Linux for the Office
The Gimp

Bill Kendrick

The GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a powerful and versatile graphics tool, comparable to Adobe's commercial product, "PhotoShop." It is free and Open Source, and runs under Linux, other Unix variants, and there's even a port being worked on for Windows.

Remove Red Eye

  1. Load the first image, "Frava-Red-Eye.jpg", by selecting "Open" from the "File" menu in the toolbox and choosing the file.

  2. Use the Zoom tool to zoom in on the eyes, for more precise editing.

  3. Right-click the image and select New View from the View menu in the pop-up menu. This will give you a 100% view at the same time as the zoomed-in view, so you have a better idea of what the changes you're making will look like.

  4. Select a small brush using the Brush Dialog. (Either select "Brushes" from "Dialogs" in the pop-up menu, or click the current brush at the bottom of the toolbox.)
  5. Paint over the red in the eyes with the brush, using a dark color.

  6. If you want to Undo or Redo, select those commands from the "Edit" right-click menu, or just push Control-Z and Control-R on the keyboard, respectively.

Change the Sky

  1. Load "farm.jpg" and "clouds.jpg" photos:

  2. Use the Fuzzy Selector (magic wand) tool and click the white, overcast sky in the farm photo.

  3. Switch to the sky photo and select the entire image. Do this either by selecting "All" from the "Select" right-click menu, or simply pushing Control-A on the keyboard.

  4. Copy the image into the clipboard. Either select "Copy" from the "Edit" right-click menu, or simply push Control-C on the keyboard.

  5. Switch back to the farm photo. Right-click to get the pop-up menu. Under "Edit", select the "Paste Into" option. The white sky will be replaced with prettier clouds!

    Fixing Perspective

    1. Load the "guild-house.jpg" photo:

      (Notice that the angle of the photo makes the bottom look wider than the top.)

    2. Choose the "Transform" tool in the toolbox.

    3. Double-click the "Transform" tool in the toolbox to get the "Tool Options" window.

    4. Select the "Perspective" option under "Transform."

    5. Select the "Corrective" option under "Tool Paradigm."

    6. Click in the image. A grid will appear over the picture.

    7. Click and drag the top left and top right corners of the grid so that the grid lines match the shape of the building.

    8. Click "Transform" in the "Perspective Tramnsform Information" window that popped up. Wait a moment, and the photo will appear straightened!

    ... And this is just the tip of the iceberg!

    The Gimp is also fully programmable and scriptable, includes many filters (and many more can be downloaded), supports layers, alpha-blending (transparency), numerous formats (JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, animated GIF...), and can even be run non-interactively, like at the CoolText website!

    Linux for the Office Presentation | LUGOD | DCN