GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: New User

---

Hi everyone. First time user (groan). I've got an image of a politician and superimposed an image of a beret as a layer which I've resised (see file "gimp problem zero"). I now want to move it onto his head. I use the move tool. However when I move it outside of the rectangle in which the image sits, it disappears (as displayed in "gimp problem one"). I don't want to increase the image size, because I need the beret to be above it. But I don't even know what to call the rectangle in which the image sits and outside of which everything disappears.

Please help

SF

What did the poor beret do to deserve that?

However, first thing I see is the 'beret image' does not have transparency. There is a checker background so it will have had one once, but not now.

First thing to do is cut out that background. Nothing clever. Make sure the image has transparency, Layer -> Transparency -> Add Alpha Channel then maybe go round with the eraser tool. Once finished save as a Gimp xcf file.(or export as a png) anything else and you lose transparency.

Now open the main image, and for the beret File -> Open-as-layers the beret image.

Enable the move tool, set the 'move active layer' option. Click on the beret and move into position.



edit: OK I see the problem with (1) You have the 'politician' image planted on a larger background.
Make sure the politician layer is selected. Then [i]Layer -> Layer to Image Size[/i}

You should extract the beret from a picture of someone wearing it. A beret is something very soft, it takes the shape of the head.

In modern France (post 1950...) the beret is worn by, in that order: ladies (fashion accessory), hipsters, and people who think they live in 1950 (like Jean Lassalle, candidate for president in 2017). And "sacrebleu", well, it wasn't even used in black and white movies.

Thanks very much for taking the time to respond, appreciate it

Hi, I'm well aware of that. It's a comment on an interview given by Hammond(e) in Le Monde. So the stereotypical British ideas of French identity are there to illustrate the oddity of having to translate an English interview by Hammond, of which the only transcript is a French translation, back into French. Mille Sabords.

By the way "Sacrebleu" is the name of a brilliant album by French DJ Dimitri From Paris, who is not from Paris at all but from Istanbul

Thank you so much! I right clicked and tried to add alpha transparency, but the only available option was remove alpha transparency, so it is already alpha transparent. As you can see from the attached image I've managed to use the scissor tools to cut the beret out. When I try with the eraser nothing happens. I rub the eraser around the beret and there is no visible change. So what would be good is to be able to move the selected or cut out beret. I've tried alt shift and arrow keys, I've tried dragging with the mouse. Any number of crazy things happen, including the selection lines moving and the beret staying put, or vice versa. Do you have a simple instruction just to move the selected beret onto the dumb politician's head? Thanks a million, SF

Just the same as before. For this type of beginner question, it really is best if you give full screenshots of the Gimp interface. The tool options and layers dialogues often give clues as to what is happening.

example for moving a layer



1. make the layer active
2. Use the move tool
3. To prevent moving the base layer, enable move active layer

Now click-and-drag on the canvas.



I suggested using the eraser tool as a simple method, for a simple shape, for a beginner.

However since you made a selection the eraser tool (any paint tool) does not work outside the selection.

With the selection active, as your screenshot, invert the selection then cut the selection, then turn the selection off. Then move around as earlier.


As an example, to practice moving layers, something like your image, an xcf file attached.