In the GIMP Interface, the first 6 items in the first row are all selection tools. You can follow along below or watch the videos to learn more.
The first selection tool is the Rectangle Selection Tool. It is used to create rectangle selections in the GIMP.
To use this, first select the rectangle selection tool. Then hold down the left mouse button over the canvas and drag an outline of the size rectangle you want to create. This will create a rectangle selection.
If you wanted to draw a square, make sure to hold down the shift key while your dragging the selection tool outline, this will constrain the ratio and give you a square and not a rectangle.
While that rectangle is selected, you'll see moving dashes, which some people refer to as 'ants'. This indicates that something is a selection.
While that is selected, the onlything that can be drawn or filled will happen within the selection only.
You can paint, draw, fill, apply effects, scale, etc to the selection to create a vartiey of different effects.
Also note, that you under the tools, you'll have a set of different properites you can use when using the selection tools. For example:
The first property is called mode: With this you can add, or subtract or intersect the selection. For example, let's say you wanted to add another rectangle, or even a ellipse to the original selection.
To do this hold down the shift key, you'll see a tiny plus + symbol, now draw your new selection. In this example, I am adding an elliptical selection to the rectangular selection:
You can actually create some complex shapes using the selection tools quite easily. We could also fill (using the paint bucket tool) the new selection (which is a combined rectangle and circle) with a new color. This would give us something like this:
See how it fills the whole selection. Notice that the area is still selected, however.
To turn off the selection, go to Select, then click on None. Now that red image is no longer selected. And you will no longer see the 'ants' moving around the red object.
To take away an area of the selection, just use the Ctrl key while drawing the new selection. This is the subtract mode. You'll see a tiny - minus sign.
Other properties include the Feather Effect. Feathering means to make the edges softer. So before making a selection choose the feathered and set the radius to 10. And then draw your new selection. In this example, we filled it with a pattern. Notice the soft edges.
2) The Elliptical tool is the second choice on the toolbar and is essentially the same as the rectangle tool.
If you want to draw a circle and not an ellipse, remember to hold down the shift key while making your selection.
3) The next tool is the Hand Drawn tool.
This tools allows you to draw a selection manually.
To use this tool, hold down the mouse key and draw out your selection. When you are done making your selection, simply let go of the left mouse key and the image will close automatically.
4) The next tool is the Select contiguous regions (also known as the magic wand).
This tool allows you to select all the similar colors that are connecting, or contiguous.
For example, with our stickman above, if we selected the blue body area with the magic wand it would select the blue area of the body. But since the head is not connected, it does not get selected. To add that selection, simply hold down the shift key and click on the blue of the head.
You can change the degree of contiguous area selected by changing the threshold setting in the propeties box below the tool.
5) The next tool is the Select by Color tool.
This tool makes it easy to select just a color or all the similiar colors on a page. That way you can easily change the color, by filling or painting. This comes in handy.
Simply select this tool and then select by left clicking your mouse on the canvas for the colors you want to select.
6) The last selection tool is the Select Shape from Image Tool.
This tool allows you to 'magnetically' select shapes from an image. You can follow the outline for specific shapes pretty easily with this tool.
To use it, select the tool, then on the canvas start with the shape you want to select and left click the mouse then move down some more along the shape and left click the mouse again. The new selection is being made and following you as you click.
To close the selection, close off the selection and click in the middle. This will create a selection.
So those are the selection tools. They will come in handy and you'll probably use them often once you get the hang of it.
Ok, on to the next tool, which happens to be the last tool in the first row. It's known as the Bezier Tool and is definitely worth knowing how to use...
