Pointers To Review

Transform Me

The Rotate Tool is used to rotate the selected layer or image. To use this tool, go to the
Toolbox and click on the Rotate Tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift + R.

The Scale Tool is used to resize the height and width of an image. To use this tool, go
to the Toolbox and click on the Scale Tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift + S.

The Flip Tool is used to flip the image or layer horizontally or vertically. To use this tool,
go to the Toolbox and click on the Flip Tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift + F.

The Warp Transform is a brush-like tool used to create a warp effect to an image or
layer. To use this tool, go to the Toolbox and click on Warp Transform or press the
shortcut key, W.
The Shear Tool is used to tilt or shift an image or layer. To use this tool, go to the
Toolbox and click on the Shear Tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift + H.
The Perspective Tool is used to change the perspective of an image. To use this tool,
go to the Toolbox and click on the Perspective Tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift +
P.
The Unified Transform Tool is a combination of multiple transform tools: Rotate, Scale,
Shear, and Perspective. To use this tool, go to the Toolbox and click on the Unified
Transform Tool or press the shortcut keys, Shift + T.
GIMP and Its Interface
GNU Image Manipulation Program or GIMP is a free and open-source image editor that
can run on multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS, and other
operating systems. Since it is an open-source editor, professional users can edit the
source code, enabling them to create plug-ins or updates that provide different tools and
new customizations to existing tools. Since its release in 1996, it has now evolved to
become a competitive and free alternative to Adobe Photoshop.
Basic Parts of GIMP
The GIMP interface has six major parts: (A) Menu Bar, (B) Toolbox, (C) Tool Options,
(D) Canvas, (E) Brushes/Patterns/Fonts Dock, and (F) Layers/Channels/Paths Dock.

To open a file in GIMP, go to the menu bar and click on File ► Open…
In the Open Image dialog box, (1) Locate and select the file you want to open, then (2)
click on Open. The selected image file should then be displayed on your canvas.
To crop an image in GIMP, go to the Toolbox and select the Crop Tool or press the
shortcut key, Shift + C.
Drag the cursor to create a guide which indicates the area that will not be cropped.
Press Enter to crop the excess areas.
To save the file, click on File ► Save As… or simply press Ctrl + Shift + S, then locate
and select where you want to save your file.
The Save Image dialog box will then appear. (1) Input your filename, then (2) click on
Save.
You can also save your file in a different format using Export As… To export a file, go to
the menu bar and click on File ► Export As… or press the shortcut keys, Shift + Ctrl +
E.
In the Export Image dialog box that will appear, click on Select File Type (By Extension)
to show the drop-down list of file formats you can use.
Make That Shape
To create a rectangle in GIMP, go to the Toolbox and select the Rectangle Select Tool
or press the shortcut key, R.
Drag the cursor on the canvas to create a rectangle. If you want to create a square, hold
the Shift key while dragging the cursor.
After creating the outline for your shape, go to the Toolbox and click on the foreground
color.
To fill the shape with your chosen foreground color, go to the menu bar and click on Edit
► Fill with FG Color.
To create a round shape in GIMP, go to the Toolbox and select the Ellipse Select Tool
or press the shortcut key, E.
Drag the cursor on the canvas to create a round shape. If you want to create a perfect
circle, hold the Shift key while dragging the cursor.
In the Paths or Tool Options, you will see that there are three available modes for the
Paths Tool: Design, Edit, and Move. Make sure that the mode is set to Design if you
want to create new paths.
Go to the Toolbox and select the Paths Tool or press the shortcut key, B.
The Paths Tool allows you to create shapes by connecting points together; connecting
two points creates a path. Click on the canvas to create an origin point.
I have My Layers
Layers is an essential feature in digital image editors like GIMP as it separates every
element of your work into individual layers. When using image editors that enable
layers, it is good practice to put every change or element you add in a separate layer.
To create a new file in GIMP, go to the menu bar and click on File ▶ New… or simply
press Ctrl + N.
Go to the menu bar and click on File ► Open as Layers…
Locate the files you have downloaded earlier. To select multiple files, hold the Ctrl key,
then select the files. Click on Open once done.
Since the layers are stacked at the center, use the Move Tool to move each object so
they won’t overlap with each other. Do this to also identify each layer.
Move Main Building.png to the center of the canvas. Align the bottom of the layer to the
concrete drawing of the Background.png layer.
As you have noticed, there are only two sets of windows for the building. Duplicate the
Window-Left.png layer by (1) clicking on the layer, then (2) selecting the Duplicate
button found at the bottom of the Layers Dialog.
Duplicating a layer produces a layer with a new name to identify it from the duplicate
layer.

