Re: [Gimp-user] Changing the size of an oval?

[Steve Kinney <admin pilobilus net>]

On 01/11/2012 10:27 AM, Keith Purtell wrote:

> OK, I Googled and found the steps for creating a colored circle
> with the border size I preferred. Cool. But when it came to
> something as simple as copying that circle (it's in a new layer)
> and changing the size, Google was pulling up irrelevant sites. Yes
> I've seen the official docs, but they're very detailed and I'm in
> a "get it done now" environment.
>
> My base image is a screen capture of the most commonly-used screen
> in our main software here. I want to create copies of my groovy
> new circle and place it over the buttons employees will use each
> day. Plus re-size the circles as needed. (Note that I've been
> using Photoshop in the past, and it's driving me nuts that I don't
> know how to "see" each new layer in GIMP.) Can someone point me to
> a "layers/circles for dummies" tutorial? Thanks!
When I need to do that kind of thing, I normally:

1.  Create a new transparent layer.

2.  Draw my circle with the Ellipse Select Tool

3.  Do Selection > Border and make the value 1/2 the width I want my
circle outline to be.

4.  Drag and drop whatever color I want my circle to be from the
color tool to the image.

Note that control+shift will make the ellipse an actual circle,
filling a square that grows from the corner of your starting point. 
Control+alt+shift will make the circle grow from a center of your
starting point.

If you need circles of the same size to be exactly so, just copy and
paste the initial one.  Also note that with two images open,
dragging a layer thumbnail from the dock to an inactive or
"unselected" image window will drop a copy into the target image as
a new layer.

For simple drop shadows, duplicate your circle layer, select the
lower copy and lock its alpha channel, then drag and drop black (or
other shadow color) to the image window.  With the "move tool"
active, use keyboard arrows to move the shadow layer until it looks
right.  To copy circle with shadow to other images, merge the layers
then drag and drop as per above.

For arrows, see http://shallowsky.com/software/gimp/arrowdesigner/
for a WAY cool tool.

I can't say that this is the "one true" way to put circles in
screenshots for manuals and tutorials, but I have been doing it for
ages and nobody has complained yet.

:o)

Steve