New user needs Assistance

[Mac101]

Hi , I am new here.

I have a problem .
I have a service manual that has a total of a 104 pages.  (A4, jpg)

One complete section is 8 pages . 4 on the top row and 4 on the bottom row.
to make one complete sheet .
They were scanned and sent to me .
Now to be able to use them I have to stitch them back together it a full large pages .

each Page was scanned as a jpg and they had a very dark back ground that I managed to clean up
using auto Balance .
I have look though the help and could not figure out How to increase the work space to fit four A4 sheets on
top . and Two A4 down . 8 sheets  to make one complete  image  . so I can put this jigsaw back together .
Also some of the pages are not 100% square so the alignment will have to be slid over to match ..
Is this possible .
If so How in the simplest way possible .

O forgot I am using Linux and version 2.10.18
Thanks

[Ofnuts]

You use Image>Canvas size to increase the size of an image (without scaling the contents), then import the other images using File>Open as layers (where you can select several images at a time).

If there is some usable overlap between the scans you can use a panorama-stitching application such as Hugin to do the work for you.

[Mac101]

(01-14-2021, 07:28 AM)Ofnuts Wrote: You use Image>Canvas size to increase the size of an image (without scaling the contents), then import the other images using File>Open as layers (where you can select several images at a time).

If there is some usable overlap between the scans you can use a panorama-stitching application such as Hugin to do the work for you.

Thanks I will Try That

[Mac101]

(01-13-2021, 10:10 PM)Mac101 Wrote: Hi , I am new here.

I have a problem .
I have a service manual that has a total of a 104 pages.  (A4, jpg)

One complete section is 8 pages . 4 on the top row and 4 on the bottom row.
to make one complete sheet .
They were scanned and sent to me .
Now to be able to use them I have to stitch them back together it a full large pages .

each Page was scanned as a jpg and they had a very dark back ground that I managed to clean up
using auto Balance .
I have look though the help and could not figure out How to increase the work space to fit four A4 sheets on
top . and Two A4 down . 8 sheets  to make one complete  image  . so I can put this jigsaw back together .
Also some of the pages are not 100% square so the alignment will have to be slid over to match ..
Is this possible .
If so How in the simplest way possible .

O forgot I am using Linux and version 2.10.18
Thanks

The SAVE AS does not give the options to save as a PDF .JPG or any thing other than a XCF
so I cant open the images in an other program . is there a way of saving as a image or PDF etc
Thanks

[Ofnuts]

Save is for XCF only. Other formats are obtained by File>Export. The rationale is that these other formats won't "save" data that would be useful for further work (layers, selections, paths). So, once you have exported, Gimp may still remind you that the picture is not "saved". You can ignore that, or even complain about it, until you find the hard way that it was indeed useful

[Mac101]

(01-14-2021, 07:28 AM)Ofnuts Wrote: You use Image>Canvas size to increase the size of an image (without scaling the contents), then import the other images using File>Open as layers (where you can select several images at a time).

If there is some usable overlap between the scans you can use a panorama-stitching application such as Hugin to do the work for you.

Hi tried the canvas size it just made the image smaller and screwed up the whole thing by cutting the images into
a quarter size .
Each page is A4 which is 8 by 12 inch aprox 
I set the canvas to 36 * 30 inch to allow for side room .
the canvas stayed the same size and cut the image totally destroying it

There must be any easy way ? or is there a bug in the program ??

Ok I mange to resize the measurement are way off .
Now it inported the next image to a random area and . in the wrong Place.
How do I move it to the right place is there a way to slide the the image ?
sorry to complain I am sure its a great program But user friendly its not.


Thanks

[rickk]

(01-14-2021, 11:09 PM)Mac101 Wrote: I set the canvas to 36 * 30 inch to allow for side room .
the canvas stayed the same size and cut the image totally destroying it

There must be any easy way ? or is there a bug in the program ??

Ok I mange to resize the measurement are way off .
Now it inported the next image to a random area and . in the wrong Place.
How do I move it to the right place is there a way to slide the the image ?
sorry to complain I am sure its a great program But user friendly its not.


Thanks

I've done quite a bit of what you are trying to do....although my method is sort of "the long way" compared to the instructions ofnuts gave you, let me share what works for me, and you decide if it's useful?

First open one of your typical .jpg images in gimp, and look at the top header to see what the image size is. Just pulling a number outof the air, lets say the size  is 200 X 300 pixels. Since you want to arrange your assembled work with 2 rows of 4 sheets...add up your pixels.

At minimum your new sheet needs to be 800 (200x4) pixels wide by 600 (300x2) pixels tall. 

So, create a new blank background image measuring just a little over that, to give you a little slack to play with.    850 x 650 ought to do just fine.

 Next, open each of the 8 .jpgs you intend to assemble together  You can use your selection box tool  if need be to trim off any unneeded  surrounding image.... draw your selection box over the part you intend to copy...then select "image/crop to selection".  Then in the edit menu select "copy".

Go back to your new 850 x 650 blank background sheet  and then select "edit/ paste as/new layer"

The portion of the JPG image that you selected and copied should now be set on your big blank sheet. Use the "move" tool   to move this pasted layer in whatever location you prefer..

Look over at the tall narrow box to the right of your work area, and you will see a notation about a pasted layer above the"background" layer.  when you have your imported layer located exactly were you want it in the work area, then move your cursor over to the layers dialog on the far right.....and right click on the "pasted layer" dialog, and from the menu that pops up, select "merge down"....and that should anchor your pasted layer to the blank background.
Repeat all of these steps for each .JPG  you intend to include on the background sheet.

