Introduction:

Imagine having your photo on the table in front of you, then placing a piece of transparent paper over top of it. You could then paint, draw on, or place a photo or parts of a photo onto that clear piece of paper without actually changing your original image. Then, when you're done, you could permanently glue them together if the new image is better than the old one, or you could crumple up the clear paper and throw it away and start again. That's basically what layers are and how they work.

About Gimp:

I like using Gimp in my tutorials because, while it's very close to Photoshop in functionality, it's free. So, if you don't have Gimp already but want to follow along, you can download it here: http://gimp.org

Using Layers In Gimp:

  • Open a photo in Gimp.
  • In the window with the photo in it, click on the "Layer" menu
  • Choose "New Layer"
  • A box pops up asking if you want to name it. Sometimes this is a good idea if you have a lot of layers with different things in them. For this exercise, though, it's not necessary. The layer is automatically made the same size as the photo, so you don't have to adjust the size either. For "Layer Fill Type" select "Transparency". This means the layer will be clear so that we can see our photo underneath. Then click "OK" to create the layer.
  • When the box disappears, you'll notice that it doesn't look like anything has changed. But, at the bottom of the window with our photo in it, it now says "New Layer" -that indicates that if we make changes, we'll be making them to the layer, not the photo itself.
  • In the window with all the little icons for the different tools, find the one that looks like a paintbrush and click on it. (You can select a different brush type and color if you'd like.)
  • Now it's time to play graffiti artist on your own photo :-) On the window with your photo on it, draw whatever you want.
  • When you are finished, go to the "Dialogs" menu and select "Layers" so that we can see the layer dialog box.
  • A new window will pop up. If it's not in a convenient location, click on the top of it (where it says "Layers") and drag it wherever you want on your screen. -This window shows you all your layers and allows you to change what kind of layer it is, it's opacity (how clear it is), etc. You should see 2 layers: "Background", which is your original image, and "New Layer" which is the layer you just drew all over. "New Layer" should be selected since that's the one we were just working on.
  • Click on the icon that looks like an eye next to "New Layer". This will make the layer invisible, so your drawing should go away since it's on the "New Layer".
  • Click on the area where the eye used to be and the eye will appear again along with your drawing. -This is useful for when you want to re-check where you are in relation to the original image, etc.
  • Now, if you liked your drawing and intended to save it, you'd go to the window with your photo on it, click on the "Image" menu, then select "Flatten Image". Note that you CANNOT UNDO THIS! So be very careful that you've done all the editing you want to do before flattening an image! -You can flatten your practice image if you want to, just make sure that if you save it, you also rename it. You don't want to save your graffiti'd version over the original!
  • If you flattened your image, go back to the "Layer" menu > "New Layer" to create another layer so I can show you one more thing.
  • In the "Layer" window, select the "New Layer", then click on the icon that looks like a trash can at the bottom of that window (on the far right). This will delete the layer along with the graffiti you drew on it. -Now you're back at the starting point with your original photo.

Some Considerations When Using Layers:

When using layers, you'll find that any changes you make will effect only the layer that's selected in the "Layers" window. So, if you can't figure out why your adjustment doesn't seem to be effecting your photo, you probably don't have the correct layer selected. (I do this a lot!)


You cannot save an image with layers as a jpeg. You'll have to flatten the image before saving it. BUT! You can save an image with layers as a Gimp file (.xcf). So, what I recommend is that before you flatten an image (because flattening cannot be undone) -always save it as an xcf. That way, you can always go back.


Uses For Layers:

  • Create a hand-painted look:
    • Convert a photo to black and white and use it as the background image
    • Open a new layer on top of it
    • Set the Opacity (in the "Layers" window) at about 20%
    • Use the paintbrush to "color" the photo.
  • Colorized B&W photo:
    • Open a color photo
    • Go to the "Layers" menu and select "Duplicate Layer". -What this does is instead of the layer being clear, it's a duplicate of the first layer, so you have 2 copies of your photo -one on top of the other.
    • Convert the top layer (the "New Layer") to black and white by selecting it, then going to the "Colors" menu in the window with the photo in it and select "Desaturate".
    • Then, in the window with all the icons for the different tools, select the eraser (the pink one) and erase the parts of the photo that you want to have in color. (Hint: Zoom in to at least 200% and be very careful with the edges to get the best result possible.)

 

 

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