Method 1: The Foreground Select Tool (For Complex Subjects)

This is often the most effective tool for images with detailed edges, such as hair or fur.

1. Select the Tool: Click on the Foreground Select Tool in the toolbox (it looks like a paintbrush with a dotted star).
2. Make an Initial Outline: Roughly draw a line around your subject. Don’t worry about precision at this stage; just create a loop that encompasses the entire foreground object. Release the mouse button to confirm.
3. Mark the Foreground: The image will now appear with a blue overlay. Using the brush that appears, carefully paint over the areas that are definitively your subject. GIMP will use this information to intelligently differentiate the foreground from the background.
4. Finalize the Selection: Press Enter. GIMP will process your markings and create a precise selection around your subject.

Method 2: The Free Select Tool (Lasso) (For Simple, Hard Edges)

Ideal for objects with straight lines or simple curves, like a box or a piece of fruit.

1. Select the Tool: Choose the Free Select Tool (the lasso icon) from the toolbox.
2. Draw the Path: Click around the edges of your subject to create a series of connected points. For straight lines, click at each corner. For curves, use many small clicks to approximate the shape.
3. Close the Path: Click on your starting point to close the loop and create a selection.

Method 3: Paths Tool (For Ultimate Precision)

The Paths Tool offers the highest level of control, allowing you to create and edit a vector-based path before converting it to a selection.

1. Select the Tool: Click on the Paths Tool (the icon with a pen tip and a curved line).
2. Create Anchor Points: Click around your subject to place anchor points. Click and drag to create curves with Bezier handles.
3. Refine the Path: Use the tool’s options to adjust the curves and points until the path perfectly matches your subject’s edge.
4. Convert to Selection: In the Paths dialog (Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Paths), right-click on your path and select “Path to Selection.”

Removing the Background

Once you have a clean selection of your subject, the final steps are straightforward.

1. Invert the Selection: Since you’ve selected the subject, you need to target the background. Go to Select > Invert. The “marching ants” outline will now be around the background.
2. Delete or Add a Layer Mask:
   • Simple Deletion: Press the Delete key. This will remove the background, leaving a checkerboard pattern (which represents transparency).
   • Non-Destructive Method (Recommended): With the background still selected, click the “Add Layer Mask” button at the bottom of the Layers dialog. In the dialog that appears, choose “Selection” and click Add. This hides the background without permanently deleting it, allowing for future edits.
3. Save in a Supported Format: To preserve the transparency, you must save your file in a format like PNG or GIF. Go to File > Export As and choose PNG.

Pro Tips for a Flawless Finish

• Zoom In: Always work at a high zoom level (200% or more) to ensure your selections are pixel-perfect.
• Feather the Edge: For a more natural blend, add a slight feather to your selection (Select > Feather) before deleting the background. A 1-2 pixel feather is often sufficient.
• Use Layers: Always duplicate your background layer (Right-click layer > Duplicate Layer) before starting. This preserves your original image.

By understanding and practicing these methods, you can leverage GIMP’s powerful toolset to remove backgrounds with confidence and precision, elevating the quality of your digital imagery at no cost.

Dear [FIRSTNAME],

Do you regularly find yourself writing a collection of articles?
In all honesty, it really doesn’t matter if you write for a
career or just for fun; writing is writing. However, no matter
what your reason for writing, there many come a time when you
are unable to do so. This is most often due to writers block.
Writers block is a common occurrence, even among professional
writers. Although it is hard to associate writers block with
good news, there is good news. That good news is that there are
a number of different approaches that you can take to get around
writers block. Just a few of these approaches are outlined
below.

Perhaps, the most effective way to get over your writers block
is to not think about writing for a while. The time off you are
able to take will all depend on your deadline, if you even have
one. Even if you are only able to take a ten minute break from
writing, you are urged to do so. However, it has been noted
that the longer the break the easier it is to overcome writers
block. Depending on your own personal preferences, you could
take a break and curl up with a book, wash your dirty dishes, or
run a few errands. It honestly doesn’t matter, as long as you
can take a break. When you have spent a few minutes or a few
hours away from the pressures of writing, you are more likely to
overcome your writers block; thus making it easier for you to
concentrate and write.