Double-click on the layer name, Window-Left.png copy,

and rename it to Window-Right.png.
Let’s Be Gray
Grayscale - The easiest way to convert an image to grayscale is by using the Grayscale
Tool.
To use the Grayscale Tool, go to the menu bar and click on Image ► Mode ►
Grayscale.
Clicking on Grayscale automatically changes all the RGB colors of the photo to gray.
Take note that no other adjustments can be made using this tool.
Using Decompose
Another way to convert an image to grayscale is by using the Decompose Tool. This
tool decomposes color models like RGB, LCH, HSV, HSL, CMY, etc. into separate
layers which are in different shades of grayscale.
1. To use this tool, go to the menu bar and click on Colors ► Components ►
Decompose…
2. The Decompose dialog box will then appear. For the sample image, (1) the Color
model used was RGB. (2) Click on OK to begin decomposing the image. GIMP will
notify you if the image cannot be decomposed using that color model.

Using Color to Gray

The Color to Gray Tool desaturates the image and converts the colors of the image to
gray.
1. To use this tool, go to the menu bar and click on Colors ► Desaturate ► Color to
Gray…
The image will automatically turn to grayscale. In the Color to Gray dialog box, (1) edit
the Radius, Samples, and Iterations sliders to adjust some of the grayscale features of
the photo. (2) Click on OK to apply the changes.

Using Desaturate

The Desaturate Tool can be used to convert all the colors of the selected layer to
different shades of gray.
1. To use this tool, go to the menu bar and click on Colors ► Desaturate ►
Desaturate…

The Desaturate dialog box will then appear. Mode in the settings is automatically set to
Luminance. However, you can select other modes to achieve a different grayscale look.
Using Mono Mixer
The Mono Mixer Tool also desaturates an image to achieve a grayscale look. In
addition, the grayscale features of the image can be edited using the RGB colors on the
photo.
1. To use this tool, go to the menu bar and click on Colors ► Desaturate ► Mono
Mixer…
Balance In Colors
The Color Balance Tool modifies the balance of color levels using an RGB and CMY
slider. It can adjust three different ranges in a photo: Shadows, Midtones, and
Highlights.

To use the Color Balance Tool, go to the menu bar and click on Colors ► Color
Balance…
A. Range – where you will choose what range to adjust. There are three ranges in a
photo: Shadows (dark pixels), Midtones (medium pixels), and Highlights (bright
pixels).
B. Color Levels – allows you to change the color levels of a photo using CMY and
RGB colors in the image. CMY stands for Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, while RGB
stands for Red, Green, and Blue.
 C. Preserve luminosity – activating this will maintain the brightness of the selected
layer by not changing the value of the brightest pixels.
D. Split view – activating this will divide the photo into two sides. The left side will
show the adjustments or changes applied to the photo, while the right side will show
the original version of the photo.
Start with the Midtones since these are the in-between colors, making them safer to
adjust. (1) Select the Midtones, then (2) go to the Color Levels and adjust the first slider,
which is Cyan-Red. Decrease the color levels going to Cyan to reduce the redness in
the photo. In the example, the value was set to -30. Tick the Split view option to view
the changes. Notice how the redness of the photo has now decreased.