Understanding the Tools

The following is a guide to all the tools on the toolbox (or main dock) of GIMP.

Shortcuts are ways to select tools without having to switch back to the GIMP toolbox every time you want to switch. If I do not note a shortcut, there is not one (that I know of).

Please note that all tools have special adjustments and customizations you can play with in their dialogs.

Tools:

	The Rectangle Selection Tool, which is used to select a rectangular region. Pretty straight-forward. This can be used for various forms of selection and cropping (particularly layer cropping). The shortcut is R.
	The Ellipse Selection Tool, which is used to select a circular/ellipse region. This can be used for various forms of selection and cropping, and is particularly useful when you are dealing with a curved or circular object. The shortcut is E.
	The Free Select Tool, which is used to select a hand drawn region. This is a tricky tool to use unless you have a tablet. The shortcut is F.
	The Fuzzy Select Tool, which is used to select a continuous region on the basis of color. This can be useful when you want to select a section that is all one color - such as a stripe. The shortcut is U.
	The Select by Color Tool, which is used to select a color anywhere on the image (rather than one portion of continuous color, like the Fuzzy Select Tool). This can be useful when you want to select a certain color all over the image. The shortcut is SHIFT+O.
	Scissors Select Tool, which is used to select shapes using intelligent edge fitting. This is an excellent alternative to the harder-to-control Free Select Tool. This can be useful when you want to cut out a certain part of the image - such as an actress you want to use for a photo collage or manip. The shortcut is I.
	The Foreground Select Tool, which is used to select a region containing foreground objects. This is another good alternative to the Free Select Tool. This tool allows you to color in what you want to select, and makes it easy to see the spots you missed.
	The Paths Tool, which is used to create and edit paths. This tool makes it possible for you to easily create solid, clean lines. It is particularly useful when turning a hand drawn sketch into graphic art, or in other areas of graphic art. The shortcut is B.
	The Color Picker Tool, which is used to set colors from image pixels. This is perfect for when you need a certain color color code) from your image. The shortcut is O.
	The Zoom Tool, which is used to adjust the zoom level. Pretty obvious. The shortcut is Z, or SHIFT and + (zoom in), SHIFT and - (zoom out).
	The Measure Tool, which is used to measure distances and angles. You must click CTR+click to make it work. The shortcut is SHIFT+M.
	The Move Tool, which is used to move layers, selections, and other objects. I like to keep my option for this tool on "Move Current Layer Only," because otherwise you run the risk of unintentionally moving other layers without noticing your mistake. The shortcut is M.
	The Alignment Tool, which is used to align or arrange layers and other objects. This will save you a heck of a lot of time trying to section layers and objects. To activate it, you must use CTR+click. The shortcut is Q.
	The Crop Tool, which is used to remove edge areas from layers or images. Highlight what you want cropped and click ENTER. The shortcut is SHIFT+C.
	The Rotate Tool, which is used to rotate the layer, selection or path. Helpful when straightening out a crooked image. The shortcut is SHIFT+R.
	The Scale Tool, which is used to scale the layer, selection or path. This can be tricky to do right - I prefer to shrink something through Layer > Scale Layer. The shortcut is SHIFT+T.
	The Shear Tool, which is used to shear the layer, selection or path. This means that it rotates it in a weird way. I'm not sure what you use this for. The shortcut is SHIFT+P.
	The Flip Tool, which is used to reverse the layer, selection or path horizontally or vertically. The shortcut is SHIFT+F.
	The Text Tool, which is used to create and edit text layers. The shortcut is SHIFT+T.
	The Bucket Fill Tool, which is used to fill the selected area with a color or pattern. The shortcut is SHIFT+B.
	The Blend (or Gradient) Tool, which is used to fill the selected area with a color gradient. There are a lot of creative things you can do with gradients. The shortcut is L.
	The Pencil Tool, which is used like a hard-edge brush. The shortcut is N.
	The Paintbrush Tool, which is used to paint smooth strokes. You can use any of your brushes with this tool - soft or hard. The difference between the Paintbrush and the Airbrush is that the Paintbrush immediately paints at the full opacity you've selected, while the Airbrush takes a few minutes to get more solid. The shortcut is P.
	The Eraser Tool, which is used to erase background or transparency using a brush. The shortcut is SHIFT+E.
	The Airbrush Tool, which is used to paint using a brush, with variable pressures. You can use any of your brushes with this tool - soft or hard. The difference between the Paintbrush and the Airbrush is that the Paintbrush immediately paints at the full opacity you've selected, while the Airbrush takes a few minutes to get more solid. The shortcut is A.
	The Ink Tool, which is used to paint in a calligraphy style. This brush is always hard. The longer you hold down the clicker in one place, the bigger the brush gets. The shortcut is K.
	The Clone Tool, which is used to selectively copy from an image or pattern using a brush. To make it work, you much use CTR+click to select the area you want to copy form. The shortcut is C.
	The Healing Tool, which is used to heal image irregularities. This is similar to the clone brush, but it has a softer effect. It is perfect for editing out pimples and other face imperfections. To make it work, you much use CTR+click to select the area you want to copy form. The shortcut is H.
	The Perspective Clone Tool, which is used to clone from an image source after applying a perspective transformation. I'm not sure how this works or what it's for.
	The Blur / Sharpening Tool, which is used to selectively blur or sharpen part of an image using a brush. The shortcut is SHIFT+U.
	The Smudge Tool, which is used to smudge selectively using a brush. This is a good tool for when you want a painting/brush stroke effect, or when the biggest blur will not solve the pixel-y look that's driving you insane. The shortcut is S.
	The Dodge / Burn Tool, which is used to selectively lighten or darken using a brush. Use this tool with caution - tool much burning or dodging will ruin your picture's quality. The shortcut is SHIFT+D.

