Gimp Path Tools by Ofnuts

Introduction

You will find here a collection of Gimp plugins that I have written for my own use, or for my own amusement. They all deal with paths, that are an often overlooked functionality in Gimp. I have rather arbitrarily split these plugins into two families, the "Tools" and the "Decorations".

Another page is a short write up on Gimp paths, to help you understand how these scripts work.

Downloads

The scripts can be downloaded here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gimp-path-tools/files/scripts/

Some sample images can be found here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gimp-path-tools/files/samples/. Layers, paths, and saved selections usually have a fairly descriptive name, so that the whole process is fairly easy to understand.

Documentation

The older scripts are documented in the pages linked above.

The more recent scripts (those with an "ofn-" prefix) are delivered as a ZIP package that also contains the documentation (often in a "doc" subdirectory)

Usage notes

I like to keep my scripts simple and focused, so, usually, the output of the script is only another path. Rendering pixels can be done in very many ways, and covering them all would require enormous and confusing dialogs, while "Stroke path", with all its options, is in the same right-click menu....

Output path complexity

Most paths produced here are a sequence of very short segments, usually around ten "controls points" per pixel of length, where regular paths are around one control point per hundred pixels. So far Gimp seems to handle them very well, even if the display of these paths may sometimes look strange.

Displaying paths

The display of paths may look incomplete if the path follows the same lines as:

• Another visible path (its origin path left visible, for instance)
• The selection (especially if used as a source for the path, or created from it)
• Guides

Furthermore, complex paths displayed in the path editor appear as a very thick line due to the numerous control points.

Contact

Support for these scripts is available on Gimp-Forum.net.

Python support

These filters are all written in Python and therefore your Gimp installation must have Python support. You have Python support installed if you have a "Python-fu" item at the bottom of your Filters menu.

On Linux, this is pretty much the default these days. On Windows, things may be a bit more complicated unless you use the excellent gimp-win installers. On OSX, please tell me if you know.

Installation

Copy the downloaded .py file to:

• On Windows XP: C:\Documents and settings\{your_id}\.gimp-2.6\plugins
• On Vista and Seven: C:\Users\{your_id}\.gimp-2.6\plugins
• OSX: (please tell me if you know)
• On Linux: ~/.gimp-2.6/plugins. Set the "executable" flag. Remember that by default, the leading dot in .gimp-2.6 makes it invisible.

If you run Gimp 2.7 or 2.8, replace .gimp-2.6 by .gimp-2.7 or .gimp-2.8 as necessary in the directory names above.

Execution

Since these filters all act on paths, they usually do not appear in the "Filters" menu tree. Instead, they are elements of the right click menu in the Paths dialog. This implicitly selects the path they will work on. They show up at the bottom of the list, either directly or under the "Decorate" or "Tools" submenus.