Learning more GIMP

A birthday present consisting of a book recommended on slashdot has helped advance my understanding of the power of my image manipulation software: GIMP 2 for photographers: Image editing with open source software. Klaus Goelker. 2007.

Today’s lesson involved the use of layers and resulted in the enhancing of the following image (not my photo):

Into this image (above) which was constructed from a elaborate set of steps involving typical digital camera image enhancement tools (exposure adjustments, color and saturation tweaking) and the use of pixel selection tools and a process of separating of the original single two-dimensional image into two additional layers. Layer 1 is the sky; layer 2 is the sun.

The sun is “painted” in using a circular virtual paintbrush. The original sky was erased using a color selection tool that essentially erased all the light blue (and the associated colors). This was relatively easy for this particular kind of image because of the clearly defined separation of light sky and darker landscape. The mountain received a color “burn in” tool application.

The enhanced image now looks more like a painting than a photographic image.

The sky will be further enhanced in a later step in this tutorial by applying a color gradient that will make it look more realistic. With more experience, I should be able to alter images substantially and have them appear as unaltered images: nothing can be trusted as real anymore.