Let’s get start DIY cat’s clone cushion!

Do you have an animal companion? Animal companion makes you relax, heal your heart, rather than human companion sometimes….

Today’s lesson is, make a clone of your animals. With this clone cushion, you may not feel alone in anywhere.

Even your office you can with your companion.

DIY Cat’s Clone Cushion

I am cat craze. I cannot live without cat but for 5 years I cannot have any cat…but I survive….

So I want to have a clone of my cat which I lost. But sadly I could not find any good pics of her.

Then I make a clone of my mom’s cat Coco.

 

Preparation

What You Need to Prepare DIY  Cat’s Clone Cushion…..

I had thought what is the most easier,cheaper, and most satisfactoriness way to make a clone cushion.

And finally I found this is the best way to DIY clone your cat cushion.

1.Pic of Your Animal

I asked my mom to send me Coco’s pics. 
This is an original Coco’s pic. How sweet she is!

original cat picture

 

But this pic is not suitable for this DIY. Very bad example.

To print a pic clearly for A3/Tabloid size, DIY cat’s clone cushion requires

1. Higher resolution pic of your cat. At least around 3000×2000 px .
2. Your cat filled entire pic. 
3.Focused your cat exactly. At least its face. 

2.Free Image Processor Software GIMP

Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are very famous and high quality and popular image processor software.

If you have them(or something like them) and used to use them, you will do it very well so pass this page.

Go to lesson 2.

 

And If you don’t have them, and have never tried similar software, 

and want to try it free, I recommend GIMP.

GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program

This is very useful vector graphics editor like Adobe Illustrator.

Very high quality and easy to use, but FREE! You can install it from link above.

I am a Mac user so I explain about GIMP with Mac’s interface.

Window’s interface is a little bit different but easy as for Mac’s.

 

These only 2 things you need to have.

And this page, I’m not gonna explain a detail of how to install and start to GIMP.

But that’s not difficult. Please check their help page.

https://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

 

Image Processing with GIMP

If you never tried image processing, you may think it would be difficult or troublesome.

Each people has different impression for same thing, so I don’t deny it.

But not TOO difficult, I guess.

At the first, show you what image you will make.

coco image 04

 

This file’s original size is around A3 (11.69 × 16.54 inches. About tabloid) size.
To make clone size cat’s cushion it demands around A3 size image.

In the original pic from my mom, Coco’s color was very pale so I retouched it more darker.

And background is removed and got transparent.

So let’s DIY cat’s clone cushion together!

1. Open Gimp and Create a New Image

A little bit too small to see, this is the GIMP interface on Mac.

gimp interface on mac

Click “file” on a bar of the top and then click “new”.
gimp create a new image

Then, new window open. Set the file size.
Click pull down of “template”,choice “A3”.
Default A3 size is 300×300 ppi, so change it 200×200 ppi.
Click “Advanced Options” and change X and Y.
And pull down “Fill with” and choice “transparency”.

gimp create a new image

That is what an image you will create.
A3 size, 200 ppi, transparency back ground.
 
Of course you can change them as you want.
Set resolution 150~200 ppi, if you make any size of image.
 
To print a fabric, fabrics are rough rather than papers.
If the resolution higher more than 200 ppi, it won’t effect well for fabrics.
Just make a file heavy.

gimp create a new image

 2. Insert Your Cat’s Pic

Then, insert your cat’s pic on this image.
I say again, your pic must be
1. Higher resolution pic of your cat. At least around 3000×2000 px .
2. Your cat filled entire pic. 
3.Focused your cat exactly. At least its face. 

gimp insert new layer

 Then new window that shows your PC’s files, choice your cat’s pic. Example below.

3. Set a Size

It is a bit smaller than the image. Scale it to large to fill your cat the image.

Choice cat’s layer on the layers window, then scale icon on the tool bar.

 

 

Of course, if your pic is larger than image, scale it smaller to fit the image.
 

4. Delate Back Ground

You need to delate back ground of Cat.
At the first, add “Alpha channel” for cat’s layer.
“Alpha channel” is need to change the layer transparent.
You cannot see any changing on the image, but that’s okay.

There are a few way to remove back ground.
I’m gonna tell you the most easiest way I guess.
 
Use “Free Select Tool”.
 

With this Item, draw a line like below. Line is very thin cannot see on the pic so I draw pink line instead of it.

Then, remove the outside of the line.
Select → Invert → Edit → Clear

5.Change Color Tone

This is not perfect still. But before finishing, change cat’s color more darker.
To make a boundary clearly and print nicely.
Select cat’s layer in layer box, then go to
Color → Curves
In this window you can change its color easily.

 Example below.
 
After you satisfy with changing, remove the rest with “Erase Tool”.

If you have patience, you can draw a paths with “Paths Tool” and then delate outside of path.

So you can erase the rest at once. But I don’t know which is easier.

 

And then if you want rotate the pic, use “Rotate Tool”.
Select cat’s layer, click this tool, then left click on the cat’s layer.

Small window open, then click pull down “Angle Box”.

Yay! It’s finished!
Convert this image to PNG file.
Select the layer and go to
File → Export As → Select File Type “tiff” or “png” from pull down → Export
Then print it out with your printer and check its color and size.
Is that perfect? Then go to lesson 2!