacity slightly to give the impression of shadow under the paper.
- To create the illusion of a lifted paper corner, copy the selected area by going to
Adjusting Opacity and Layer Modes
To add depth and realism to the folded effect:
- Play with the opacity and layer modes. Changing the layer mode of the paper texture to
Multiply
allows the texture to interact with layers below, often resulting in a more believable shadow.
Adding a Vignette Effect for Emphasis
If you want to make the folded corner stand out even more, you might consider adding a vignette around the edges of your image. This effect darkens the corners and edges, subtly drawing the eye toward the center or focal point.
- Create a New Layer: Add a new layer by going to
Layer > New Layer
. - Select the Ellipse Tool: Choose the Ellipse Select tool from the toolbox and drag it across your image to define the vignette region.
- Fill the Selection: Invert the selection by going to
Select > Invert
and then fill it with black using the Bucket Fill tool. - Adjust the Layer: Soften the edges of the vignette by using the
Gaussian Blur
filter (Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur
). Then, adjust the layer’s opacity to blend it smoothly with the rest of the image.
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This technique is common these days on blogs,icons, backgrounds etc so in this tutorial I will teach how to create a fairly simple folded paper tip.
Getting Started
The aim of this tutorial is not trying to create a realistic result so don’t mention it 🙂
Open a new image 640×480 , now lets start
step 1
Will first draw the flat paper using the “rectangle select” tool , once you have drawn it hit enter to finish.
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step 2
Grab the Path tool and draw a triangle in the corner of the paper, *tip always switch to Edit mode to close off a path
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step 3
Now if you don’t already have the Path dialog on screen go ahead an open it from Dialogs>Paths , inside you will see the path we drew, right click on it then click on “Subtract
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step 4
Create a new layer and Fill your selection with solid white using the the “bucket fill” tool. go to filters>light & shadow>drop shadow in the dialog set values to
- offset x: 0
- offset y: 0
- Blur radius:9
- color 8f8f8f
- opacity 80
Go to Select none to remove the selection.
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step 5
Draw another path triangle and in the “tools option” dialog click on “Selection from path”
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step 6
Create a new layer grab the blend tool select the FG to BG gradient from the tools option then set your bg color to white and your foreground to eaeaea
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step 7
still with the blend tool selected apply it from the top corner of the triangle to the center bottom as shown in the image.
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step 8
Deselect go to filters>light & shadow >drop shadow and set the values to
- offset x: -7
- offset y: 2
- Blur radius:9
- color 8f8f8f
- opacity 40
Then move the piece 1px down and 1px to the right so that it cover some of the shadow in the corner
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step 9
Select the “blend tool” and apply the same gradient in step 6 from top corner to bottom as shown in the image
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Thats it your done!
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Here is what i originally made the paper for, to place an icon for one of my shortcuts 🙂 this outcome seems to have turned out better because i used a lighter gray in the gradient so try that.
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You can download the XCF file from below , also if you need help please use the forum instead
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