GIMP: Chapter 5-Selection

Hi,

This week I will be going back and forth on two different software programs.  This post is about "Selection" tools in GIMP.  There are many ways to make a selection on an image in GIMP.  (Having some issues with the site, sorry for long, blank spaces).

Name:

Michele Keller

Student Number:

10

GIMP: Chapter 5: Selection

PART 1: READ Chapter 2 in the GIMP book, then:

1. Answer all questions below, briefly but completely.
2. Change the color of the answer to BLUE.
3. Copy this information and paste in a new post in your DIGITAL GRAPHICS blog.

1.       Why are the GIMP Selection tools important? Selection tools are important, because they can be used to better enhance a photo or take out a selection that is out of focus, or change colors, or copy and paste a selection onto another image.

2.       What is meant by the “marching ants”? When a selection is made, the changing outline is called the "marching ants" and it tells you that you have a selection in process.

3.       Describe the following terms found in the SELECT menu: ·         All:  Selects the whole image. ·         None:  Makes sure nothing is selected. ·         Invert:  Reverses the selection:  whatever is selected becomes deselected, and vice versa. ·         Float:  Cuts out the selected area and pastes it as a new floating layer. ·         By Color:  Switches to the Select By Color tool. ·         From Path:  Converts the current path to a selection. ·         Feather:  Makes the edges of the selection fuzzy. ·         Sharpen:  Does the reverse, making a fuzzy selection sharper. ·         Shrink and Grow:  Makes the selection smaller or larger. ·         Border:  Replaces the selection with a new one that follows the border of the old selection. ·         Rounded Rectangle:  Rounds the edges of a rectangular selection. ·         To Path:  Converts the selection to a path.

4.       Why would you want to SELECT BY COLOR? It is a valuable tool and it can be used on images where you may want to separate a foreground from a simple background.

5.       What is a BEZIER PATH? It is not a selection by itself.  Instead of using a selection tool, the BEZIER Path helps with a selection by going from point to point.

6.       What is the purpose of the INTELLIGENT SCISSORS? The tool tries to follow the boundaries of an object instead of point to point as in paths.

7.       What is the purpose of the QUICK MASK? This helps you to see the selection visually superimposed on the image instead of the usual “marching ants” view.

8.       What is the purpose of LAYER MASKS? A layer mask defines how much, and which parts, of a layer will be visible.

9.       What is the purpose of SIOX? SIOX—Simple Interactive Object Extraction.  This is the Foreground Select Tool.

10.   When is using SIOX most effective? When you want a certain part of an image to come through and not the rest, like one flower instead of the whole bunch.

NOTE: For an excellent  review of GIMP Selection tools, check out: http://www.quackit.com/web_graphics/gimp/tutorial/gimp_selection_tools.cfm Scroll down the page to see an excellent chart of the Selections tools.

PART 2: GIMP PROJECTS:

1.       Go to the web site for this book: http://gimpbook.com 2.       Look through the menus on the left to see the supplemental information provided for you about the book. 3.       Click on the PHOTOS FROM THE BOOK link, and scroll down to see the images for Chapter 5. 4.       Download and save these images: Montara plant (first image), Saturn, Audubon warbler (bird with tree branches),  Mauna Kea (telescope building, image after bird images), dark pink flowers,  and dog 5.       Using the appropriate images, practice the SELECTION tools indicated on pages 164-212. IMPORTANT NOTE: For many Selection tools, you must press ENTER after using the tool in order to actually select the object. 6.       For each image, once you have completed the selection using the indicated tool, copy the selection (CTRL-C) then create a new image (CTRL-N) and paste the selection into the new image (CTRL-V).   7.       Save the new images you created from each selection. NOTE: For the Layer Mask image, save the combined image of the ostrich-giraffe. 8.       Insert all the new images here:

Montara plant using the Bezier path tool. Pasted a leaf of the Montara plant onto this image. Using “feathering tool” to smooth out the sloppy path of the “path tool” Used the fuzzy selection mode, did my best in putting in Saturn.  Used the Foreground Selection Tool or SIOX to select just only the flower and then put it on this background. This is an ostrich and giraffe layered together, an ostraffe.