Re: [Gimp-user] Mosaic

[Steve Kinney <admin pilobilus net>]

On 12/16/2016 03:55 PM, Alan Barnett wrote:
> I want to make a mosaic.  I need to perform the following tasks.
>
> 1) Open several images
>
> 2) Rescale images

First create an empty image (File > New), and in the dialog that opens,
specify the dimensions in pixels of the finished image you are about to
make.  Save this blank image file (Control+s, or File > Save) with some
convenient name.  I often add "v01" at the end of the name to indicate
that the file is a first draft.

Then, add the existing images you want to rescale to the open image by
dragging and dropping them into the image canvas (the blank image in the
big window).  Find the Layers dialog in the dockable dialogs window,
make sure your dropped-in image is the selected layer.  In the main
toolbox (field of buttons with icons), activate the Scale tool (the icon
shows a tiny and larger rectangle), and in the canvas window, left click
on the layer you want to scale.

To identify the various parts of the GIMP, i.e. layers dialog etc., see
this manual page:

https://docs.gimp.org/2.8/en/gimp-concepts-main-windows.html

You can click and drag to resize the layer, or specify its new
dimensions in pixels (or other units if desired).  The chain link icon
in the Scale dialog box (opens when the layer is left clicked) lets you
turn "keep aspect ratio" on and off.

When done scaling the layer, save your work in progress (Control+s),
then drag another image onto the canvas and repeat the process, etc.
until they are all ready to rearrange.

> 3) Create a blank image (which I will call the mosaic)
>
> 4) Copy rescaled images into image created in step 3.
>
> 5) Reposition images pasted images within the mosaic.

To reposition your layers (scaled image copies), activate the Move tool
in the main toolbox (four pointed arrow icon), then click and drag or
use your keyboard arrow keys.  (Shift+arrow moves in bigger increments
per key press.)  You may have to click and drag "buried" layers to the
top of the layer stack in the Layers dialog to click and drag them
around; the arrow keys will move any layer that is currently selected in
the Layers dock.  (Note:  You have to click on the Canvas window after
using the toolbox window, i.e. selecting a different layer to move, to
make the canvas "current", before using arrow keys to move the selected
layer.)

> I find it very frustrating that I can't get GIMP to do such a simple
> task.  I have successfully completed steps 1, 2, 3. I cannot do step 5.
>
> When I paste the rescaled image into the new image, it appears as a new
> layer placed in the center of the mosaic.  The obvious thing to do to
> move the image would be to lift click on it and drag it to the desired
> position.  This fails. Whenever I left click in an image window, the
> text tool opens in the window, and I can't get rid of it.  Three questions
>
> 1) How do I get rid of the text tool?

Turn on another tool, i.e. the Move tool, by clicking its icon in the
main toolbox.

> 2) What can I do so that the text tool doesn't open when I left click in
> an image window?

See above.

> 3) How do I move the layers to where I want them to be?

See above.

All done?  Save your XCF file one more time, then Export the file
(Control+e, or File > Export) to some format that other programs can
understand.  PNG is good most everywhere, JPG has slightly lower quality
but makes a significantly smaller file.

> Thanks.

No prob.  Easy stuff IF you are used to the GIMP, which you soon will be
if you are persistent.

:o)