Taken a picture of your painting?
Disappointed in the end result?
Looking a bit flat and dull?
Read on, and follow my GIMP recipe for getting the best out of your image captures.
Open your image file in GIMP. Then open the Colors > Levels dialogue.
You'll see a box with a histogram, which is what you'll be adjusting. Note the channel, just above this, which is probably set to Value. Press the arrow to access the menu, and pick Red.
You'll see a graph, with a black curve in a white box. It probably doesn't extend all the way to the sides of the box. At the bottom you'll see three arrows. Slide the right hand (white) arrow to the left until it's just outside the final range of the histogram curve. Watch your picture get a little lighter and warmer. If the curve doesn't go all the way to the left, slide the left arrow a little to the right, just outside the limit of the curve. Watch your picture get a little darker.
You're not done. Select the Green channel. Repeat the process.
Next, select the Blue channel. Same again, never adjusting more than improves the image. Use a light touch, but experiment to see what happens when you go too far. You can always undo any mistakes you make.
Lastly, repeat with the Value channel. Use a light touch, and make use of the central slider to adjust the overall tone of the image.
Think you're done? Click Edit > Undo, to see the original file, then Redo to reapply the changes you've made. Have you improved it? Save your file. This process really helps when your initial capture is a little flat and dull. It separates out the tones and colours and makes the whole thing pop.
Disappointed in the end result?
Looking a bit flat and dull?
Read on, and follow my GIMP recipe for getting the best out of your image captures.
Open your image file in GIMP. Then open the Colors > Levels dialogue.
You'll see a box with a histogram, which is what you'll be adjusting. Note the channel, just above this, which is probably set to Value. Press the arrow to access the menu, and pick Red.
You'll see a graph, with a black curve in a white box. It probably doesn't extend all the way to the sides of the box. At the bottom you'll see three arrows. Slide the right hand (white) arrow to the left until it's just outside the final range of the histogram curve. Watch your picture get a little lighter and warmer. If the curve doesn't go all the way to the left, slide the left arrow a little to the right, just outside the limit of the curve. Watch your picture get a little darker.
You're not done. Select the Green channel. Repeat the process.
Next, select the Blue channel. Same again, never adjusting more than improves the image. Use a light touch, but experiment to see what happens when you go too far. You can always undo any mistakes you make.
Lastly, repeat with the Value channel. Use a light touch, and make use of the central slider to adjust the overall tone of the image.
Think you're done? Click Edit > Undo, to see the original file, then Redo to reapply the changes you've made. Have you improved it? Save your file. This process really helps when your initial capture is a little flat and dull. It separates out the tones and colours and makes the whole thing pop.
