User blog:BirdPower14/Tips on creating satellite imagery

Hello, I thought I'd post this to show you how you can superimpose satellite imagery for custom hurricanes/cyclone/typhoons.

Method 1: Using GIMP

You can superimpose satellite imagery using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program (I can't afford Photoshop))

Step 1: Download Satellite imagery of your choice (I'll be using Hyacinthe from 1980 as an example)

Open GIMP (Download it here if you don't have it installed already) And drag the image into the window (Or right-click your image and select the drop-down "Open with" and then "GIMP")

Step 1.2: If your image is a .JPG file, then go up to the top and select "Layer - Transparency - Add Aplha Channel". If it won't let you, it's likely that there is already one there.

Step 2: Select the tool "Select by Color" then hold [GRTL] or [SHIFT] and click on as much white as you possibly can. The tool icon should look like this:

Holding shift or control is required because if not you may lose selection

Step 3: Once you've selected as much of the storm that you want to overlay, hold [CRTL+SHIFT+I] to invert your selection and then [CRTL+SHIFT+X] to remove the background.

If that doesn't work, scrap the [SHIFT] key.



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Your selection should look like this.

Step 4: Find a good, cloudless satellite image you want to superimpose with your storm, like blue marble.

Go to zoom.earth and use snipping tool / Snip & Select or any tool and take a snippet of where you want your storm to be.

Drag that image into your program over your storm. If the cyclone is being covered by your arial imagery, just drag and swap the images around located at the bottom right corner.



Use the shift tool to move your cyclone into the exact space

If you have exposed edges, you can use the crop tool to crop them away.



BONUS: If you want to have a storm from the SHEM in the NHEM, just go up the top to "Image - Transform - Flip Horizontally" before you drag your other image over.

Step 5: Once you have finished, just export your image up to the top and hit "File - Export" or [CRTL+SHIFT+E].

Save it wherever you want it. Here is the finished product.



METHOD 2:

Use a GAN (Generative Adversarial Network) to generate your image by combining 2 or more hurricanes from the same hemisphere. GANs are difficult to get a hand on though.

Thanks for reading my blog!