[Gimp-user] dotted areas, how to erase (or change)

[mamboze <forums gimpusers com>]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the help and sorry for the delay in responding. I'll run thru your suggestion today.

Roy



> On 02/28/2012 12:52 AM, mamboze wrote:
> > I've got a problem editing an image with a dotted background in it. By 'dotted', I mean an array of small 
> > evenly spaced black dots on a white background. 
> >
> > I've tried the fuzzy select tool which kind of works. It fills in the white space with the color I want 
> > but leaves the dots untouched. I want to get rid of the dots.
> >
> > The image has a lot of rectangles containing text (these are not dotted) on this dotted background so 
> > using the select tool would be a real chore.

> Hey Mamboze,

> Try this:

> * Make a new layer, fill it with your desired background color, and
> move it down so it is under your original image layer.

> (This is done in the Layers tab of your dock window.)

> * Select the original image layer, right click on it, and Add Layer
> Mask.  Make the mask white - "full opacity".

> * Open up your color selector (add set a light gray color - about
> 50% gray.

> * Click on the layer mask to select it, then drag & drop to the main
> image window to fill the mask with gray.

> * Back in the color selector, get some pure white selected.

> * Turn on your rectangular select tool.  Start using that to select
> your rectangles with text in the main image window, drag and drop to
> fill them with white.

> (This will bring your rectangles back to their original appearance
> by restoring the mask's effect to 100% opacity in those areas.)

> *  All done?  Use the "magic wand" or the "select by color" tool to
> select the gray in your layer mask.

> *  Back in the color selector, get some 100% black going, drag and
> drop to fill the selected gray area in your mask with black.

> That will make your dots vanish entirely, leaving the layer below
> fully visible.  You can use the select tools with drag and drop, or
> any of the painting tools, to correct any errors in your mask by
> adding white (make parts of the layer visible) or black (making
> parts of the layer invisible).

> If you use the GIMP long enough, you will start to think of an image
> as a stack of layers, and using masks will (almost!) completely
> replace the "erase" tool. 

> Another neat thing to play with is to make a copy of a layer, apply
> a filter that you want to use on some but not all parts of the
> finished image, and make the altered layer transparent by adding a
> black layer mask.  Then, painting in the image window with white
> will enable you to "paint the image with" the filter(s) you applied
> to the new layer.

> :o)

> Steve


-- 
mamboze (via gimpusers.com)