Basic Image Edits

While my regular workflow for colour grading and skin tone adjustments is done in Capture One, this tutorial outlines how I would approach basic edits using GIMP. I’ve included some references to Lightroom based on their help documentation, though I haven’t personally tested those steps.

 

(Click each image to see the border on a dark background.)

 

GIMP

  1. Crop – Select the Crop Tool (Shift + C), drag a box around the desired area, and press Enter to apply the crop.
  2. Clone – Select the Clone Tool (C), hold Ctrl and click to set a source point, then paint over the area to be covered.
    • Choose a nearby clean sample of the background and carefully paint over the object to be removed to match surrounding textures.
  3. Levels – Go to Colors → Levels, adjust the black, midtone, and white sliders, then click OK.
    • To make near-black areas truly black, drag the left (black point) slider inward (e.g. 4-6) until the darkest tones are pure black.
  4. Resize – Go to Image → Scale Image, enter new dimensions, choose an interpolation method (e.g., LoHalo), and click Scale.
    • CAPA image standards are a maximum of 1400 pixels wide × 1050 pixels tall, with at least one dimension reaching the maximum; try entering one maximum and verify the other stays within the limit.
  5. Fit Image in Window – Use View → Zoom → Fit Image in Window or press Shift + Ctrl + J to view the entire resized image at once.
  6. New Layer – Go to Layer → New from Visible or Layer → New Layer, and ensure it’s positioned above existing layers.
  7. Border – Go to Select → All, then Select → Border, choose border width, and fill the selection on the new layer to create a clean frame.
  8. Bucket Fill – Select the Bucket Fill Tool (Shift + B) and click inside the active border selection to apply color.
    1. Set the foreground color to white, ensure Fill Whole Selection and FG color fill are selected in Tool Options, then click inside the border selection to fill it cleanly.

Photoshop

  1. Crop – Select the Crop Tool (C), drag a box around the desired area, and press Enter (Return on Mac) to apply the crop.
  2. Clone – Select the Clone Stamp Tool (S), hold Alt (Option on Mac) and click to set a source point, then paint over the area to be covered.
    • Choose a nearby clean sample of the background and carefully paint over the object to be removed to match surrounding textures.
  3. Levels – Go to Image → Adjustments → Levels, adjust the black, midtone, and white sliders, then click OK.
    • To make near-black areas truly black, drag the left (black point) slider inward (e.g. 4–6) until the darkest tones are pure black.
  4. Resize – Go to Image → Image Size, enter new dimensions, choose an interpolation method (e.g., Bicubic Sharper), and click OK.
    • CAPA image standards are a maximum of 1400 pixels wide × 1050 pixels tall, with at least one dimension reaching the maximum; try entering one maximum and verify the other stays within the limit.
  5. Fit Image in Window – Use View → Fit on Screen or press Ctrl + 0 (Cmd + 0 on Mac) to view the entire resized image at once.
  6. New Layer – Go to Layer → New → Layer, or use Shift + Ctrl + N (Shift + Cmd + N on Mac), and ensure it’s positioned above existing layers.
  7. Border – Go to Select → All, then Select → Modify → Border, choose border width, and fill the selection on the new layer to create a clean frame.
  8. Bucket Fill – Select the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and click inside the active border selection to apply color.
    1. Set the foreground color to white, ensure Contiguous and All Layers are selected in the Options bar, then click inside the border selection to fill it cleanly.

Hope this helps you get started with your own edits

— Robert Miller