PHOTO EDITORS
Edit entire folders of photos with GIMP
Photo editor GIMP (short for GNU Image Manipulation Program) has so many features you might be forgiven for wondering if add-ons are really necessary. But there are plenty available. One of our favourites is BIMP (Batch Image Manipulation Plugin). Once installed, it saves you time by letting you apply GIMP’S image-editing tools to an entire folder of images.
We often use it to quickly resize a selection of photos (perfect if you want to email these to a friend or relative) or apply colour correction to hundreds of images with just a couple of clicks. If all you want to do is enlarge your photos, see ‘What Should I Download?’, page 19.
To try BIMP, go to www.snipca. com/28823, then click the blue ‘Installer for Windows’ button. Once opened, click the ‘Batch Image Manipulation…’ option in the File menu. Choose your images using the ‘Add images’ button, select where to save them by clicking ‘Output folder’, then click the Add button to choose the edits you want to apply (see screenshot below). Finally, click Apply, then go to your chosen output folder to see the results.
Access Irfanview’s hidden tools
As impressive as it is, Irfanview’s image-editing tools and formats are rather limited - all part of its plan to keep its program nice and light (just 6MB). To access everything Irfanview has to offer, you need to download an add-on. To do this, go to www.snipca.com/28824 and select ‘Download Irfanview All Plugins (64-bit EXE)’ - there’s also a 32bit alternative, which you should select if you use the 32bit edition of Irfanview (click the Help menu, then ‘About Irfanview…’ if you’re not sure which one you have).
The add-on expands Irfanview’s capabilities with a range of new features, including the excellent Altalux effect. Accessible from the Image, Effects menu, this reveals striking new detail in your photos (try it with different photos to see which it works best on). It also adds support for more file formats and lets you create slideshows from your images that you can share as EXE files.
Add new effects to Paint.net
Paint.net sits somewhere between the lightweight Irfanview and feature-heavy GIMP. The program’s huge number of add-ons mean you have more control over how light or how comprehensive you want it. You can view them all via the Paint.net forums at www. snipca.com/28825.
To start, take a look at the pinned add-ons (marked by a small green circle with a black pin). These are the most popular and have been heavily tested, so are less likely to cause problems.
Our favourite is Pyrochild, which brings more than 20 new effects (including Stitch, see screenshot above, which adds a ‘cross-stitch’ effect). To install it, go to www.snipca. com/28826, then download and run the installer. Its tools are scattered across the Effects menu, so hunt them down (all effects have a small jigsaw-style icon next to them).