Maharashtra Board Class 11 Information Technology Skill Oriented Practicals Chapter 5 Digital Content Creation GIMP Inkscape PDF Download

Digital Content Creation (GIMP, Inkscape)

Introduction

Digital content can be in any form. We have different types of files, such as images, videos, audio, text files, software program files which can be compiled and made executable.

Following is the list of contents along with its example:

1. Images files

2. Blogs – HTML files with Images and Videos in it.

3. Audio Files – Mp3 and various other format files etc.

4. Videos files

In this SOP we are going to learn GIMP, Inkscape

GIMP

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) was created in 1995 as a computer science project by students, Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis. Today GIMP has become a very sophisticated software with plenty of documentation and support.

GIMP is a Free and Open Source Software. You can freely distribute the program as well as its source code to any number of users. You can even study the source code and enhance it. GIMP runs on Linux and most of the other desktop Operating Systems.

Teacher's Note

GIMP is free software that helps you make and edit pictures. Just like you use Microsoft Paint in school, GIMP is a more powerful tool used by many professionals in India and around the world.

Exam Trick

Remember: GIMP = Free software + you can edit pictures. Think of it like a free version of Photoshop that your school can use without paying money.

Points to Remember

GIMP is a free and open source software for editing images.
It was created in 1995 by two students.
You can use GIMP to change pictures, add text, and create new art.
GIMP works on Linux and most computers.
You can share GIMP software with anyone for free.

GIMP Opening Screen (The Appearance May Vary Depending Upon Your Version)

GNU/Linux distribution already comes with a GIMP package. Installing through package manager is a preferred method of installing GIMP, as the distribution maintainers take care of all the dependencies and bug fix updates.

GIMP is very easy to learn. The opening screen of GIMP is shown above. Please ensure that you use the Single Window Mode which is suitable for beginners. To do this, tick Windows -> Single-Window Mode if it is not ticked already.

GIMP toolbox contains set of tools. These tools can be used to do various operations on images. Tool icons visually describe the corresponding operations. We will cover a few of them.

Students are required to explore the other tools by using them and referring to the GIMP documentation, manual and web tutorials which are freely available.

The most frequently used tool is Foreground and Background colour tool. The upper rectangle represents foreground colour while the lower represents background.

Clicking on each of the rectangles gives a colour selection dialog from which users can choose required forground or background color. Note that each colour selection is represented by set of numbers. You can note down these numbers and reproduce the colour at any time.

Teacher's Note

The foreground and background colours are like choosing two favourite colours to paint with. Just like you pick two crayons for your art class, GIMP lets you pick two colours to work with.

Exam Trick

Remember: Foreground color = the color you use now. Background color = the color in the background. Click the colored boxes to change them.

Points to Remember

The toolbox in GIMP has many tools for editing images.
Foreground color is the main color you use right now.
Background color is the second color in the background.
You can click on the colored rectangles to choose new colors.
Each color has numbers that help you use it again later.

Let us do a small activity. We will create a colourful balloon with some text on it.

Step 1: Create a blank image, also called as Canvas. File->New (or Ctrl+N).

Teacher's Note

Creating a new blank canvas is like getting a new white paper to paint on. You start with nothing and add whatever you want to it.

Exam Trick

Remember: Canvas = blank paper. File menu -> New = get new paper. You will choose the size like 640 x 400 pixels.

Points to Remember

Canvas is a blank image where you will draw and paint.
You use File menu and click New to make a blank canvas.
You can choose the size of your canvas in pixels.
Pixels are tiny dots that make up the picture.
The bigger the canvas, the more space you have to draw.

We start with a new blank image of size 640 x 400 pixels. The new image will have white background and black foreground.

This 640 x 400 image will be the surface of our balloon.

We want our balloon to have very attractive colours. So let us fill the whole image area with some bright colour. We can use single flat colour or even mixture of few colours. Here we will use gradient colour. Gradient colour is a gradually fading mixture of two colours

Step 2: Change Foreground and Background colour with colours of your choice. The tool will show you the colours you have chosen in the form of small icon.

Step 3: Now select the Blend Tool ( short cut L ) from the tool box and drag the mouse from left to right on your canvas. After you release the mouse, the canvas will be filled by the gradient of foreground and background colour. The balloon made up of this canvas will look nice. But we will decorate the canvas further by putting some text and coloured ovals on it.

Teacher's Note

Gradient is like mixing two colors slowly to make a beautiful effect. When you use gradient in your balloon, it will look like the colors are slowly changing from one to another, just like a sunset.

Exam Trick

Remember: Gradient = two colors mixing slowly. Blend Tool = the tool that creates gradient. Drag left to right = fill the whole picture with gradient.

Points to Remember

Gradient is a mix of two colors that slowly fade into each other.
The Blend Tool helps you create a gradient on your canvas.
You drag the mouse to decide where the gradient goes.
Gradients make pictures look more attractive and beautiful.
You can use any two colors to make different gradients.

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