GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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Hi,

I'm trying to create a "chess board" image that I can snap to a grid and easily place "pieces" and markers to form variations. The board will need a "frame" with coordinates. Relating to my title, how do I add a frame without interfering with the main image's (board's) relationship with the grid that I'll need to snap to?

This is my favorite border. You can make it expand to fit the image without interfering with the image and it makes a new layer so if you want to add a pattern or something to it. Add it to your GIMP scripts folder and refresh the scripts. It uses the foreground color (in this case, black). You can also use two different colors and make a gradient border. Cross script

You find it in Filters / Decor / Apply Border. Be sure it's the Apply Border script, because there is more than one border script in there.


I've attached the script below: Add_Border_Script_by_Insanity_Prevails.scm

I locked the transparency on the border and filled it with a wood pattern. I used 40pixel size. Be sure to ask any questions you have about this. You can drag a color into each color place in the script dialog to change the colors.
Just an example.

Thank you very much for the info! So, I could use graphics(pieces) and put them into each grid-square pretty quickly if they were sized correctly? My goal is to be able to display pieces with different levels of transparency and to adjust the the color (highlights) of the squares.

I believe so. You may want to save the image with the separate layers as an xcf file (Gimp's native format) so that your grid remains with the original image.

When you are ready to place your pieces, open the xcf file, do Ctrl + D and that will give you a new, duplicate image; close the original image so that your original stays the same. You can save the new image as whatever you want.

Do this each time you want to do a new image to place the pieces where you want.