© Phillip Whitt 2020
P. WhittPractical Glimpsehttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-6327-3_1

1. An Overview of Glimpse

Phillip Whitt1 
(1)
Columbus, GA, USA
 

Are you ready to enter the world of digital image editing and give this powerful program a try? Great! This chapter will guide you in a few things to help you get up and running.

Note

Before getting too far ahead, it should be mentioned that Glimpse does not work on Mac OS at this time. However, the GNU Image Manipulation Program (which is the program Glimpse is based on) does. The content in this book applies to this program equally well.

Here are the topics that will be covered in this chapter:
  1. 1.

    Downloading and installing Glimpse

     
  2. 2.

    An overview of the workspace

     
  3. 3.

    Customizing the workspace

     
  4. 4.

    Menus, windows, and dialogs

     

Now, let’s proceed to the first topic.

Downloading and Installing Glimpse

To acquire Glimpse, you’ll need to first go to the official website https://www.glimpse-editor.github.io. Once you’ve navigated to the home page, you’ll find the download button (Figure 1-1).
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Figure 1-1

The download button is easy to find on the Glimpse home page

After clicking the download button, you’ll be taken to the Downloads page. Glimpse runs on Windows 7 or later (32 or 64 bit). It also runs on Linux systems. It does not run on Mac OS at this time, but the GNU Image Manipulation Program does—if you use a Mac running this program, the content in this book applies just as well.

Installing Glimpse on Windows

The following steps will help guide you in the installation of Glimpse Image Editor on Windows from the Downloads page:
  1. 1.

    From the Downloads page (under the Windows subheading) , click Direct download link shown in Figure 1-2.

     
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Figure 1-2

The Direct download link for Windows is shown outlined in red

  1. 2.

    After the download is complete, the Glimpse 0.1.2 installer package can be found in Downloads directory (Figure 1-3).

     
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Figure 1-3

The Glimpse installer located in the Downloads directory

  1. 3.

    Double-click the installer package icon.

     
  2. 4.

    After the installer window launches, click the Run button when prompted.

     
  3. 5.

    The Glimpse Image Editor will then install on your Windows computer (Figure 1-4).

     
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Figure 1-4

The Glimpse Image Editor installation in progress

Installing Glimpse on Linux

For Linux users, follow this guide to install Glimpse on your machine:
  1. 1.

    First, Flatpak (which can be used with over 22 distros) will need to be installed on your computer. If it’s already installed on your machine, skip to step 4—if not, just follow the instructions found here: https://flatpak.org/setup/. You’ll be taken to the Quick Setup page shown in Figure 1-5.

     
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Figure 1-5

The Flatpak Quick Setup page

  1. 2.

    Click the icon that represents your Linux distro.

     
  2. 3.

    Follow the instructions to install Flatpak on your machine. For example, Figure 1-6 shows the instructions for installing Flatpak on Ubuntu (the installation instructions vary depending on which Linux distro you’re using).

     
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Figure 1-6

Instructions for installing Flatpak will vary depending on which Linux distro is used

  1. 4.

    After Flatpak has been installed on your system (or if it’s already supplied with your Linux distro), click the link (outlined in red) on the Glimpse Image Editor Downloads page (https://​glimpse-editor.​github.​io/​downloads/​) shown in Figure 1-7.

     
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Figure 1-7

 Glimpse Image Editor can be found by clicking the link shown outlined in red 

  1. 5.

    You’ll be taken to the Glimpse installation page (Figure 1-8) on the Flathub website—click the Install button, and Glimpse will then be installed on your Linux machine.

     
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Figure 1-8

The Download on Flathub button (outlined in red)

Customizing the Workspace

After Glimpse Image Editor has been installed on your computer, you can then launch it to begin to familiarize yourself with the program. Figure 1-9 shows the Glimpse startup screen.
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Figure 1-9

The Glimpse Image Editor startup screen

Single- and Multi-window Modes

By default, the Glimpse interface launches in the single-window mode (meaning all the panels are anchored to the Active Image Window). It also opens in the Dark theme by default, as shown in Figure 1-10.
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Figure 1-10

The default Glimpse interface

The interface can be resized by clicking and dragging one of the edges or corners.

For users who prefer floating panels, Glimpse can function in a multi-window mode by deactivating the single-window mode from the Windows menu (Figure 1-11).
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Figure 1-11

Deactivating the single-window mode initiates a multi-window mode, allowing the docks to be moved if desired

When working in the multi-window mode, it’s easy to accidentally close a dock when the intention is to close the entire program. When this occurs, the dock can be reopened from the Image Menu:

Windows ➤ Recently Closed Docks (Figure 1-12).
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Figure 1-12

An accidentally closed dock can be reopened from the Image Menu

Themes

Dark interface themes have become widely used in many image editing programs over the past several years. Glimpse opens in the Dark theme by default; it can be changed from Dark to Light if desired (Figure 1-13).
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Figure 1-13

The Glimpse interface shown in the Light theme

To change the theme from Dark to Light:
  1. 1.

