Filters question 2.8

[gazza]

Hi
I am trying to use some Tutorials that I saved way back and they want to use the Filters/Render/ Clouds/ Difference Clouds. I understand the Difference clouds filter has changed to a "Noise" filter now in 2.10. Does the filter in 2.8 not work at all now? I have the .scm file in my scripts folder, but it is all greyed out when I try to use it. I am sure I did use it recently and it worked. Maybe I am doing something incorrectly? I am trying to put some water with a reflection in front of some houses. The background file downloaded is in .png format, and it is only the "Clouds" issue that has me stumped.
Gazza

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Sorry folks............ got it sorted. Welll sort of. The filter works, but having trouble with this particular project.
Thanks

[gazza]

No ........  this is driving me around the bend. If I open a new white layer, go to "Filters / Render/ Clouds / It also displays the "Difference Clouds" selection in white so I can choose it and it will in fact work. 

I have an image of a house which I want to put water in front of. I go through the process of selecting the area, flipping the image and dragging it into position. Then, I have 2 layers. The top layer, and bottom layer. I create another layer (white) and place it in the middle of the other two layers. I turn off the top layer, leave the bottoom layer on,  select this new white layer and go to "Filters / Render / Clouds, and then when I go to select "Difference Clouds", the selection is greyed out. 
I must have tried about 50 times but ............ it won't work. What am I doing wrong?
Gazza

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I forgot to mention, I am using this tutorial word for word, but using a different image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4I5evNvuLU&t=158s

[rich2005]

I do not know why 'difference clouds' is greyed out but it is broken in Gimp 2.10 anyway. Since it calls the solid noise filter you might as well go straight there.

This using Gimp 2.10 so you can see the equivalent GEGL filters - might help

[gazza]

Good one Rich. I am on to it now. No idea why that does not work in 2.8, but I did the project again using 2.10 and it is all sweet.
Gazza

[PixLab]

"Difference Clouds" does work in 2.10 you just need to give it a color for it to work and make the difference
I mean, fill a transparent area with a color or black or white
Fill your new doc with white then Filters/Render/noise/Difference clouds > you will got your B&W clouds (black is opposite of white)
Fill your new transparent doc with red then Filters/Render/noise/Difference clouds > you will got your red and cyan clouds (cyan is opposite of red)

You do need to give the script a color to start with, if not it cannot make the "difference" (thus the name "difference clouds")

[rich2005]

Difference Clouds does not work as it should in Gimp 2.10

In Gimp 2.8 it opens the Solid Noise plugin so that the user can adjust the solid noise values.

In Gimp 2.10 this does not happen. Solid noise is applied with default values, ie you get what you are given.  This was raised with the devs sometime in the past. Never fixed. I think the reasoning being it is simple to apply the GEGL Solid Noise filter directly ( and apply difference mode if required)

You can get Difference Clouds to work as intended in Gimp 2.10 - Install the Gimp 2.8 Solid Noise plugin.

The applicable line from the Difference Clouds script (the bit that no longer works with GEGL)

Code:

    ; Show the solid noise dialog
    (plug-in-solid-noise SF-RUN-MODE image diff-clouds 0 0 0 1 4.0 4.0)

[PixLab]

(10-07-2021, 12:42 PM)rich2005 Wrote: Difference Clouds does not work as it should in Gimp 2.10

In Gimp 2.8 it opens the Solid Noise plugin so that the user can adjust the solid noise values.

In Gimp 2.10 this does not happen. Solid noise is applied with default values, ie you get what you are given.  This was raised with the devs sometime in the past. Never fixed. I think the reasoning being it is simple to apply the GEGL Solid Noise filter directly ( and apply difference mode if required)

You can get Difference Clouds to work as intended in Gimp 2.10 - Install the Gimp 2.8 Solid Noise plugin.

The applicable line from the Difference Clouds script (the bit that no longer works with GEGL)

Code:

    ; Show the solid noise dialog
    (plug-in-solid-noise SF-RUN-MODE image diff-clouds 0 0 0 1 4.0 4.0)

I don't recall how Difference Clouds was behaving in GIMP 2.8 as it was something like around 4 or maybe 5 years from now?

Anyway, you are right, It does not behave like in 2.8 anymore.
I did some search as I told myself after your writing "yeah... He might be right as usually the 3 dots after "Difference Clouds..." in the menu should meant that a dialog shall open"

And found in the GIMP doc:
GIMP 2.8 doc https://docs.gimp.org/2.8/en/script-fu-d...louds.html > just below the first paragraph it's there explaining a dialog opens (also in GIMP 2.6 > https://docs.gimp.org/2.6/en/script-fu-d...louds.html )

   

GIMP 2.10 doc https://docs.gimp.org/2.10/en/script-fu-...louds.html > that paragraph just disappeared...

   

I'm also thinking, because they have removed this paragraph, it's not going to be fixed...

Thanks Rich for your input, as always, very useful.

[rich2005]

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/issues/1261

ie. Easier to re-write the description than fix the problem. To be honest, the manual operation is trivial, use solid noise, set your values, set layer mode difference.

Edit: This is the Gimp 2.8 section, so anyone still using Gimp 2.8, have no fears.

Issues can arise, as with that Gimp 2.8 tutorial applied to Gimp 2.10, which shows up the problem of these old tutorials. (and there are plenty of them) A basic understanding of how Gimp works is always best. Unfortunately that comes with time and use.