Can I change GIMP’S grid colour?
QI’ve been getting to grips with the GIMP image editor ( www. gimp.org), having read about it in your magazine. One thing I’ve been playing with is the Show Grid option, as I’ve found this helps me to position parts of an image more accurately. I’ve been doing OK with this but recently hit a stumbling block: on dark or black images the grid lines are hard or sometimes impossible to see. Do you know of a way around this? I’ve tried using lighter-coloured layers but I’m getting confused. I’d also like to change the size of the grid so the squares are bigger, if that’s possible. Owen Gilbert
AThe solution is to change the colour of the grid lines. However, while the Show Grid option is on the View menu, the option to change the colour of those grid lines is confusingly on the Image menu.
To begin, open the Image menu, then click Configure Grid (see screenshot). You’ll realise the panel that opens is the answer to both your needs. To change the grid-line colour, click ‘Foreground color’, then use the colour chart to pick a contrasting shade and click OK. To change the size of the line separation (and size of the grid’s squares), under the Spacing heading type new figures into the Width and Height boxes.
Note that the top pair of boxes are for specifying the grid-line separation in pixels. If you want to work in a different unit, such as inches, select the relevant unit from the dropdown menu to the right of the bottom pair of boxes, then use those boxes to tap in your measurements – and click OK.