6 photo editing tips with GIMP

GIMP is a powerful image editing tool. It provides various ways to remove the background of an image. But where are the appropriate methods to use, and how do they work? Today's article will introduce you to six ways to refine the background of an image, such as making the background transparent, clearing the background (to coordinate with other images), and many other options. half. Please make sure you have updated to GIMP 2.10 before starting.

1. Create transparent background in GIMP

When you open an image in GIMP, it does not support transparency by default. If you want to make the background transparent, there are two simple tips to do this.

1. Right-click the layer in the Layers section and select Add Alpha Channel or go to Layer> Transparency> Add Alpha Channel .

2. Copy the background layer by pressing Shift + Ctrl + D on Windows or Linux or Shift + Cmd + D on the Mac. Now delete the original background layer.

In both cases, you can select the area you want, then press the Delete button to make the area transparent.

The above are the two simplest ways to make the image background transparent in GIMP. For other cases, readers can apply one of the other ways below.

You can also make the whole image transparent with GIMP. Refer to the article: How to make an image transparent with GIMP to know how to do it.

2. Change the background with the Foreground Select Tool

When images have a clear separation between foreground and background, GIMP has a great tool that allows you to choose one of these. It's called the Foreground Select Tool and you can use it to delete the background in GIMP, then replace it with a new background.

With the Foreground Select Tool, you just need to highlight the area containing the foreground and GIMP objects that will help you do the rest.

Open the image, right-click on the layer and select Add Alpha Channel .

Select the Foreground Select Tool . Draw a rough outline around the foreground object. You can use a solid line or a dashed line. Note that it is not necessary to draw the outline too close to the object, but the closer it is, the better. Press Enter when done.

Currently, GIMP will default to the brush tool in the next step. Set the brush size to match the image, then paint over the foreground object with a single stroke. No need to fill all objects, just make sure the fill contains all the different colors and tones. Then press Enter again.

After a few seconds, GIMP will analyze the image and create a selection containing only the background. Fine-tune the selection by choosing Free Select Tool . Set Mode to Current Selection or Subtract from the Current Selection, then circle the areas you need to add or delete.

Press Ctrl + I or Cmd + I to select the foreground part. Press the Delete key and the background will be deleted.

Paste in the new background on a new layer and place it below the original image. Every job here is complete.

3. Add other tools to delete the background in GIMP

GIMP also has three other tools that you can use to select and then delete the background of an image. Which tool you should use depends on the degree of separation between the foreground and the background of each image, or whether you use one of the graphics tablet with a pen or mouse.

Fuzzy Select

This tool selects parts with the same color in an image.

1. Just click on the area on the image you want to select and GIMP will do the rest.

2. Set Threshold to a higher value to include a larger or smaller color range to increase selection accuracy.

This tool works well when an image contains large areas of color. Fuzzy Select is also better suited for icons and logos than regular images.

Scissors Select

Scissors Select Tool allows you to automatically select and isolate the foreground object, then delete the background.

1. Add an Alpha Channel to the image.

2. Select Scissors Select Tool. Then, in Tool Options, select Interactive boundary.

3 Click along the edges of the foreground object that you want to select. This will create anchor points on the image.

4. Move the cursor slightly along the edge of the object, then click and hold. A line will appear, connecting the previous anchor points together, displaying the edge of the area you selected. If this line is too close to the edge of the object you are trying to split, release the mouse button to create a new anchor point.

5. If the line deflects from the outline of the object, adjust the anchor points accordingly. The shorter the distance between the anchor points, the better.

6. Now, repeat the above actions until the entire object is selected. Press Enter to complete the selection.

7. Finally, press Ctrl + I or Cmd + I to select the background, then press the Delete key .

Pen Tool

Like Scissors Select, Pen Tool also allows you to create a selection by drawing a line between a series of anchor points. However, this time the drawing line will not connect closely to the contour of the object anymore but connect 2 points the way the user hovered.

1. Add an Alpha Channel to the image.

2. Select Pen Tool and click on the edge of the object you want to select. This step will place the first anchor point.

3. Now move the cursor a bit, along the edge of the object and click again to place the new anchor point. Click and drop to connect anchor points into a straight line. Click and drag to connect the anchor points into a curve. The direction you pull will determine the depth and angle of the curve.

4. Repeat this until you select the entire foreground object. After finishing, press Enter.

5. Press Ctrl + I or Cmd + I to switch to the background, then press the Delete key to delete the background.

No matter which tool you use, it's often easy to create a selection, no matter how small the background or foreground part is. Therefore, users will not have to manipulate too much.

4. Delete the white background in GIMP

GIMP has a dedicated tool that allows you to remove white background. It is especially suitable for graphic objects such as logos and logos because they often have a white background.

1. Open the image, then go to Layer> Transparency> Add Alpha Channel .

2. Select Colors> Color to Alpha . This will open a new dialog.

3. Click the Dropper icon next to the Color section , then click on the white background in the image. This will make the white area transparent. If that's all you need, you can end your work here.

4. To refine the selection, select the Dropper tool next to Transparency Threshold, then click the darkest area of ​​the background you want to delete. You can use this tool to select dark areas (such as shadows), such as in portraits.

5 Select the Dropper tool next to Opacity Threshold then click the lightest area of ​​the foreground object. This will ensure you don't accidentally remove parts of the foreground.

6. Click OK to finish.

5. Change the background color in GIMP

To change the background color in GIMP, do the same in the section to delete the white background mentioned above, then add a step to create a new background.

Create a new layer and use the Bucket Fill Tool to fill an optional color for this layer. In the Layers section , drag the new layer below the original layer to turn it into a background element.

6. Delete background in GIMP with Masks

Finally, if you want to merge multiple images together, you may need to delete the background of one of the top layers, so that you can see the details in the layers below. You can do this very quickly using Masks.

1. Open two images on separate layers in the same window.

2. Select the top layer and click the Masks button at the bottom of the Layers. Click Add to add a mask.

3 Select the brush tool and select black.

4. Now start painting on the top layer. Where you paint black on the top layer, they will be erased and the bottom layer will be displayed.

5. If you make a mistake somewhere, change the brush to white. After that, paint over the black areas of the mask and that will make the top layer appear again.

Being able to remove a background from an image is one of the most important things if you want to master a powerful tool like GIMP. If you recently switched from Photoshop to GIMP, this is especially important, like all other techniques in Photoshop.

Once you have memorized these methods, you will also learn a lot more. See TipsMake.com's guide to GIMP's full picture editing guide, in which you will learn how to master everything from color correction to removing unwanted objects from images.

Good luck!

See more:

1. How to convert images into sketches in GIMP
2. Create ghosts in Photoshop or GIMP
3. GIMP or Photoshop is the right tool for you?