Metuchen High School: GIMP
 

5. Adding a Frame (with a gradient & rounded corners)

4 points

 

In this exercise we'll add a frame around an image.  The image will have rounded corners and the frame will have a color gradient.  As an example, we'll work with this image:

 

 

To create a color gradient, to be used in the frame around the image:

 

- Open the Gradients dialog: Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Gradients.

- In the Gradients dialog, double-click on the FG to BG (RGB) gradient. This will launch the Gradient Editor.

- First set the foreground color. Click on the Color Picker Tool (the eyedropper) in the Toolbox. Then click in your image. The color of the pixel that you click on becomes the new foreground color. This color should display in both the foreground color / background color boxes at the bottom of the Toolbox, and in the Gradient Editor.

- Click the small white arrow, to the upper right of the foreground color / background color boxes at the bottom of the Toolbox. This will reverse the foreground and background colors.

- Click again in your image. The color of the pixel that you click on becomes the new foreground color. This color should display in both the foreground color / background color boxes at the bottom of the Toolbox, and in the Gradient Editor.

 

- Add space for a frame:


- Choose Image > Canvas Size and increase the canvas size to create space around the image.
- Click Center.  Choose Resize Layers > All Layers.  Click Resize.
 

- Round the image's corners:

- Select the Rectangle Select Tool from the upper-left hand corner of the Toolbox. Display the Tool Options dialog (if it doesn't display): Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Tool Options.
- In the Tool Options dialog, click on Rounded Corners.
- Select the image only (not the frame outside the image that you recently added).  Increase or decrease the Radius of the Rounded Corners until the selection looks good.

- Apply the color gradient to the frame:

- Choose Select > Invert.  This causes the frame to be selected.
- Click on the Blend tool from the Toolbox.  Start at the very top (or the very left) of the frame, and click and drag to the opposite side.  This should fill the frame with your color gradient.

 

Here is the result:

 

Exercise
Find an image that you'd like to work with.  Follow the steps outlined above to add a frame, round the image's corners and fill the frame with a color gradient.
 

GIMP Links

Gradients: docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-concepts-gradients.html

Blend Tool: docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-tool-blend.html


 

Videos

Rounding an image's corners: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtsTPRYv9Qc (no sound)