For anyone having problems with the python version of this script, I went ahead and duplicated it in scheme for max compatibility.

Rod, let me know if you get an error in GIMP 2.6.x and I can fix. I don't have 2.6.x handy at the moment.

Just delete the .py script from the plug-ins folder (to avoid duplicate menu entries) and place the attached scheme script in the scripts folder.

Updated script moved to this post.

Thanks Tux.
I am getting an error with the SCM but not sure what it is.
Can you tell me the steps to perform before running the filter?
I ran it like this
1) Opened my Image
2) Selected the image layer.
3) Made a selection (elliptic) on the image.
4) Ran the filter expecting to get a new shrunk , inverted , copied selection on a new layer and then the Gaussian blur dialog with the default script values. Instead i got no response at all. No glauss dialog, no new layer.

EDIT: Looks like i may have found the problem the PDB for GIMP-2.6 calls for an INT32 for levels "HISTOGRAM-VALUE" so i replaced it with a "0"
Refreshing now.

OK, but after step 3, you need to copy or cut, then select the target layer/image, then click Edit/Feather Paste.

It will pull up the gauss blur dialog. Before running the blur, you can move the pasted layer around (as shown in the video posted earlier).

It's basically just an alternate paste, which allows you to blur the edges, previewing the blur amount by viewing the mask in the gauss plug-in's preview window.

Working now (following the correct steps).

Thanks Tux,

ok, I downloaded the scm and deleted the .py, I opened an image, I selected her right eye... I went to edit/copy, then ran the script at 275 blur. with the pasted copy selected, (not the mask). I ended up with the original layer but no blur. The blur did show up in the preview. my xcf is below in attachments and my selection here.
If I had the blur set at 275, wouldn't that eye be almost fully blurred?


I watched Rich's video 4 times and I did the same as he did.
Rod, how did you end up with a blank transparent layer?

I created that myself. I assumed the script would need it.

Well, I did it the way it showed in Rich's vid and the preview came up and showed the large blur, but when I executed the script, it didn't blur the selection. I keep going back to the vid and I know I did it exactly the way Rich did. This is what I am trying to find out, what I seemed to have missed.

Molly, I guess you can't see the blur if you try to paste the blurred selection on exactly the same image.
It's just my guess, but I can tell you that I downloaded your image, duplicated it, SCALED it, then feathered-pasted into the SCALED one and it worked, while trying to feather-paste on the duplicated image without scaling it didn't work.
Don't know why, I'm not a technician

edit: made some other test
it works also on a duplicated not rescaled image, BUT NOT WITH THE SO HUGE VALUE you entered;
your value practically CLEARS (FADE OUT) THE WHOLE SELECTION, try with 150 for instance...

@Molly - I'll bet what you missed is the deselection after the copy, which happens fast on that video.If you try to Feather Paste the copy back into the same image with the selection in place, it doesn't feather because you're limited by the boundaries of the selection.

@Graechan & Rod - I wonder if it would be better to have two menu options. Something like Feather Paste (merge) & Feather Paste (keep layers) or just have another pop-up before/after the Blur popup, where you select to merge or not. Which would be better?

Thank you dinasset and Tux.
I will give that a try, I didn't move it the way Rich did, I just ran the script so the eye would stay in the same place but it would be blurred. Actually, I was just trying to see what this script could do.
I knew I did something wrong, but just didn't figure out what....
Ok, tried it on the calla lily on the right, I wanted to make a blurred copy of that to make a third blurred lily.

Hi folks -

I am th e original author of this script - having read the various posts, I have a few things to comment over:
1) it was writen as a request for a feature from sircrow on the GIMP users mailing list: the idea was to be able to see visually the amount of feathering on the border before pasting something
2) I figured out that with the _new_ style for plug-ins, that is in GIMP unstable (2.9) - where some of the plug-ins are replaced by GEGL operations which always have a live preview on the image, it would be possible to do what was asked for - that is, a pasted image wuld appear, and one would change the mask feathering in an interactive way before consolidating the paste.
3) However, even in gimp 2.9, there are no PDB calls for the new style plug-ins. So I had to call the traditional gaussian-blur for the pasted-layer mask. That does not allow for the interactive control that was asked for - as soons as we have a way to call interatictivelly the new gaussian blur from a plug-in, this script should be better.
4) Maybe the script should not merge the pasted layer down. Just leaving it as a new layer would offer much greater control, allowing one to position it after the blur is done (not just while the dialog is open),and fine tune the mask afterwards, with curves or hand painting. One can have that behavior now if he will just comment out the call to pdb.gimp_image_merge_down (putting a "#" in front of the line with the call for those who don't know Python)


and now, for the part I am interessed in:

the plug-in SHOULD run in windows, even with the "ã" in my name - if there are no blank lines inserted on the top of the script. So, if the line that goes "# coding: utf-8" is indeed the second (or the first) line of code, and the script gives out "unicode-decode error", I'd like to hear from you - that would mean there is an error in the way Python is being packaged on the Windows installers for GIMP.

Hi Gwidion,
on the last sentence: in my environment (gimp 2.8 under windows 7 32-bits) characters like the one in your first name are not accepted, I don't get an error, simply the plug-in does not show in the menu; NOTE that the same thing happens also with italian accented characters (like: è é à ò ì ù) also if in a comment line (I am an Italian and I wrote some small python scripts and I made the "error" of putting comments in italian, having accented chars...); this means that is the parser of the python scripts which does not accept those

Hi Gwidion,
I too would find that very helpful to have the script work on a new layer, then move it to a different position. thanks for sharing your script with us.

As I said above, my investigations showed that a direct download of your script works perfectly.

However, just copy-pasting the code into a text editor and blindly saving is keeping the non-ansi character in a ANSI encoded file - hence the (invisible) error.

It's not a problem with your script but potentially a problem with using GitHub - You need a "Download" button to prevent anyone from copy-pasting.

Kevin

p.s. You can safely claim compatibility with GIMP 2.6 as it works fine in Gimp 2.6.7

This can be done after a plain cut&paste. In fact the original purpose of your script is to avoid this...

I am running Windows XP 32 bit Home Edition and GIMP-2.8.10.
My problem is that the python filter shows in the Gimp-2.8.10 menu but doesn't work. Even after making the name change.

Hi Rod,
I have exactly your same environment.
I installed and used the python version (name changed).
It works.
If this can help, I sent you 3 images:
- a flower image
- a frame image
- the resulting image after doing the following steps:
1.open the flower image
2.fuzzy select the white color
3.invert the selection
4.copy
5.open the frame image
6.click on Edit->Feathered Paste
7.set feather value around 50
8.click OK
You should get the composed image.
Good luck

The name change enables it be visible in the menus, so that's OK for you.

Please define what you mean by "doesn't work"
(sorry couldn't resist, we do it to everyone else who turns up here with similar pronouncements )

Kevin