In addition to taking a break, you can also continue working;
however, you may want to think about changing the way that you
are working, even if it is only temporarily. For instance, when
you write do you have to be surrounded by peace and quiet or do
you like a little background noise? If you prefer quiet, you
may want to think about turning your television on the
background. In fact, you may even want to think about putting
in your favorite music CD and putting on a pair of headphones.
Many writers find it inspiring to listen to their favorite music
groups or songs. If you prefer to work with background noise,
it may be a good idea to give peace and quiet a try. Some times,
the best way to overcome writers block to change the way that
you are writing.

Speaking of the way that you work, how exactly do you work?
Better yet, where do you work? Do you sit at a desktop
computer? Although desktop computers are nice, they may be
limiting your abilities. Whether you have your own office or if
you are just working for a desktop computer setup in your living
room, you may need a change. This change is best implemented if
you can purchase a laptop computer. Laptop computers allow you
to move, virtually anywhere. Whether you want to work from your
bed or outside from a picnic table you can. In fact, you are
urged to find a surround that inspires you. Inspiration is the
best way to get over writers block. That is why it may be best
for you experiment and find which areas you are able to work in
and which areas you are unable to work in.

It is unknown exactly what cases writers block; perhaps it is
boredom or the loss of thought. No matter what the reason for
writers block, it is something that many writers experience.
The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many that
you can take to overcome writers block. Writers block, its
cause, and its cure, are all unique among different writers.
That is why you will need to experiment and find the approach
that best helps you to overcome writers block. However, when
doing so, it is advised that you try and keep the above
mentioned points in mind.

To your success,
YOUR NAME HERE

P.S. To many article writers, writers block seems as if it is
“the end of the world.” It doesn’t have to be though. Whether
you change your scenery or just take a break, writers block is
something that you can overcome.

Dear [FIRSTNAME],

Being able to send attachments together with an email message
is very helpful especially when you need to send important
documents. The limit on the file size you can attach depends on
the limit that your email service provider imposes on your email
account as well as the limitation on the email account storage
size that the recipient has. While it is now possible to send
several MP3 files as email attachments because of the general
increase in email account storage sizes, sending larger sized
files like videos and movies may cause you to encounter problems
unless you and the recipient have a paid email account which
gives you several gigabytes of storage space.

In any event, sending video files through email may force you
to compress and split the file into two portions in order for it
to be accepted by the recipients email account. Then too, you
will probably have to wait for the recipient to remove the first
portion from their email account before you can send the next.

This is a problem for people involved in internet marketing as
they know that videos are the most effective advertising tool in
the world. Never let it be said that they have no creativity
though, because, they managed to find a way around the system.

One way to circumvent this problem is to attach a capture image
from the video file onto the email message. This capture image
will serve as a preview of the video and embedded in the file
will be a link to the video itself. Of course, you have to bear
in mind that you are asking a person to view an advertisement. I
wouldn’t do it, and most won’t either. You will need to give the
customer an incentive to click on that link.

Webpage designing programs and utilities now allow for viewing
multiple pictures in a single webpage. This picture cascade is
similar to an automatic slide show presentation. You can capture
several images from the video itself, compile them and send your
message through.

If the customer does click on the image or slideshow, you have
to options of how to let him view your video. The first one is
already mentioned above. When the customer clicks the image, a
new browser window opens and your video loads onto it. The
second option is to use streaming video where, the video is
stored in your storage device and the link on your email
newsletter activates the video stream. In this manner, the
customer is not displaced from his/her current browser, thereby
causing you to avoid annoying your customer.

A few years ago, we saw the megabyte standard hard drive
replaced by the gigabyte hard drive. In 2 to 10 years, the
terabyte may become the standard storage size for a personal
computer’s hard drive. How big is it? One letter or character
including spaces and punctuations is equal to 8 bits. 8 bits
equals 1 byte, 1,000 bytes equals a kilobyte, 1,000 kilobytes
equals 1 megabyte, and so on and so forth. With this potential
for increased storage capacity, email service providers may
decide to increase account storage capacities again. This next
increase will definitely accommodate an entire video file as
an attachment to email messages.

In the meantime, creativity needs to take over where technology
has deficiencies. To be able to send the best in quality
video to your customers, you will need to go about it the
most efficient way.

To your success,
YOUR NAME HERE

P.S. The terabyte hard drive has just been invented. Get ready
For better video availability in e-mail.