How to take screenshots and resize them using GIMP

< Injader 2.0.0 Released : Injader guest post at Blogging Sueblimely >

A common question I hear from new bloggers and webmasters is: "How do I resize images?" For some time I've been using Adobe Photoshop (and yes, it's a legal copy), but that's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Pretty much all I do is resize images. So I decided it might be better to try a free image editor and see how I get on with that.

GIMP - the GNU Image Manipulation Program - is the editor I've decided to use. I am writing this guide to document the process as I do it - I learn by doing. I haven't used GIMP before, so this guide isn't from an expert. However, it should help you with a couple of common tasks:

1. Creating screenshots and saving them
2. Resizing images
   

Installation

Go to the GIMP Downloads page and click on the link to download GIMP. Save the file, then when it's finished downloading, double-click it to start the installation.

Click Next, Next, Install Now. Then click Finish when the installation is complete. GIMP will start automatically; if not, you can run it by double-clicking the shortcut on your desktop.

Taking a screenshot of your desktop

Press the Print Screen key - this is usually at the top of your keyboard, towards the right-hand side.

Now, in GIMP, open the File menu - click Acquire - then Paste as New. You'll see the image is pasted in a new window. You can save it immediately if you wish - click File, Save.

Taking a screenshot of a specific window

You don't have to take a screenshot of the whole desktop if you just want one window. To get just a single window, click anywhere in the window so it is active. Then hold the ALT key and press Print Screen.

In GIMP, do as you did before: File - Acquire - Paste as New. This time, you'll only see the window you selected, rather than the desktop.



Now you can save the image.

Resizing an image

Go to Image - Scale Image and you can change the height and width of your image.



Change the list on the right-hand side from pixels to percent then reduce the image to 75%. Press the Scale button to make the change.

Quick Tip: If you have a digital camera, don't upload the photos from the camera straight to the web. They will be huge. Instead, resize them. If you upload to a site that automatically resizes the images for you, that's great, but if you upload the originals it'll take a lot longer to get them on the web than if you resize them first.

Admittedly it will take some time to do the resizing, but there's a bonus: you'll stop and think about which photos you really want to share, instead of uploading duplicates or anything that you don't want to share. Sometimes, it's wise to take your time!

Cropping an image

If you only want to use a specific area of an image, you'll need to crop it. First, use the Rectangle Select Tool. This is the dotted rectangle in the main window of GIMP.



Now click and drag with the mouse to draw a box around the area of the image you wish to use. Finally, click on Image - Crop Selection.

This is not an exhaustive guide!

I haven't even scratched the surface of what you can do in GIMP. But hopefully this short guide will help you to save screenshots and resize them.

What do you think?

Did this help you at all?
Have you ever tried GIMP?
Isn't free software great?

Did you like this post? Subscribe today!

Comments

Name *
Email *
URL
* Required Fields. Email will not be shown.
Verification:	Type the message into the box below. The letters are case sensitive.
Help Enter your comment:
Rate this article: 5 4 3 2 1 No rating (5 = Highest, 1 = Lowest) Note: if you have already posted a rating on this page, a new vote will not be added.