Re: Re: [OT] Drawing a rectangle with Gimp
On Wed, Sep 28, 2005 at 10:01:46PM -0700, g r wrote:
> It's a pity people have to ask around before they can
> draw a rectangle with a graphics program. I had the
> same question. I haven't come across a less intuitive
> windows program than GIMP. I know I am commenting
> based on my quick first impression and criticizing a
> free tool. But what good is "free" if it's not usable.
> Why port such a tool to windows when there are $29
> programs that are actually usable? Tool palettes hide
> behind the main window!!?
Everything different seems weird at first.
As far as drawing a rectangle, it is a touch complicated, but quite
powerful. The way I do it is hit "r" for the Rectangle marquee selection,
draw my rect, then go to the "Paths" dialogue (Alt+d, p). Now click the
"Selection to path" button in the middle of the control.
Now hit Ctrl+Shift+A to remove your marquee. Click the icon just to the
right of "Selection to path" called "Stroke Selection", and then you're
there.
The power kicks in when you realize you can stroke the path with any brush,
convert the stroke back to a selection and do fills/etc inside it, modify
it to non-rectangular shapes, Shift+click the "Path to Selection" icon,
etc.
AFAIK Adobe Photoshop works in very similar ways - but IANAAPE.
And secondly, the way the Gimp has a decentralized window setup (they're
all 100% "MDI" windows, to use the Win32 term) is a curse and a blessing.
In most Linuxy desktop environments, it's easy to switch virtual desktops,
and makes this a more pleasant mode than having a big honkin' window to hold
all the other windows. I'll have, for example, my IRC window omnipresent,
and run the Gimp in a separate desktop from my web browser, which is in a
separate desktop from my xterm's. A quick keystroke to switch between them
and it's pretty hard to beat.
Also, be sure you learn about the way the Gimp handles "Tab" to hide/show
dialogues, and the various keybindings to call up particular dialogues.
That is all.
-rjk
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