    Go to Edit ➤ Preferences.

     
  2. 2.

    The Preferences dialog will open.

     
  3. 3.

    Click Theme in the Preferences dialog, then click Light in the Select Theme sub-menu (Figure 1-14).

     
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Figure 1-14

The Glimpse theme is changed in the Preferences dialog

Icon Themes

There are several icon themes in Glimpse Image Editor (while this book was in the late stages of production, the Glimpse team added additional icon themes that are not pictured here). Icon themes can be changed in the Preferences dialog. The icon themes are as follows:

  • Legacy—These were used in older versions of the GNU Image Manipulation Program. There is also an option for color icons (not shown).

  • Symbolic—The default icons used in Glimpse. There is also an option for Symbolic-high contrast icons (not shown).

  • Symbolic Inverted—Essentially, these are “negatives” of the Symbolic icons (best viewed using the Light theme). There is also an option for Symbolic Inverted-high contrast icons (not shown).

Figure 1-15 shows a comparison of the different Icon themes.
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Figure 1-15

A comparison of the Glimpse Icon themes (not shown are Color, Symbolic-High Contrast, or Symbolic Inverted-High Contrast)

To change the Icon Theme:
  1. 1.

    Go to Edit ➤ Preferences.

     
  2. 2.

    The Preferences dialog will open.

     
  3. 3.

    Click Icon Theme in the Preferences dialog, then click the icon theme you desire in the Icon Theme submenu as shown in Figure 1-16.

     
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Figure 1-16

The Icon Theme is changed in the Preferences dialog

Windows and Menus

Because Glimpse Image Editor is so powerful and complex, we’ll now have a quick overview of the menus, windows, and dialogs. This is to help beginners get a general sense of where to find the tools, features, and functions that are offered in this program. They will be covered in greater detail in later chapters.

The Active Image Window and Status Bar

This Active Image Window displays the currently active image. The Status Bar is located just below (Figure 1-17).
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Figure 1-17

The Active Image Window and Status Bar

There are several functions available from the Active Image Window and Status Bar:
  1. 1.

    Access the Image Menu (Triangular Button)—Opens the Image Menu displayed as a column.

     
  2. 2.

    Ruler/Guides—Scale that runs horizontally along the top and vertically along the left side of the image. Displays units in pixels by default, but the units can be changed by accessing the Units menu on the Status Bar. Guides can be dragged from both the vertical and horizontal rulers and are used to help in placement of graphical elements.

     
  3. 3.

    Zooms When the Window Size Changes (Zoom Icon)—When enabled, the active image zooms as the window is resized.

     
  4. 4.

    Status Bar (located just below the Active Image Window)—Displays the current cursor/pointer coordinates, the Units menu (which shows dimensions in pixels by default), and the zoom percentage of the active image.

     
  5. 5.

    Toggles the Quick Mask On/Off (Shift+Q)—Displays a translucent overlay (outside of a selection) over the active image, allowing the user to make precise refinements to the selection (this will be covered in greater detail in a later chapter).

     
  6. 6.

    Navigates the Image—By clicking and holding this button, the user can easily navigate around the active image by dragging in a small preview window.

     

The Title Bar

The Title Bar is located at the top of the Glimpse interface. If no image is open, it simply reads Glimpse. When an image is open, it displays the image name, whether it’s new or imported, the color mode, the color profile, and dimensions (Figure 1-18).
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Figure 1-18

The Title Bar shown on top of the Glimpse interface

The Image Menu

The Image Menu is perpetually displayed just below the Title Bar. This could be thought of as “Command Center,” where most of the program’s functions can be accessed. As briefly mentioned earlier, the Image Menu (displayed in a column) can also be opened and closed from the triangular button in the upper-left corner of the Main Image Window (Figure 1-19).
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Figure 1-19

The Image Menu shown outlined in red

When an option is selected from the Image Menu (e.g., File), a dialog box opens. By holding the cursor over a function, a small call-out window appears describing the function’s purpose (Figure 1-20). The Create and Open New functions are accompanied by the ➤ angle bracket symbol and contain submenus with additional functions.
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Figure 1-20

Holding the cursor over a function displays a small call-out window describing the function’s purpose

The Image Navigation Bar

The Image Navigation allows you to easily navigate through the open images in Glimpse, which are represented as thumbnail images (Figure 1-21). Click the thumbnail of the image you want to display in the Main Image Window.
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Figure 1-21

