Zdnet key takeaways
- GIMP image editor is not almost challenging as you can think.
- There are many things that you can do to improve your workflow.
- All these tips are free to use.
I am using GIMP image editor as much as I can remember. When I first started my gym travel, I did not know anything about image editing; The moment I opened the gym, I felt that I was lost. Over the years, I have not only developed an intimacy for application, but I consider it one of the better image editors available today.
During the years of use, I have learned a lot about how Gimp works and how to use it efficiently. If you are currently starting with Gimp (especially after coming from Photoshop), it may find it particularly challenging.
Too: 10 Linux apps I install on every new machine (and why you should also do)
Don’t panic – You may think that you may think to use Gimp. The following tips will help you help the most from the open-source image editor.
1. Learn and customize UI
Before you throw your hands into the air and declare, “I can’t work with this user interface,” I suggest that you get acquainted with all the components of the UI first. Although it may look like something wrong at first glance, it is actually kept with lots of thoughts and arguments.
Nevertheless, you may like to customize the UI to suit your needs. If Photoshop has been your image editor for a long time, consider using Photogimp, a patch that makes Gimp UI easier to convert into an interface like Photoshop.
However, I recommend that you first try to familiarize yourself with the standard Gimp layout and see if it does not make much understanding.
2. Master layers and channels
GIMP has very important features layer and channels that can actually increase your work. Essentially, layers are like transparent sheets of paper, standing on top of each other. The layers make it possible to function independently and non-destructively on different elements of your image.
The channels are the basic building blocks of the color data of a layer, including individual color components (red, green, blue) and an alpha channel for transparency. With channels, each layer corresponds to a special level depending on the color model of the image. With both layers and channels, you can decide what is displayed in an image, making them a very flexible and powerful tool.
3. Uncontrolled tools
In GIMP, it is possible to disable the feature that combines similar tools simultaneously in the same icon. For example, if you click and catch the bucket Phil icon, you will see that it can be switched to the gradient icon. Although it saves a place in the UI, it may be challenging to remember which equipment are grouped together.
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You can disable that feature in Settings> Interface> Toolbox and uncheck the box for “use tool groups”. Once you disable the facility, you have to resume Gimp for changes to be effective. Now, each tool will have your own button, so you don’t have to spend time to remember where you have to find the device you need.
4. Add brush and fonts
GIMP can use Photoshop brush. I have installed a lot of brushes over the years and have found that they help make my job a little easier. There is also GIMP brush depot On Deviantart where you can download a lot of free brushes. Once downloaded, brush should be kept here:
- Linux: ~/.config/gimp/version/brush, or ~/.gimp-version/brush
- Macos:/User/User Name/Application/Library/Application Support/GIMP/Edition/Brush
- Windows: c: \\ users \\ username \\ Appdata \\ Roaming \\ Gimp \\ 2.10 \\ brush
The user name is your user name, and the version is the version of the GIMP you are using. If you are using Photoshop brush, be sure to convert the extension name to. GBR.
5. Learn layer mask
When I learned how to use a layer mask, my work improved rapidly. Think of the layer mask as a grayscale image used to control the transparency of a layer. In the case of layer masks, black area hides the material layer, the white reveals it, and gray creates a partial transparency for smooth combination and selective editing.
Also: How to make Gimp more like Photoshop
You can add a layer mask by right-clicking on a layer in the layer panel and then click on the ad layer mask. Once the layer mask is added, whatever you want, such as enticing the transparency level of a particular section of a layer. One thing to remember is that, when you finish with the layer mask, you have to apply it by right-clicking on the layer and then selecting the applied layer mask.
6. Filter learn
GIMP includes a good collection of filters. You will find filters for stains, enhancing, deformed, light and shadow, noise, edge detection, general, combination, artistic and more. These filters are an invaluable tool to elevate your work. When I am working with effect and filter, I usually apply them to layers, so they are not global. I use Light and Shadow> Dropdown with Legacy -Gaussian Blur.
Because there are lots of filters, you want to spend some time to learn ins and out to use each.
Also: How to use layers in GIMP image editor (and why you should do)
7. Install G’Mic
G’MMIC is an independent, open-source framework for image processing. G’Mic adds hundreds of algorithm filters used to manipulate and enhance your images. Many G’Mic filters are actually a combination of standard filters, which means that you do not go through more filter than managing and apply. G’Mic will save you a lot of work.
You have to install G’Mic separately, which is easy to do. For Linux, release the command Sudo Apt-Get installed Gimp-GMIC -Y. On Windows, you just download the .exe file, double-click it, and run through the installation wizard. (The G’MMIC team does not turn off the Macos port of the software.) Once installed, you can reach G’Mic in the filter menu.
8. Reduce changes
The least changes are the practice of reducing the number of irreversible changes applied to an image to preserve its quality. For example, if you choose to change the shape of an image, you want to make sure to use proper projection method and avoid scaling unnecessarily. This will prevent excessive pixels and/or loss of expansion. Essentially, reducing changes is another way of “avoiding image fall”.
9. Use auto color adjustment
Color grading can make or break your images. While grading is used mostly for videos, automatic color adjustment can still be applied to photos. Auto color adjustment colors> can be found in the auto folder, where you will get an adjustment for equal, white balance, stretch contrast, stretch contrast (HSB), color enhance and color enhancement (heritage). Using these devices is a great way to improve the color of your images.
Too: How to export images as PDFS in GIMP
10. Use multi-window mode
The default Gimp layout slaps everything in the same window. However, the multi-window mode keeps the tools in the individual window, so you can take them to the place where you want. Once you turn into multi-window mode, those devices are no longer limited to the rest in the main GUI; You can pull them around and keep them where you need.
Think of multi-window mode in this way: The single-window consolves everything in the same window, while the multi-window breaks the UI into several windows, which you can pull around and use as needed. To use multi-window mode, go to the Windows menu in GIMP and click on single-window mode to disable the feature.
