How to Make a Rainbow in GIMP (Easy Beginner Tutorial)

In this tutorial, I will teach you how to make a rainbow in GIMP. It’s a quick and easy beginner-friendly tutorial. Follow along!

Step 1

After you opened GIMP, create a new image. I’ll be using 1000×1000 pixels.

Step 2

Add a new transparent layer.

Step 3

Use the Rectangle Tool to make a rectangle around halfway down the image. Fill it with a rainbow gradient.

Note: I’ve edited the magenta (bottom) color of the rainbow somewhat so that no more red is visible.

Step 4

Go to Filters > Distorts > Polar Coordinates.

Circle depth in percent: 100

Select ‘Map backwards’ to erase the white space that is added in your image.

Deselect ‘Map from top’ so that your rainbow is shaped in the correct direction.

Step 5

Now you can cut off the bottom half of your rainbow and voilà!

Finished!

Now you know how to make a rainbow in GIMP, easily and quickly! You can edit it to your liking: add clouds, a background, fade the colors, change them to kawaii pastel, add a bird or a plane, or even a sun! Or you can save it as a transparent PNG image and use it in other projects.

Have fun and thank you for following my GIMP tutorial!