The Image Navigation bar allows the user to navigate the open images

Dialogs, Docks, and Tabs

Dialogs are windows that provide options for adjusting the settings of a specific tool, function, and so on. Figure 1-22 shows the Toolbox with the Tool Options Dialog open. Here, the tool settings can be adjusted to suit the task at hand. The Toolbox and Tool Options will be covered in greater detail in Chapter 3.
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Figure 1-22

The Toolbox and the Tool Options Dialog

Docks essentially contain multiple dialogs in a single panel. Figure 1-23 shows the Brushes Dialog and the Layers Dialog unified in a dock.
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Figure 1-23

The Brushes Dialog and the Layers Dialog contained in a dock

Tabs (resembling file-folder tabs) provide access to various dialogs contained within a dock. Clicking a particular tab makes that dialog active. Figure 1-24 shows the Brushes Tab and the active dialog (outlined in red). Hovering the cursor over the tab displays a small call-out window with the dialog’s name.
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Figure 1-24

The Brushes Tab and active dialog

If desired, tabs can be dragged and detached from one dock and attached to another. This allows the user to further customize the Glimpse interface. Figure 1-25 shows the Brushes Dialog being dragged from its default location to the dock on the left side of the Glimpse interface.
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Figure 1-25

The Brushes Dialog being dragged from its default location to another dock

The Configure Tab Dialog launches a menu allowing the user to select from numerous options related to the dialog (Figure 1-26).
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Figure 1-26

The Configure Tab button launches a menu displaying numerous options

Opening, Saving, and Exporting Files

Glimpse is capable of working with a wide variety of file types, including common formats such as JPEG, PNG, and TIFF. It even offers partial compatibility with files such as PaintShop Pro (open only) and Photoshop (open and export).

Opening, saving, and exporting files can be done from the File Menu, although some of these actions can be handled using keyboard shortcuts.

Note

Like the GNU Image Manipulation Program, Glimpse handles saving and exporting files a bit differently than other image editing programs. These functions will be briefly covered in this part of the chapter.

Opening Files

There are several options available for opening a file. Figure 1-27 shows an example of using the Open option in the File Menu to locate an image stored on the computer.
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Figure 1-27

Clicking Open launches a dialog allowing the user to navigate to the image stored on the computer

The options for opening files in Glimpse are as follows:

  • Open (Ctrl+O)—Opens an image file stored on your computer’s hard drive, external hard drive, or other means of storage.

  • Open as Layers (Ctrl+Alt+O)—Opens an image file and places it atop an active image as a layer.

  • Open Location—Opens an image file from a web page by entering or copying and pasting the URL in the dialog window.

  • Open Recent—Displays a submenu listing the most files that have been opened in Glimpse. The Document History dialog can be opened from the bottom of the submenu to find files opened further back in time.

Tip

If for some reason Open Location fails to work, a simple work-around is to right-click the image hosted on the web page and save it to your computer; then you’ll be able to open it into Glimpse (be sure to respect copyright laws).

Saving Files

When saving an image in Glimpse, it uses the XCF file extension—this is the native file format for both the GNU Image Manipulation Program and Glimpse. When creating projects with multiple layers, saving your work preserves all of the layers and layer properties (Figure 1-28).
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Figure 1-28

Glimpse saves your work in the .XCF format, preserving layers and layer properties

The options for opening files in Glimpse are as follows:

  • Save (Ctrl+S)—Saves the currently active image; initially, a dialog will display prompting the user to name the image, and select which folder it should be saved.

  • Save As (Shift+Ctrl+S)—Saves the image with a different name.

  • Save a Copy—Saves a copy of the image without affecting the source file or the state of the currently active image.

  • Revert—Discards all of the changes made and reloads the original file from the disc.

Exporting Files

Exporting files allows the user to save images in file formats other than the .XCF format. There are many choices of file formats available, including the Adobe Photoshop extension .PSD (offering partial compatibility). In Figure 1-29, an .XCF image is being exported as a JPEG file. The .XCF file remains unchanged until edited further.
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Figure 1-29

Exporting an image in the .XCF file as a JPEG file

The options for exporting files in Glimpse are as follows:

  • Export/Export To (Ctrl+E)—Saves a file under a different file extension. After an image has been exported and editing continues, the option reads Export to, followed by the image name.

  • Export As (Shift+Ctrl+E)—Launches the Export Image dialog, allowing the user to select from a list of file extensions.

Chapter Conclusion

This chapter provided an overview of Glimpse—everything from downloading it, installing it, and a look at the interface with its various menus and dialogs.

Here are the main topics that were covered:

  • Downloading and installing Glimpse

  • Customizing the workspace

  • Windows and menus

  • Opening, saving, and exporting files

In the next chapter, we’ll cover Layers, Channels, Paths, and Undo History.

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