[Ofnuts]

(01-14-2021, 11:09 PM)Mac101 Wrote:

(01-14-2021, 07:28 AM)Ofnuts Wrote: You use Image>Canvas size to increase the size of an image (without scaling the contents), then import the other images using File>Open as layers (where you can select several images at a time).

If there is some usable overlap between the scans you can use a panorama-stitching application such as Hugin to do the work for you.

Hi tried the canvas size it just made the image smaller and screwed up the whole thing by cutting the images into
a quarter size .
Each page is A4 which is 8 by 12 inch aprox 
I set the canvas to 36 * 30 inch to allow for side room .
the canvas stayed the same size and cut the image totally destroying it

There must be any easy way ? or is there a bug in the program ??

Ok I mange to resize the measurement are way off .
Now it inported the next image to a random area and . in the wrong Place.
How do I move it to the right place is there a way to slide the the image ?
sorry to complain I am sure its a great program But user friendly its not.


Thanks

Gimp works on pixels, if you want to work with physical measurements, you have to be careful about a few things, for some explanation see https://www.gimp-forum.net/Thread-Image-size-in-Gimp

To move things around you drag them with the Move () tool. You can make positioning a bit easier by using guides.

[Mac101]

(01-15-2021, 03:48 AM)rickk Wrote:

(01-14-2021, 11:09 PM)Mac101 Wrote: I set the canvas to 36 * 30 inch to allow for side room .
the canvas stayed the same size and cut the image totally destroying it

There must be any easy way ? or is there a bug in the program ??

Ok I mange to resize the measurement are way off .
Now it inported the next image to a random area and . in the wrong Place.
How do I move it to the right place is there a way to slide the the image ?
sorry to complain I am sure its a great program But user friendly its not.


Thanks

I've done quite a bit of what you are trying to do....although my method is sort of "the long way" compared to the instructions ofnuts gave you, let me share what works for me, and you decide if it's useful?

First open one of your typical .jpg images in gimp, and look at the top header to see what the image size is. Just pulling a number outof the air, lets say the size  is 200 X 300 pixels. Since you want to arrange your assembled work with 2 rows of 4 sheets...add up your pixels.

At minimum your new sheet needs to be 800 (200x4)  pixels wide by 600 (300x2)  pixels tall. 

So, create a new blank background image measuring just a little over that, to give you a little slack to play with.    850 x 650 ought to do just fine.

 Next, open each of the 8 .jpgs you intend to assemble together  You can use your selection box tool   if need be to trim off any unneeded  surrounding image.... draw your selection box over the part you intend to copy...then select "image/crop to selection".  Then in the edit menu select "copy".

Go back to your new 850 x 650 blank background sheet  and then select "edit/ paste as/new layer"

The portion of the JPG image that you selected and copied should now be set on your big blank sheet. Use the "move" tool   to move this pasted layer in whatever location you prefer..

Look over at the tall narrow box to the right of your work area, and you will see a notation about a pasted layer above the"background" layer.  when you have your imported layer located exactly were you want it in the work area, then move your cursor over to the layers dialog on the far right.....and right click on the "pasted layer" dialog, and from the menu that pops up, select "merge down"....and that should anchor your pasted layer to the blank background.
Repeat all of these steps for each .JPG  you intend to include on the background sheet.

Thanks rickk .That sounds like it might work. I will give it ago .
 The main thing I found about this program its use words That I have never heard of . and I found and used the skew
Like the old TV picture setting . And its spelt wrong so that trough me off . And the pop up boxes with just 4 letters and one is
meant to know what they stand for .
I guess that this program was written in a non English language and the descriptions are a hybrid of unknown science.
 But as its FREE and open Source I think I will bit my tongue and say thanks and have to figure out the new terminology.

Thanks.  I will follow your instructions . Printed them out .

[rickk]

(01-15-2021, 05:39 PM)Mac101 Wrote: Thanks rickk .That sounds like it might work. I will give it ago .
 The main thing I found about this program its use words That I have never heard of . and I found and used the skew
Like the old TV picture setting . And its spelt wrong so that trough me off . And the pop up boxes with just 4 letters and one is
meant to know what they stand for .
I guess that this program was written in a non English language and the descriptions are a hybrid of unknown science.
 But as its FREE and open Source I think I will bit my tongue and say thanks and have to figure out the new terminology.

Thanks.  I will follow your instructions . Printed them out .

gimp is an incredibly capable program, unfortunately it is not all that intuitive in it's visual organization, and ...yes  the "lingo" that is used isn't always that descript as far as the name for a particular function and what it actually does. (Geekspeak vs layman's terms)

But each time you use it, you get a little more familiar with it..and gradually you start to "think gimp"....for better or worse

Took me about 5 years to reach the point where I didn't feel overwhelmed with all the options available.

Are the pages you are copying primarily text, or pictures?  Just curious, because if as you mention it is a manual, and primarily text, then your best bet might actually be to use an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program, scan it all into a word processing program,  make it all look pretty, and then use something like LibreOffice to assemble it all into a .PDF file (just a thought)

One other thing that I'll suggest, but if you expect to use gimp often, there are a number of published "hard cover" manuals that do a fairly good job of translating the graphics "geek speak" into the everyday language used by the rest of us.

I bought this one several years ago, and really like it.  After having checked out several alternatives at my local library, I chose this one as my favorite because the  author seems to understand the divide between layman and experienced artist about the best

https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-GIMP-No...1590595874

I bought a used copy, and the one I got looked like it had NEVER been opened, even once.