GIMP Question

[BeepBeep]

Need help in copying only the foreground, if at all possible, from a picture using GIMP.

Thanks!

[dibl]

Re: GIMP Question

You mean like the image of an old guy chewing a cigar, cut out of a big group photo?



I'm away from my Kubuntu system at the moment, but I'll (a) remind myself how I did it and (b) post the technique in a couple of hours.

EDIT: OK, here's the deal. There is a "foreground select tool". On mine (gimp 2.4.5) it is the first tool in the second row of tools. However, I don't like it. I use the free select tool -- it is the third tool on the top row. Take your photo and do "view > zoom" and enlarge it to 200% or so (this makes your shaky outline look real crisp when it's back down to 100%). Then use the free select tool to carefully draw a line around the perimeter of what you want. When you close the line, you can do "edit > copy" and then "paste as > new image" and that area will become a new image on a blank (transparent) background. Then you "file > save as" and proceed to do whatever you want with it.

[BeepBeep]

Re: GIMP Question

Thanks for the reply.

That is close to what I require but not quite. I am really looking at a text document where I want only the text in the foreground and not the background it appears on, a graphic scene in this case.

When I use the foreground select tool parts of the bg still remains within the text and is a tedious process to remove.

I may well be seeking a feature that Gimp does not have.

Regards!

[dibl]

Re: GIMP Question

If the image was "merged" -- i.e. the layers were merged into a single layer after the text was placed over the background, then you're probably not going to get a clean separation. :P

[Fintan]

Re: GIMP Question

If the image was "merged" -- i.e. the layers were merged into a single layer after the text was placed over the background, then you're probably not going to get a clean separation.

I concur.
The only clean way I can think of to do this is to go into the app you used to make your image and "unmerge" / break apart the image. Then copy the text layer out.

[Nate]

Re: GIMP Question

By the way, there is a terrific screencast about using Gimp...and some of the old episodes deal with the various methods available in Gimp for making precise selections. You can go here and find episodes 17 and 18. I highly recommend any of the shows if you're interested in becoming proficient with Gimp.

http://meetthegimp.org/getting-the-old-shows/

[dibl]

Re: GIMP Question

Thanks Quantumstate!

I'm no Gimp artist, but I do need to manipulate scans and photos sometimes, and of course there's always the looming problem of making a new avatar.

[Jean]

Re: GIMP Question

@dible

You mean that isn't you on the picture?