DIGITAL PHOTOS in Font

Generator Code 39 Extended in Font DIGITAL PHOTOS

Animation: These filters aim to manipulate and optimize GIF images, which are commonly used to create simple animated images for use on web sites. Alpha to Logo: These filters are typically used to create special effects for text. They are quite specialized and require an in-depth knowledge of how GIMP works, particularly the use of alpha channels.

Tip If you like GIMP, you might be interested in Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition by Akkana Peck (Apress, 2009). This book offers a comprehensive, contemporary, and highly readable guide to this software.

GIMP is one of the most powerful programs available for Linux, but not everyone is enamored of its user interface. One bone of contention for some is that GIMP uses almost completely different terminology from that used by Adobe Photoshop. One developer became so annoyed by this that he created a new version of GIMP called GIMPshop (www.gimpshop.com). This is ostensibly exactly the same as the GIMP program, but the names of the tools have been changed to match those of Photoshop (or the simpler Photoshop Elements program). In a similar way, many of the GIMP s right-click menu entries have also been changed so that they re identical to Photoshop s menu options. The freedom to adapt programs in this way is one of the benefits of open source software. The ability to take program code and create your own version is the foundation of Linux. GIMPshop isn t available via the Ubuntu Software Center, but the Linux version offered for download at the GIMPshop web site can be installed under Ubuntu. After you ve downloaded the package, see 20 to learn how software installation works under Ubuntu. A second Photoshop-like fork of the software is called GimPhoto (/www.gimphoto.com), but it is based on an older version of the software.

One handy trick that can improve your photos, when used with care, is to use the Sharpen filter. This has the effect of adding definition to the image and reducing any slight blur caused by camera shake or poor focusing. To apply the Sharpen filter, right-click the image and select Filters Enhance Sharpen. As shown in Figure 18-8, a small preview window shows the effect of the sharpening on the image (you might need to use the scrollbars to move to an appropriate part of the image, or resize the preview by clicking and dragging the bottom-right corner). Clicking and dragging the slider at the bottom of the dialog box alters the severity of the sharpening effect. Too much sharpening can ruin a picture, so be careful. Try to use the effect subtly.

Summary

In this chapter, you ve taken a look at working with images under Ubuntu. First you looked at the F-Spot photo manager tool. F-Spot lets you easily import pictures, catalog them, and make some adjustments. Then you learned how to edit your images by using GIMP, one of the best programs available for the task under any OS. As with most areas, we could have selected many more applications to cover such as Google s Picasa, digiKam, and gphoto2, but F-Spot and GIMP provide perfect tools for both users and uses across the spectrum.

Playing games in Ubuntu might be seen by some people as an awkward idea, and many more may think that you will be lucky if you find at most a Space Invaders-like game. It is not widely recognized as a mainstream gaming platform like PlayStation, Xbox or Wii, and it s not as popular as Windows. But Ubuntu does, you might say, under-promise and over-deliver. You ll be surprised by the sheer amount of possibilities that the casual gamer has at hand. In this chapter we first examine what games Ubuntu has to offer by default and in its official repositories. Those are games developed specifically for Linux and that are at some level endorsed by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu. There are also other sources of games for Ubuntu, not officially acknowledged, which can provide many hours of fun. But the gaming world is changing rapidly, and many people find that web- and Adobe Flash-based games are all they need. And we ll learn how to make those available under Ubuntu. Unleashing the power of Flash-based games will open you the door to an awesome source of free entertainment. One cannot deny that Windows is a popular gaming platform, and that many games for Windows are available. So you might be in a position in which you want to switch to Ubuntu because you think it is a great OS, but are afraid that you will lose the possibility of playing with your favorite Windows games. What if we tell you that you can have your cake and eat it too What if you can have the OS of choice (Ubuntu) and your games at the same time and computer As you see in this chapter, such thing is possible. So start warming up your thumbs, because at the end of this chapter there ll be action!