LIBRARY BLOG
Digital Art Collective // Episode 2: GIMP Highlight
GIMP is an image manipulation program used to edit photos and create digital art. The program works by altering pixels on a grid. This function allows the program to edit images that are already captured and allows the user to make new images.
The following information is an extension of the video below:
Editing Photos
The term “photoshopping” is jargon for “editing a photo to appear different from how it looks when it was taken.” This could mean changing colors, cropping the photo, or making a composite, where one or more photos are edited to make one seamless image. Although made famous by the community that uses Adobe Photoshop, this process can be reimagined in GIMP using similar tools.
Some ways to edit images include changing the intensity or hue of a single color, editing the highlights and shadows, and editing the intensity of an image as a whole.
When editing the levels of an image, the panel will show the user how the camera defined the value of true white and true black. Sometimes the true values are outliers and change the intensity or darkness of other colors in the photo. Adjusting the levels brings the value of true black and true white closer to the actual values in real life.
The color balance can adjust the color tone of the image to account for lighting. An image taken in direct sunlight will have more orange tones than a photo taken under LED lights. The hue/saturation will change how a specific color looks by making the color more vivid, more muted or deciding how close to the pure value the color looks.
When working on a layer, the entire canvas is selected. The selection tools define an area of the layer to alter. The tools allow for a preset shape to be made such as a square/rectangle or a circle/oval. The lasso selection tool allows for the user to hand-draw the shape, and the magic wand tool allows the system to define a shape based on a color or tone. Each shape can be adjusted by adding more onto or taking away from the original shape with the brush tool.
The Brush Tool for Digital Art
The brush tool is the main tool used to deposit color or effects in GIMP. The hardness of the brush determines how hard or soft the brush edge is, and the brush is sized by pixels. The concept of pixels is more thoroughly explained in our [free software post].
The brush shape can also be changed to apply colors in different patterns or styles. The brushes panel offers options for changing the brush size, hardness, and stamp. GIMP offers basic patterns for brushes, but brushed can be added to use in the program.
Whether editing photos or starting from a new canvas, GIMP opens the doors for users to create digital art without a price tag. Anyone can be an artist, and with the right tools you too can create.
– Jessica, Reference Department