Ungimping the Gimp, Part 1
Ungimping the Gimp, Part 2
Ungimping the Gimp, Part 3
Well welcome to part four of this one-part series on The Gimp, one of the jewels of the open-source community and maybe the finest FOSS raster editor. Here is how I save a single-layer .JPG file in Adobe Photoshop after I open it, say to sharpen it:
- Go to File->Save, or optionally use the handy keyboard shortcut Ctrl+s.
Here is how I save a single-layer .JPG file in Gimp 2.7.1 after I open it, say to sharpen it:
- Go to File->Save, or optionally use the handy keyboard shortcut Ctrl+s.
- Why is is asking to save the file in .XCF format?
- “You can use this dialog to save to the GIMP XCF format. Use File→Export to export to other file formats.” Excuse me?
- Go to File->Export, or optionally use the handy keyboard shortcut Ctrl+e.
This behavior comes right back to my rant of mid-week: I rate my software by the amount of annoyances it has. Save/Save-as should simply save the file. Gimp subverts this standard completely by making simply saving the file a complicated multi-step process.
Sigh.
So I’m two days into using The Gimp v2.7.1. instead of Photoshop. Eh. It handles just fine. The Gimp’s tools and features are complete to me, as a Photoshop user (mostly-I cannot figure out, for the life of me, how I can change brush hardness on the fly short of changing brush. Anyone?). I can zoom, layer, clone, crop, paint and sharpen to my black little heart’s content. I understand that GEGL, the Generic Graphics Library, actually supersedes Photoshop’s adjustment layers in functionality, but as of tonight I haven’t had any reason to go and play with it. I’ve been happy to discover that I can clone non-destructively.
Irks and quirks:
Mild disclaimer: I am using a packaged beta which was compiled by a third-party, so my experience may not reflect that of somebody using a mainstream version:
- The zoom tool (Z) works fine…if I just want to zoom in. However it seems to zoom in on a random segment of the image?
- The “Hand” tool (space/middle mouse) is a little bit wonky. Even after I “released” it, the hand continued to drag the image around.
- Tooltips. There is no way to configure them?
- When cloning, “Sample merged” is sinfully less intuitive and informative than Photoshop’s “sample all layers.” I was annoyed by having to flick between layers until I figured it out.
- There are separate move, shear, resize (etc.) tools. Couldn’t they all be rolled into one, improved Move tool?
- Some of my tool choices don’t seem to be saved. I certainly had to change back the Move tool after restarting.
Un-irks and non-quirks:
It isn’t all bad.
- There is a great, accessible interface to change every possible keyboard shortcut. I’ve been gradually changing The Gimp to match what Photoshop has. It is looking up.
- The Clone tool was wholly less obnoxious other than its obfuscated “sample merged”.
- The single-window interface is a really nice step up on the old interface, albeit still buggy. I have to click on the image before I can tab-hide panels.
- GEGL. I haven’t actually used it yet, but a dry-reading on its documentation is fascinating. I’m actively looking for reasons to use it.
Kinda. I mean. It is a webcam still. Maybe more of videography?
Having two blogs and trying to keep their content separate and unique sometimes leaves me at a very strong risk of neglecting one or another blog (caveat: I maintain the capability to immediately and seamlessly merge one blog into another, should I see fit). While I’ve been active on other-and frequently related-geek fronts, I haven’t really felt and strong desire to pick up a camera since mid-May or so. I know that I’ve gone through such dry spells before. I also know that eventually I will come back to photography in a strong way.
Give it time.
Having starting working with 091 Labs (/plug), and having been shown how not-difficult it is to process basic film, I’ve come up with some embryonic ideas that I eventually would love to try:
- I have a big stock of photographic paper. I could use some of it for six-month exposures.
- A room-sized camera-obscura in order to dramatically demonstrate photographic principles.
- Papercraft pinhole cameras.
Over on the other site I have really gone into a good bit of detail on the technical side of the whole webcam/timelapse thing, but here on Misadventures I want to hold forth for a few minutes on the creative side of the matter: I am really excited to have a method for painlessly capturing timelapse video, so long as I can find somewhere to put my laptop. Maybe more of this?
This blog is not not not on any kind of hold or hiatus; instead I simply do not have any kind of content to upload to it. I’m on a break from photography because I am simply not inspired to go out and take photographs using the equipment I have right now. My lack of a decent any prime for my Canon is sorely felt. My body (Canon camera body!) is old. Past its prime. Compared to any 35mm film body, I can really feel its age in comparison to the more modern bodies of…three years later. Haha.
So what does this have to do with you, dear reader? I’ll be in Dublin on Sunday/Monday for a crash-course in black and white film development and scanning with Sinead. There will be photographic content, huzzah! Loads!
I will, in future, be forking off non-photographic content back onto Tumblr. Having learned my lesson from having to deal with a huge mass of untagged posts, I’m starting from scratch with a whole new tumblelog. As of this moment my DNS is still propagating, but you will be able to catch it back over on bhalash.com. Again. History repeats itself blah blah. Shut up.
I will be changing the theme, though. The Unstandard is a great, fun, graphically-oriented theme, but only if every single post is a photo post. Otherwise it starts to look kinda ugly. I have some more reservations beyond that with the theme, but they are minor and not something I’m going to let subtract from my strong like of it. I’ve become comfortable with the smaller base image size used in The Unstandard and will be looking for something clean and along those lines.
Keystone correction, I <3 it. Above is the final product, and below the master shot out of the camera. Gladly-appreciated assistance in the capture of this shot was provided by Rory Wallace in the form of a loan of his 10-22mm lens.
I have quit Facebook. My entire take on the whole privacy débâcle is this: Facebook lied. Facebook promised us a certain level of discretion in both how we could control the information about us that was available and in how they would use our information; time has shown that they have down an abrupt about face on both of these. I personally could care less (within reason) as to what information is available about me on the Internet; I deal with much more sensitive and personal topics here on my site on a daily basis. If I do not wish a certain topic to become a matter for the attention of the Internet I simply do not discuss it electronically. I believe it is nothing less than prudence to assume that your every electronic conversation can and will be subject to interception, analysis and unwanted sharing. These nefarious agents can be anyone; advertisers who want to know my tastes in order to better sell their project; the (freaking) CIA and other intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, who comb for sensitive keywords; relatives and coworkers about whom (hypothetically) I might have some less than positive comments.
In short: assume there is an attacker, always. Partition, self-censor and continually be alert for the potential consequences of what you may say. This is something that I have learned – the hard way.
- Partition: Decide what you want to say and where you want to say it. Think about who might see it whether at the front (user) end or back (server/Internet side).
- Self-censor: Obfuscate, diffuse, ignore, feign indifference, be opaque, be vague, omit, subtract and outright lie.
- Consider consequences: Bad-mouthing your employer and coworkers is always dumb.
So far as companies like Google, Microsoft (Bing) and Twitter operate, I have little to complain about. I believe that just like Facebook they genuinely wish to provide a better experience and make a money in the process. It is the way of the times. It is the way of the future. I can’t see an end to it until somebody cracks A.I. and creates a Turing-compatible Mark on a computer somewhere. The very first question asked of Mark² will be “What do you think of our product range?”
Anyway. These other companies haven’t gone and made such bare-faced lies about their intentions that I’ve gotten likewise incensed. So: Goodbye Facebook. It has been easier to quit than I imagined because I really do not use my Facebook account for much of anything. I chat to Caira’s grandparents once in a blue moon? I’ve pulled the profile link down from yonder sidebar. I’m looking into my alt-Facebook options that I can push my friends and family onto.
What are your opinions on this? Weigh in below! :)
