How to Blend a Picture Using GIMP

Blending pictures can be a tricky and painstaking task.

GIMP is a digital imaging manipulation program similar to its professional counterpart Adobe Photoshop, although GIMP can be downloaded for free. A large number of the functions that can be performed in Photoshop can be mirrored in GIMP even though the process may be slightly different. One of those functions is blending exposures to get the best part of two images to blend into one.

Instructions

1. Inspect the images that you wish to blend. The pictures should be easy to combine. If the pictures have not been taken yet, taking them with a tripod will help make the process smoother when aligning the images. The boundaries can't be too different or it will make the blend more difficult.

2. Open up the two images in GIMP. Click "File" and "Open." Navigate to the folder where the images are stored and double-click the image file. They should be the same dimensions.

3. Create a layer for the background image by clicking "Layer" and then "New Layer." A pop-up box will prompt you for the name of the layer and its size. Make the layer transparent and click "OK."

4. Select the overlapping image by clicking on it and pressing "Ctrl-A" and then "Ctrl-C." Press "Ctrl-L" to bring up the Layers dialog box. Press "Ctrl-V" to paste the image as a floating selection in the dialog box. Select the new image transparency and then click the anchor icon at the bottom of the dialog box.

5. Lower the opacity of the top image so that you can view both images and check the alignment. Select the layer that needs to be aligned in the Layers dialog box. Nudge the image using the arrows on the keyboard until it comes into alignment. You may also need to rotate the photo. When the pictures appear somewhat aligned, zoom in to finish aligning with as much precision as possible.

6. Right-click on the overlapping image layer and choose "Add Layer Mask." In the pop-up dialog box, choose "White (Full Opacity)" and then click the "Add" button.

7. Use the Lasso tool from the toolbox to select a large region within the perimeter of where you want to paint (the icon is a small lasso). Use the Fill tool to fill the area with the color black.

8. Select the Paint tool (its icon is the tip of a paintbrush) from the toolbox and use the largest opaque brush and paint the mask close to the edge of the where the image blends. Use a feathered brush to work in the area where the boundaries meet.

9. Blend the seams of the exposure as needed using the following four tools from the toolbox: Blur, Airbrush, Smudge and Clone.

References

• GIMP: Blending Exposures