Creating Custom Floor and Shield Images?

[Mithrandir]

Question:

I have made a number of ships using superluminal, and the one thing that I can't manage to find an answer to is this: how do you create your own floor images, and how do you create your own shield images. I do not have photoshop, but I do have gimp. My understanding of gimp is marginal at best, and my knowledge of programming is nonexistent. (no XML editing for me). A ship looks vastly better with a floor image, and I would feel somewhat ashamed to post up any of my ships without them. Creating a custom shield bubble image would be nice as well (so far I have used the preexisting shield images). If anyone knows how to do that, I would be grateful to know.

Thanks.

Edit:

Also, does anyone know how to create/employ thruster glow images?

[R4V3-0N]

floor = use vanilla floor pieces, mix and match and done.

Shield = re size the in game shield images, they turn out well.

[Mithrandir]

Thanks Raven , I will try this method next time I am working on a ship.

If anyone else has any alternative ways to this one I would be interested to know. (In the interest of a complete understanding of the subject matter)

[R4V3-0N]

when making shield image, try and have another image layer of your ship so you can get it the right size.
Same with the floor image. It would help to know where are your rooms and stuff to help you out with the floor image. right?