Other:

	When you select a tool, it will be highlighted like this. By double clicking, you can open your tool's dialog.
	This shows the colors you have ready to use in your brushes or bucket fill. The default colors are black and white. You can switch the foreground and background colors by clicking the white arrows. You can change the colors by clicking either of the boxes. And if you ever want to go back to plain black and white, just click the mini black and white boxes to the side.

Creating a Partially Black and White Image

There are two ways to do this.

Original Image.

1) Duplicate your layer. Change the top layer so it's completely black-and-white and erase the part you want to be colored. It will look something like this (my example is really sloppy - you will, of course, do a much more detailed job).

NOTE: Sometimes the newest version of GIMP goes wacky and decides when you erase that you really want to turn everything white. To fix this, create a new transparent layer and merge your top layer into it (right click > Merge Layer). Then you can erase to your heart's delight.

2) Using Hue-Saturation, click on the colors you don't want to show up (in my example: blue and cyan) one at a time and move their slider thing to -100. You image should look something like this.

NOTE: This only works where you have very distinct colors in your image. It will not work for images that are basically all red or all blue, etc. Your image will look like this if it isn't distinct.

Black and White Images

This is a basic GIMP tutorial on turning your image black and white.

Black and White

Go to Color > Hue-Saturation. Move the Saturation slide all the way to -100. It will look like this.

To just get an old timey-feel, don't move it all the way to -100. It will look like this.

You can also attain a black and white image by going to Color > Colorize and turning the saturation level to -100.

Dialogs

The following is a basic GIMP tutorial about the use of dialogs.

Dialogs

Dialogs are tool windows. I like to keep Layers, Tool Options and Brushes open all the time, though sometimes I also open History (makes it easier to undo things).

This one way to pull up a dialog:

Step One - Click Windows > Dockable Dialogs. Click the dialog you want. It will pop up in a new window, like so.

Step Two - Click on the dialog's bold title and drag it to the dock (the GIMP tool holder). Drop it next to your other dialogs (or in the empty space) and it should move there, like so.

You can also double click a tool on the GIMP toolbox to open a dialog for that function. (However, there are many most tools to choose from by using the above method.)

Looking for a specific subject? Find the topics under Labels on the sidebar, or look here for a complete directory.

