How to Do X-Ray Vision on GIMP

You can use GIMP to turn a photo into an x-ray styled graphic.

If you want to create a black-and-white image resembling what you would see with x-ray vision, you can use GIMP to make the inventive scene. GIMP has an invert effect which will give your image an extraterrestrial glow. You can then desaturate the image and adjust its brightness and contrast to achieve something suited to your particular preferences. The result will not be medically satisfying, but it can produce entertainment value.

Instructions

1. Launch GIMP and open the photo you want to turn into an x-ray scene by clicking on "File" and "Open."

2. Click "Colors" and "Invert." This will turn the white of your picture into the black cavity you would expect on an x-ray, and it will turn the black of the picture into a glowing white that resembles dense bone mass. All other colors are also converted into their color-wheel opposites, for example, orange will become blue and green will become red.

3. Select "Colors" again and this time "Desaturate." Check "Average" and click "OK."

4. Click "Colors" and "Curves." Double-click your cursor near the bottom-right corner of the grid and continue to hold the cursor down as you gently move the cursor around to find an optimal color curve for your photo. As you move your cursor, preview your image to guide your movement, moving the curve up and to the left if you want more lightness and moving the curve down and to the right if you want an increase in darkness. Click "OK" when satisfied.

5. Save your x-ray image using the "File" and "Save As" function.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also click on "Colors" and "Brightness and Contrast" to adjust those two settings within your image.

• Re-name your x-ray file when saving as to not replace your original photo.

References

• GIMP: Invert
• GIMP: Desaturate
• GIMP: Curves

Resources

• GIMP