How to make a Globe/Planet photo manipulation in GIMP

This photo manipulation is called a stereographic projection, which takes a standard photograph and stretches it around in a circle creating a Globe or Planet like image!

Planet Photo Manipulation in GIMP

1. Starting – Cropping

Open up your image – preferably one with lots of depth of field and landscape!
Duplicate Layer, and hide (uncheck eye):
Crop your image – an even balance of sky and ground:
Crop Tool settings: Guides: Center Lines:

Duplicate-Crop

1.b Seamless Join (optional)

To make a more seamless join later you may consider making duplicate sides:
Increase your canvas size on one side – 500px (Image –> Canvas Size…):
Make a selection of at the opposite end and float it: Select –> Float – make it a new layer and duplicate it:
Move the selection in the space at the opposite end:
Add a Layer Mask (White) – ‘Right Click’ on Layer:
Use Blend Tool with FG Only: Black, Bi-Linear:
Blend the overlap:
Crop to size and cut off excess:
Apply Layer Mask and Merge Down (‘Right Click’ Layer) after you have finished:

Seamless Join - Masking

2. Resizing – Square

We need a square image so, go Image –> Scale Image…
Set the width to your original height so they are the same – uncheck the proportions lock first (chain):

Resizing - Square (Image --> Scale Image...)

3. Polar Coordinates

To make the Planet go, Filters –> Distorts –> Polar Coordinates…:
Settings: 100, 180, To Polar (as shown):

Polar Coordinates

4. Retouching – Masking (Skip if completed 1.b)

Since this is not a 360° image it is not continuous, so we need to retouch the join:
Duplicate Globe Layer:
Rotate top layer until clear of the join – about 90° (Layer –> Transform –> Rotate 90°):
Add Layer Mask (White) – ‘Right Click” on Layer or Layer –> Mask –> Add Layer Mask…:

Duplicate - Rotate - Add Layer Mask

Use the Blend/Gradient Tool with Radial and FG Only: Black:
Mask away the line (small strokes).
Use the Brush Tool if you need to refine things: Circle Fuzzy:
Apply Layer Mask and Merge Down (‘Right Click’ Layer) after you have finished:

Layer Masking

5. Centre Retouching (optional)

You might like to fix up the centre, it can look heavily stretched:
On your Original (Background) Layer make a selection of the foreground, use the Ellipse Tool:
Float the selection, go Select –> Float:
To allow a Layer Mask you’ll need to make it an actual layer, *Click* the New Layer Button:
Add Layer Mask (White), use the Brush Tool and smooth out the edges:
Apply Layer Mask and Merge Down (‘Right Click’ Layer) after you have finished:

Centre Retouch

6. Rotate – Crop

Simply rotate your image to your preferably orientation (Layer –> Transform –> Arbitrary Rotation):
And, crop off the edges:

Rotate - Crop

That’s It!

Here is another example, where water is ideal as foreground:

Sydney
by Michael Scott

For some more tips go here!

If you get stuck anywhere just comment below!

Planets | Inspiration

For some inspiration please checkout:
Planet (Stereographic Projection) Photography

If you’d like to use these photographs please Contact Me!

Please comment below if you have any questions and I’ll answer them ASAP!

Written by Mike

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Michael Scott is the publisher and photographer behind Scott Photographics! He is very passionate about his photography and enjoys sharing the best of his experiences for others to enjoy too! Contact Mike via email!

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