How to create a water reflection in GIMP

This tutorial describes how to create realistic water reflection in GIMP. You will need a script (download).

The original photo:



Now step-by-step for GIMP 2.6

1. I usually work with copy of image, so I duplicate it and add a mask:


2. Using scissors select the area in bottom part of image which you want to have a "coast". Fill with black in mask.


3. Using Clone tool remove unnecessary objects (people in this case):


4. Increase canvas by 200% vertically Image -> Canvas Size...


5. Copy layer and mirror it vertically. Move it down so it will touch just the very tip of image.


6. Use black brush on mask to remove transparent areas:


7. Lock the alpha and run Gauss Blur on reflection layer


8. Check exact size of reflection layer: Layer -> Layer Boundary Size


9. Run script to build the map: Script-Fu -> Map -> Water reflection map. Put size from #8:


10. Wait... :)

11. The result should be like this:


12. Back in reflection layer run Displace :


13. Set the parameters (Y=2*X, "Smear", X and Y maps from image generated by script)


14. Adjust "Hue and Saturation"


15. Make it little bit bluish:


16. Adjust contrast:


17. To avoid sharp border use smear tool on mask in original (top) layer.


18. Crop and save as JPG.

P.s. To find out where to put the script, please check Gimp settings:


The final result:

Tell me your name!

Today I have had another conversation with 3 support. The support engineer told me that they have no records in their system regarding any request (no previous phone calls, no e-mail) from me about possible compensation for the extremely bad mobile service. When it became apparent to me that I will not get anywhere without clear evidences, I've pushed "record" button on my phone and... that's what happened next:



Just to give you a background, below is the mail I've sent to the 3 support from their web site (http://www.three.co.uk) on 7th of October (numbers removed due to privacy restrictions):

Dear Sir/Madam,

On 27th of September I've bought new phone from one of the 'Three' shops. Together with the new phone I've decided to switch from pay-as-you-go to the monthly payment plan.

At that time I've been using number 07906-xxx-xxx. The new monthly plan came with different number 07868-yyy-yyy. I've requested my old PAYG number to be transferred to the new SIM card, so I will be using old number and pay monthly. This has been requested in store on 27th of September. Today is the 7th of October, yet the transfer has not been completed.

But this is not all. On 29th of September I received an SMS saying that my old PAYG number will be transferred to my new (monthly plan) SIM card. At that moment my PAYG number has been disconnected. I was no longer able to use old SIM card. However, the new SIM card was given with completely different new number. Worst of all is the fact that the number belong to somebody else. Yes, it was somebody's else's number!

I started to receive calls and SMSs' from unknown people who believed they call somebody on that number. You can imagine my frustration after such a call in the middle of the night!

After 24 hours of such a disastrous situation I called the 3 support on 333 and asked to fix it. I've been told that it will be fixed in 24-48 hours. Needless to say that next day nothing was fixed. And after two days either. I finally decided to switch the phone off, because it was unbearable!

Last Sunday (5th of October) I called 3 support again and asked why it wasn't fixed and when I will get my original number on my new phone? The person told me that he escalated the issue to the "High" priority, but it will take 72 hours to just investigate it! 72 hours for investigation after a week of fault!

At that time I requested the compensation because the service from 3 was completely unacceptable in any respect. I've been told that it will be discussed later when the phone number will be transferred.

Today is 7th of October. I decided to check with 3 support how the progress of the solving the issue goes and called 333. After the conversation with the person I realized that transfer didn't take place and technical team transferred the wrong number and I have to wait 48 hours AGAIN !!!

I have no words to describe my frustration.
Just let me ask you, how often YOU receive such a "service"?

Regards

BBC: Russians 'leave Georgian areas'

The fighting in the region began on 7 August when Georgia tried to retake South Ossetia by force after a series of lower-level clashes.

More about it here

Russian troops have left "buffer zones" around Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia's interior ministry said...

EU report about Georgia

«It seems however – but they will understand this themselves the coming days – that houses in Gori have not been damaged heavily, whereas the villages around the city have been completely smashed down. Therefore, the refugees from Gori might be able to go back to their houses soon, whereas those from the neighbouring villages do not have a house anymore.»

«Eka Gvalia is also noticing a sort of tendency by Georgian Government to push refugees to return home, more for strategic – it seems – rather than for humanitarian reasons. Eka’s feeling is that the government is not doing everything in their power to ease the situation, in a way maybe that the humanitarian dimension of the matter is used as propaganda for the conflict.»

Highlighted by me.

http://www.pmmg.org.ge/uploads/publish/EUreport_final.pdf

Human Rights Tribune writes a chronology of the war and looking for facts

Human Rights Tribune ( http://humanrights-geneva.info/How-the-Georgian-war-began,3393 )
—
«How the Georgian war began»

«On August 14, Georgian prime minister Lado Gurgenidze gave more details from his side saying, “At around 6 am the Georgian forces blew up the Kurta bridge (about three km north of Tskhinvali). A column of the Russian troops that had entered the previous night from the Roki tunnel was there, so a couple of their vehicles were blown up as well… Think about how many hours of preparation, assembly, then marching, it would take for that column, moving at that speed on rugged terrain to be at the Kurta bridge at six in the morning. If that isn’t a premeditated invasion, I don’t know what is.”

Many of these assertions are disputed. For example, an IWPR reporter who visited the area last week did not see any destroyed bridges in the Kurta area.»

AP: Georgia admits to dropping cluster bombs

A prominent human rights group says Georgia has admitted dropping cluster bombs in its military offensive to assert control over the restive province of South Ossetia.

Human Rights Watch says it has received an official letter from Georgia's Defense Ministry that acknowledges use of the M85 cluster munition near the Roki tunnel that connects South Ossetia with Russia.

The M85 is the same weapon that was used extensively by Israel in its 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

HRW arms division researcher Bonnie Docherty told reporters in Geneva on Monday that Russia undoubtedly used cluster munition in several places during the conflict. However, Russia has denied using the weapon.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5je4oTliESokD-zge0diVbbczCPIgD92TT2VG0

US ambassador endorses Moscow military reaction

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Moscow John Beyrle, in a rare U.S. comment endorsing Russia's initial moves in Georgia, described the Kremlin's first military response as legitimate after Russian troops came under attack.