Hello all. I am overwhelmed by Gimp’s abilities.. so much so, I have not even reached the “novice” or “newbie” level of proficiency. As a result I need help, big time. I am trying to take plain old hand-printed letters, only 5 at this point - 3 uppercase and 2 lower case. I want to blow them up to work with them, but due to the pixelation, I need to smooth the edges more than anti-aliasing can, I think.

I next want to determine the aspect ratio and then adjust them for the same height. For example, all uppercase letters need to be the same height for visual comparison, whereas lowercase letters may be a different height. Finally, I want to put a border around each of the letters, so when a number of the same letter re displayed side by side a viewer only sees the black letters and white space in between. Additionally, the strokes of the letters may need to be adjusted for thickness especially when it comes to letters from different authors.

I want to print each letter in a 1” x 1” box to be displayed on a monitor and on an 8.5: x 11” sheet of paper. Initially, I think the letter itself should be about 3/4” tall with a 1/8” white order.

Can someone help me get this project completed, or direct me to a tutorial or primer that doesn’t create more confusion.

Although it may appear that I am totally computer illiterate I have programmed using fortran, C++, Assembly and a few more, Gimp is seriously complicated. At the same time, Photoshop Elements is too automated. As a result, someone suggested I try PaintShop Pro. If it, or I, cant’t get my project completed with Gimp, I’ll try PaintShop Pro next. I’ve been told PS Pro has come a long way since the time it was freeware. Anyone have any suggestions on another drawing manipulation program easier to learn than Gimp.

Is that too much to ask? I hope not. If it is, I am sorry, but once I get the steps down, I just need to repeat the process 50 or 60 times and then, it's off to the races, for lack of a better analogy.

TIA All.

You first need to decide whether you need a bitmap (raster) editor or a vector editor.

Your description of the alphabet letters isn’t too clear. I can’t quite visualize them.

Gimp, Photoshop Elements and PaintShop are all bitmap editors. But my gut feel tells me that you need a vector editor. Inkscape, for example.

Mmmm I agree Blighty.

After 5 posts you can upload an image. That would help us to see the problem.

I once converted a version of my handwriting into a font with a scan using fontforge (there are other tools) and then converted that into a series of character layers with Gimp; so that is a possible option. They all have a learning curve overhead if you are not familiar with a tool.

Did his message come through? See my latest SOS?

What message? Only the first one. - try again

First, thanks Mahvin. I definitely want to shade the areas not relevant. In my attachment, I used circles to show which characters I want to focus on.

My goal is to create thumbnails of the single boxed letter "r" and the twelve circled "r" letters.

I don't even qualify as a newcomer or newbie, or novice or whatever so in any description, please break it down to "baby steps." As you can see, my pdf attachment is oriented sideways and no matter what I thought I did to save it or export it with the correct orientation, it is still side-ways.

Back to my project. I intend to show that the author of the boxed "r" is likely the author of the twelve circled "r's."

Therefore the r's need to be adjusted or normalized for height and the boxed r needs to be cleaned up around the edges due to the scatter produced from multiple reproductions, etc.
Any help will be appreciated because I need to get it done ASAP.

Edit: oops I forgot to tell you how to open a pdf in gimp.
From gimp browse to the file (Make sure you have all files selected), then you will be given the option to open as a image or layers. As you only have one page open as an image

in step 1, is each "r" assigned to a separate layer?
How do I adjust the height of all, including the boxed "r"?
What are you doing in step 2?
What are you doing in step 3?

After cutting out the 'r' you go to 'edit' in the top menu and paste as a new layer I turned the eyes off each as they were done so you could see which had been done and also if you do not have the original selected it will keep telling you that it can't cut from an empty selection.
I didn't adjust the height of all which is why I used align in montage (Align keeps the initial size). Setting 'scale' in montage should put them close to the same.
I'll post again with some screen shots for you on a smaller project. I am not doing all that again.

How do I send a message or question to an individual member? For example, Mahvin responded on my "How Do I..." forum post with some slick translucent effect, and I'd like to find out how to do it.

PM (Private Message) them [must have been what you did with your last post]- not advisable unless you know they will not mind. You can always ask your questions in the forum

I must have lost my draft of this reply, so I'll start over. If it is redundant, sorry.

sallyanne, I am not sure how a Montage and/or a vertical array helps me because each of the 11 or 12 thumbnails needs to be in a separate file that can be shuffled and displayed in random order. When I display them on a website, I want to arrange the thumbnails three rows by four columns.

Another thing about the rope or string you display sallyanne. Is that effect the result of a tool in gimp that causes the edges to get fuzzy, or clears up the out-of-focus look.?

Maybe you need someone to show you how to do custom montages then - There is a tutorial

I am not a mathematician so cannot help with the custom
re the rope or string - I assume you mean the squiggle? Using a brush I did a 's' squiggle then blurred it - with gaussian blur to show you the result what threshold would do.

If you want them to be in different files you may have to paste as an image instead of a layer so you will have lots of images/files.

Then after creating your different images you will have to make the canvas larger - here you can do the canvas' all the same size.
Then stroke a selection around each if you want them in a border.

Another quicker way to have all them on the same size canvases, would be to create a grid (filters, render, pattern, grid) in gimp.
Put each layer as you cut them from one image onto the grid.
Then in G'mic use 'extract objects' under Arrays and Tiles.
I used the settings 75, 72, & .26. Depending on your size you may need different settings.
It will give you a preview of where it will cut. Mine didn't show all but did most of them.
You may want to have the output as different layers and cut and paste each layer as an image then.