Guide to Labels

Introduction

Artists and Communications

Communicating with Artists
Respecting Artists 101

GIMP Tutorials

Basic Gimp Tutorials

Black and White Images
Creating a Partially Black and White Image
Dialogs
Understanding the Tools

Graphic Tutorials

[no posts cover graphic tutorials yet]

Communicating with Artists

Ever had an artist blow up in your face over something you did not understand? Here is a guide to effective communication with artists. This guide is specifically for people asking for permission to use art in something like a stillness/graphic challenge community, Powerpoint, or paper. Please note that if you are asking to use art for professional purposes, it is very likely you will be told no - but do not be afraid to ask anyway.

Communicating with Artists

1. Humility, humility, humility. As in all situations when you're asking for something, you must be humble when asking to use a piece of art. Keep in mind that you do not have a right to use the art for any reason. You are asking for a favor - and for some artists, this will be a pretty big favor. The more polite and humble you are, the more likely you are to receive a kind answer - even if the answer ends up being "no."
   
2. Show you are a fan. Tell the artist what you like about his or her work. Be sure to let them know that you respect them and their art - this is not just a piece of work from a hotel for you, and you are going to handle the art like an adult. Start with a compliment, end with a compliment.
   
3. Let them know that you know they're doing you a favor. You can do this with phrases like: "I would really appreciate it if..." or "I totally understand if you say no, but..."
4. Tell them exactly what you want to do - and be truthful about it! Lying is a big no-no. If you lie, you deserve for the artist to send you hate mail. Beyond that, tell the artist clearly what you are going to do with the art in your first message. Do not leave a vague question for the artist to follow up on - the artist very likely will not take the bait. Do not make him or her chase you down. If you are asking for permission to post or use the picture elsewhere, give the artist a link to the blog/site where you plan on putting up the picture.
   
5. Be prepared for a "no," and accept it graciously. Remember, you are asking for a huge favor. You will not build up your reputation as a trustworthy fan if you throw a fit when you are told "no," or if you take the art anyway. You are dealing with the artist's baby. You do not have a right to the art.

Have more suggestions to add, artists? Leave a comment!

Looking for a specific subject? Find the topics under Labels on the sidebar, or look here for a complete directory.

Respecting Artists 101

It's come to my attention that if you are not an artist, it is hard to understand the Unwritten Code artists abide by. This is my guide to basic respect for artists.

Respecting Artists 101

1. Never, never, never steal art. Do not steal it to sell. Do not steal it to show as your own. Stealing art in any way is like stealing a baby from his mother, painting him green, and selling him to the aliens on the black market. Don't do it.
   
2. Do not hotlink. Hotlinking is the act of copying a picture and pasting it somewhere else on the Internet. This can be done by right clicking the image and taking the properties. It can also be done by highlighting the image and copying it, or by right clicking the image and clicking "Copy Image." I outline how it is done because for a long time I did not realize what hotlinking actually meant. I also never realized why this is so bad until all of my image links went bad one day because my bandwidth was exceeded. Translation: I had to pay $50, or upload the hundreds of images I had and replace all the images everywhere I'd ever posted them. Respect the artist - don't make them pay for your laziness. It is not hard to save an image and upload it to your own host, like Photobucket, Flicker or TinyPic.
3. Give credit. Whenever you post or share someone else's art on your blog or with your friends, always give credit. This particularly goes for things like HMTL or CSS design, icons, headers, and other graphics created to be shared. If you do not know how to give credit, ask the artist. Different artists have different preferences. But if you ask politely, you will probably get a kind and informative reply. However, be prepared to be told no! Some artists do not want their images spread around. And if you don't hear back and cannot find the information on the artist's page, don't post the picture. (See Communicating With Artists.)
   
4. Don't copy. Imitation is supposed to be a form a flattery. It is, a bit - when I find someone copying something I have made, I think it's sort of cute. But I also feel cheated. Copying someone's style is like cheating on a test. Blatant copying is not even funny - it's borderline stealing. Be inspired by artists' work, but use your own creativity to make your own piece of work.

Have more suggestions to add, artists? Leave a comment!

Looking for a specific subject? Find the topics under Labels on the sidebar, or look here for a complete directory.