Trying again

I keep forgetting to jot down the notes while animating in GIMP.
You can see I am terribly absent minded when it comes to things worthwhile of this nature.
The image - sphere size - is basically 50x50.
So,
Open up GIMP
Select File > New
50 and 50 are your width and height.
Advanced Options:
96dpi for both width and height
Background is transparency.

Methods used were:
Filters > Render > Sphere Designer on Gimp
with Solid -> Marble [Pick your own colors here, do not use the defaults]
First Light entry [Do the same. Pick your own colors.]
Second Light entry [Yep, again, the same, G!]

Okay,
Now you are going to resize the canvas with:
Image > Canvas size
set at 250x100.

Next:  Layer >New Layer
It should now be the canvas size.

The sphere can be repositioned with the move tool in GIMP.
What you do is
1. Duplicate the layer. Right click of mouse or mouse pad > Layer >Duplicate.
2. Select active layer.
3. Colors > Hue and saturation.

Again use the move tool. It looks like a plus with four arrows in four directions on the toolbox.
With every duplicate, you are to slightly move the sphere and then use Hue and Saturation.
Create as many layers as you wish.

Okay,
start de-selecting  the view of each layer until you are at the first sphere.
Select that first spherical layer.
Do Layer > New Layer
Go to Filters > Render > Pattern > Qbist

Do a constant random selection until you have the Qbist design you want.
This will be the background.
With the same qbist layer
Choose Filters > Distorts > Waves
The Amplitude, Phase, and Wavelength should be set to resemble the actual rippling when a water drop hits a pond or another small body of water.

You will duplicate and move this up to each sphere layer you have made.

As you move each duplicate up, choose Filters >repeat Waves.
This will give the background the effect of a rippling pool of water.

This took me a few hours to make; so, it goes to show that even simple animation is far from easy.


After you have done the layers,
you will de-select everything
and go to the bottom two layers.
Select the background.
Select the sphere.
Active layer is the sphere.
Choose Filters > Light and Shadow > Drop Shadow
Offset of X is 3
Offset of Y is 3
Blur Radius is 7.
Choose the color and move the selector to the top right corner so that the color is pure without any dark or light hints.
On the color sidebar, you will move the selection to where you want the color.

It's a lot, isn't it?

Click OK.
Then click okay for the drop shadow.
select the sphere layer
then use layer > merge down.
Do this until all three layers are as one.

Yes,
it is really going to be that tedious.

Do the same repeatedly with each background and the sphere layer above it.

This is going to take some time; so,
I hope you are patient.

If you make mistakes, the Edit and undo will aid and assist you in correcting that mistake.


Go ahead, take your time.
Are you back yet?

Okay, goodly.

Makes you tired?
Eat some peanut buter
or a snack.
and some coffee or tea.

Alright
File
Export as:
"The name you want it to be without spaces.gif

Crop all layers?
Yes -> OK.
Choose Interlaced and Animation.
0 (zero) as the selected delay rate
Select I don't care
and check both bottom boxes.

When you click okay
You should see the "Evil CPU" dialogue.

There.
You are done.

You have just made a simple animated GIF using open source software.

Have a goodly and weeby day.

See ya!

Tchau tchau!