Introduction xxxi Part I: Meet GIMP 1 Chapter 1: What is GIMP? 3 Knowing What GIMP Can and Cannot Do 6 Working with GIMP''s Interface 7 Windows and Menus 7 Docks and Dialogs 9 Images and Canvases 16 Setting Preferences 21 Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts 37 Summary 39 Chapter 2: Thinking Digitally 41 Digital Images vs. Traditional Photographs 41 Raster Graphics vs. Vector Graphics 44 Raster Images 44 Vector Images 44 Resolution and Image Size 46 Changing Image Size and Resolution 47 Confusing Terminology 49 Color Depth 50 Color Spaces and Color Modes 51 Color Spaces 51 Color Modes 52 Compression 55 Lossless Compression 55 Lossy Compression 57 Summary 58 Part II: Getting Started 59 Chapter 3: Working with Files 61 Opening Files 61 Opening Images 62 Creating a Blank New Image 68 Generating an Image from Plug-in or Hardware 69 Managing Open Images 75 Working in the Image Window 77 Copying and Pasting 79 Fun Things You Can Do with Paste (Besides Eat It) 79 Advanced Copy and Paste with Buffers 81 Taking Advantage of Undo 82 Saving Files 84 GIMP''s Native Format: XCF 85 Other Formats 86 Summary 90 Chapter 4: A Brief Overview of GIMP''s Tools 93 The View Menu 93 Modifying Your View in the Image Window 93 Using Display Filters to Color Correct GIMP to Your Monitor 96 Showing and Hiding Information 97 Snapping Controls 98 Padding Color 98 Showing and Hiding Parts of the Image Window 99 Selection Tools 99 Rectangle Select 100 Ellipse Select 101 Free (Lasso) Select 102 Fuzzy Select 102 Select by Color 103 Intelligent Scissors Select 103 Foreground Select 103 Image Tools 104 Informational Tools 104 Transform Tools 106 Paint Tools 106 Color Tools 106 Summary 107 Chapter 5: Taking Advantage of Paths 109 The Advantages of Paths: Get Some Vector in Your Raster 109 Creating Paths 110 Drawing with the Paths tool 111 Creating a Path from a Selection 114 Managing Paths 118 The Paths Dialog 119 Importing and Exporting Paths 121 Using Paths 123 Painting along a Path 124 Selecting with a Path 132 Summary 133 Chapter 6: Working with Layers and Masks 135 Managing Layers 136 A Quick Overview of the Layers Dialog 136 Adding, Duplicating, and Removing Layers 139 Arranging Layers in the Stack 142 Grouping and Merging Layers 143 Manipulating Layers 146 Resizing Layers 146 Aligning Layers 149 Working with Layer Transparency 152 Blending Modes 156 Using Layer Masks 162 Defining Layer Masks 162 Modifying Layer Masks 163 Effectively Using Features in the Select Menu 165 Summary 169 Chapter 7: Using Channels 171 Understanding Channels 171 Red, Green, and Blue: The Default Color Channels 172 A Fistful of Awesome: The Alpha Channel 173 Using Channels 175 Creating Channels 176 Taking Advantage of Channels Once They''re Created 177 Practical Application: Changing the Background 179 Summary 183 Part III: Manipulating Images 185 Chapter 8: Transforming Images 187 Adjustments Available in the Image and Layer Menus 187 Sizing 188 Cropping and Guillotine 190 Flipping and Rotating 195 Liquid Rescale: Quite Possibly the Coolest Thing Ever 198 Using the Image Tools 209 Transformation Tool 215 Flip Tool 219 Summary 220 Chapter 9: Adjusting Colors 221 Using the Color Menu 223 Working with the Color Tools 223 Inverting Values 243 Using Automated Adjustments 243 Working with Separated Color Components 249 Remapping Colors 255 Analyzing Your Colors with Info Tools 266 Color Filter Plug-ins 269 Exporting Color Separations with the Separate+ Plug-in 275 Summary 279 Chapter 10: Working with Text 281 Uses for Text in Images 281 Adding and Editing Text 282 Customizing Text from the Text Panel 286 Making Text Go Along a Path 290 Using Text to Create a Path 292 Working with Text Layers 294 Summary 296 Chapter 11: Painting in GIMP 297 Working with Brushes 298 Adjusting Brushes 299 Creating