GIMP Version: 2.6.11
Operating System: Windows
OS Version: XP - SP3
GIMP Experience: Beginner Level

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Hi all,
My name is Larry and it's my first visit, unfortunately in desperation.But I am glad I found this site even if it was by accident.My problem is this and I am hoping someone can help me.
I am trying to drop one image into another.In this case, a butterfly image into a bunch of flowers image.Now by trial and error, mostly error, I can get the butterfly into the iimage of the flowers and it sits in the middle.I then found that by going to layer and then arbitrary rotation I could move it around.Well, sometimes.I found that I could move what I would call cross hairs and on one occasion, I managed to get the butterfly to move after it.But that was just luck and I couldn't repeat it.Now I am at the stage where I can swing the poor unfortunate butterfly around like on the end of a rope but no more than that.
So it has been hit and miss and I wonder can anyone kindly give me the steps to being able to move the butterfly around that I can place it where I want?
I wonder also is there something I should or can do to sort out the sizes of each image because sometimes the butterfly is far too big for one image and too small for another although both main images are the same size photo wise but one has been resized.
As is clear I am completely at sea here and despite numerous attempts at reading the tutorial I might as well be looking into a bush !!
Thank you in advance.

Larry

I will try to help, but hopefully someone with more knowledge will hop on here soon.
to move a layer, such as the butterfly layer, you make sure that layer is selected in the layers menu. Then click on the move tool , make sure you click the radio button for move active layer, then click the on the layer, and you can move it wherever you want. Ignore the little layer edge lines. To resize your butterfly, again make sure that layer is active, then click on the resize tool and a dialog window will come up. click on the chain to link the length and width together if you want it to stay the same ratio. Then click on the butterfly and some lines with a center mark, edge lines, and corner marks show up. You can drag the edge and corner lines around to get the size you want. Then click ok or whatever on the dialog box (which sometimes gets hidden so first place it over where you can see a bit of it to click on to bring it back up front)
When all is as you want it, it's a good idea to go to each layer, and Menu>>>Layer>>>layer to image size. This makes all the layer edges line up with the original layer. And when you save a project in gimp, save as a gimp xcf file first, then I recommend saving as a png file. If you ever want to re-edit this file, you can open the xcf file and all the layers will be preserved. png is good to help prevent degradation of the image as happens with using a .jpg file

I think when you have the layer in "rotate mode", you will have a cross hair-like thing in the middle. You can grab the cross hair and move the image in a way, but what you're really doing is re-centering the center so that it's rotating on a different middle point.

Is that what you're talking about?

Welcome to GIMP Chat Larry...theres some awesome tutorials available on youtube and other places which might help you.

I personally use 'edit/copy visible/paste as new layer' to get one image on to another. Then, if you use the move tool on that layer, you can pretty much put the butterfly wherever you want..if you want to rotate it then use the rotate tool have to remember to go back to the select tool when done or lock the layer once its where you want it. But I'm sure some of the wizz bang elders of this forum will be able to correct us if we are wrong....please enjoy your stay

Thank you everybody.The help is appreciated and certainly helped.Unfortunately I now have a white box around the butterfly when dropped in which I can't seem to get rid of.Sorry to ask again for more help.Also is there a way to split an image in two.I have been trying it in Paint but have to rotate it for the bottom half because I can only seem to be in able to isolate the top half??

You do not want to use the Rotate tool to move your image. That will only turn it, not move it. As akky said, use the Move tool to move it. Be sure in the Move tool options that Move the Active layer is checked.

Somehow the image that you want to move had the alpha channel removed, that is why the background is white. I trust that it had a transparent background before that happened.

Open the image you want to put the new layer in. Then in File choose Open as Layers, then browse to the other image and open it. It should be sitting in a layer with your original layer.

Then use the tool to move it around.

If the background is white, you may be able to use the fuzzy selection tool to remove it. The effectiveness of it will depend on the image of the butterfly. If its a light-to-dark there should be no problems. Try it an see.

you can also remove the background easily if it is all one color. you make that layer active, then see if you can add alpha channel...if that is greyed out then it already has it. Then in menu>color>alpha to selection no, I mean color to alpha...duh. the default is white, if it is another color you have to put that color in the color box. then click ok or apply, whichever it askes. Voila, everything that color becomes transparent.

@Larry, if you are interested in installing an add-on script, I wrote one a couple years ago that should help in resizing your butterfly. The command is called "Fit Face to Path" (I'm not very good at naming things) and you can read about it on my Chiselapp website:

https://chiselapp.com/user/saulgoode/re ... g-fit-face

Regarding your white box around your butterfly, this might be caused by using Copy-n-paste on Windows. Try opening the file using the "File->Open as layers" command instead.

Saul, is that the script you used to put the face in the Daisies? they were cool.

Thank you very much everybody.I need to go away and practice all you have told me.Thanks again

white background might also be because its not a transparent image...if it is a jpeg then it will have the white background as jpegs can never be transparent images. It needs to be png or some other transparent file type.