[vox-tech] gimp question: layers and resizing

[Bill Kendrick]

On Mon, Jan 20, 2003 at 12:33:32AM -0800, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
<snip>
> i've got an image that i created (saved as xcf format.  is that correct
> if i want to keep the layers intact?)

Yes.  XCF is Gimp's native format.  It stores all layers, alpha levels,
selections (did you know you can have more than one? :^) ), paths, etc.


<snip>
> 
> i'd like to make the whole image longer.  so:
> 
>    Image | Canvas Size | Height (increased it by a bit)
> 
<snip>
> 
> the original image is white with some graphics in it that i'd like to
> move into the checkerboard portion.  the checkerboard region is ...
> well, a grey checkerboard.  i don't know how else to describe it.  it's
> wierd.

Your image is larger, but the layers are all still the original size.

The easiest fix is to right-click the canvas and select
'Layer to Image Size' from the 'Layers' submenu.

You'll need to do this to each layer.

Notice when you do this that the 'outline of the current layer'
(the black-and-yellow dashed line) will grow to the size of the canvas. :^)


Now, you'll still have 'checkerboard' in the parts outside the image,
but that's simply where that part of your layer(s) are transparent.

Once you've resized the layer(s) you need to resize...

> i'd like to move parts of my original image into the checkerboard
> region, but when i move the selection, the image selection is "clipped"
> by the boarder between the original section and checkerboard.

...this won't happen any more. :^)


<snip> 
> 0. make the checkerboard portion "white" just like the original image.

Create a new layer, tell Gimp to fill it in with white, and then make
sure it gets moved down to the very bottom position in the
"Layers, Channels & Paths" dialog.


> 1. make a selection of a portion of the original image (which resides on
> a layer).
> 
> 2. move the selection into the checkerboard region without clipping.

See above. (Make the layer itself the same size as the image... or
simply bigger, if you feel like messing with the "Layer Boundary Size"
option.  (Right-click the layer icon int he "Layers, Channels & Paths"
dialog, and select 'Layer Boundary Size' and go from there.)


> sorry for the lameness.  :)

No problem.  Gimp is a big, complicated beast.  Fun, though, once you get
used to it. :^)


> ps- i placed a copy of this image in www.dirac.org/p/7b9.xcf if anyone
> wants to take a look at what i'm talking about.
<snip>

Looking at this, the other thing you can do is literally move the
position of the layers around.  Since each 'object' (or set of objects)
in your image are on their own layers, you can move them around using
the 'Move' tool.  (Looks like an arrow-headed "+" shape in the toolbox.)

With no selection active (hit Shift+Ctrl+A to 'Select None' to be sure),
choose a layer in the "Layers, Channels & Paths" dialog window, and then
go into the image window and click and drag using the 'Move' tool.

The entire contents of the layer will move (and you'll notice when you
let go of the layer, the yellow-and-black outline will have been moved,
as well).

Unfortunately, all of your layers are a bit bigger than the actual
drawing inside them, so once you've moved them, you'll want to reshape them
so that they don't extend outside the shape of the canvas itself.  e.g.:

  ---------------
  |             | <- canvas
  |             |
  |  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  |  |          |    |
  |  M          |    M
  |  |          |    |
  |  M          |    M
  |--|-----------    |  <- layer
     M               M
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

You can just do the 'Layer to Image Size' trick above.


Note: When you move layers around, you can actually move multiple layers
at once.  If you click the blank space to the left of a layer's icon
(and to the right of the 'visible or not' eyeball symbol) in
the "Layers, Channels and Paths" dialog, a little arrow-headed "+" symbol
will appear.

You can 'anchor' a number of layers, and then when you move one of them
(with the 'Move' tool), or another unanchored layer, all of them will move
together. :^)

-bill!