New Brushes 303 Paint Dynamics and Using Brushes with a Drawing Tablet 313 GIMP Paint Studio -- A Painter-Friendly Batch of Presets 314 Drawing Calligraphic Lines with the Ink Tool 315 Working with Gradients 317 Creating Pattern Fills 320 Summary 321 Chapter 12: Enhancing Photos 323 Traditional Photographer Tools 323 Blur/Sharpen 324 Smudge 326 Dodge/Burn 329 Using Cloning and Healing to Fix Problem Areas 331 Clone Tool 331 Perspective Clone Tool 335 Healing Tool 338 Using the Exposure Blend Plug-in 341 Summary 345 Part IV: Exploring Filters and Effects 347 Chapter 13: Implementing Blur, Enhancement, and Distortion Filters 349 Common Features among Filters 350 Using the Blur Filters 353 Blur 353 Gaussian Blur 353 Motion Blur 354 Pixelize 357 Selective Gaussian Blur 359 Tileable Blur 359 Enhance Filters 360 Antialias 361 Deinterlace 361 Despeckle 362 Destripe 363 NL Filter 364 Red Eye Removal 365 Sharpen 365 Unsharp Mask 367 Distortion Filters 368 Blinds 368 Curve Bend 369 Emboss 371 Engrave 372 Erase Every Other Row 374 IWarp 374 Lens Distortion 377 Mosaic 378 Newsprint 380 Pagecurl 381 Polar Coordinates 382 Ripple 383 Shift 384 Value Propagate 384 Video 386 Waves 386 Whirl and Pinch 388 Wind 389 Summary 390 Chapter 14: Using Image Creation Filters 391 Light and Shadow Filters 391 Gradient Flare 392 Lens Flare 395 Lighting Effects 397 Sparkle 400 Supernova 402 Drop Shadow 402 Perspective 404 Xach-Effect 404 Lens Effect 405 Glass Tile 405 Noise Filters 406 Scatter HSV 406 Hurl 407 Random Pick 407 RGB Noise 408 Slur 409 Spread 409 Render Filters 411 Clouds 411 Nature 413 Pattern 414 Circuit 420 Fractal Explorer 421 Gfig 421 Lava 422 Line Nova 422 Sphere Designer 423 Spyrogimp 424 Summary 425 Chapter 15: Using Compositing Filters 427 Working with Edge-Detect Filters 427 The Difference of Gaussians Option 430 Edge 431 Laplace 434 Neon 435 Sobel 436 Using the Filters in the Generic Menu 438 Convolution Matrix 438 Dilate and Erode 442 Using the Combine Filters 443 Depth Merge 443 Filmstrip 446 Taking Advantage of Mapping Filters 450 Bump Map 450 Displace 453 Fractal Trace 456 Illusion 457 Make Seamless 459 The Map Object Filter 459 Paper Tile 464 Small Tiles 466 Tile 467 Warp 468 Summary 473 Chapter 16: Enhancing Images with Artistic Filters 475 Artistic Filters 475 Apply Canvas 475 Cartoon 476 Cubism 477 GIMPressionist 479 Oilify 480 Photocopy 480 Predator 482 Softglow 484 Van Gogh (LIC) 486 Decor Filters 487 Add Bevel 487 Add Border 488 Coffee Stain 489 Fuzzy Border 491 Old Photo 492 Round Corners 493 Slide 494 Stencil Carve 495 Stencil Chrome 496 Summary 498 Chapter 17: Working with Specialized Filters 499 Web Filters 499 Image Map 499 Semi-Flatten 501 Image Slice 501 Animation Filters 504 Blend 504 Rippling 505 Spinning Globe 506 Waves 507 Optimizing Filters 508 Alpha to Logo 508 3D Outline 508 Summary 511 Chapter 18: Batch Processing with Automating Filters 513 Batch Processing Multiple Files 513 Using the Batch Process Plug-in 514 Using the Contact Sheet Plug-in 524 Automating Tasks with GAP''s Filtermacro 527 The Filtermacro Window 527 Adding Operations 528 Filter All Layers 530 Using Filter All Layers 531 A Quick Shortcut: Selection to AnimImage 535 Summary 536 Chapter 19: Using GIMP Animation Package 537 Using Still Image Sequences and Layers for Animation 538 Creating a Simple GIF Animation with Layers 538 Images to Layers and Layers to Images 542 Managing the Frames of Your Image Sequence with GAP 546 Convenience Features to Improve Workflow 553 Working with the Move Path Feature 553 Morphing 556 Onionskinning 559 Creating a Storyboard 562 Summary 566 Chapter 20: Working with Video-Specific Functions in GIMP 567 Playing Back Video 568 Video Options 568 Audio Options 572 Preferences 574 Encoding Video 575 Setting Video Options 576 Setting Audio Options.