Quick GIMP tricks
I’m not a daily GIMP user. In fact, I actually nearly never edit images.
From time to time. I crop, rotate, or correct red eyes.
Nonetheless, every time I use GIMP I need to research those functionalities.
While GIMP can do all those operations and much more complex actions, it makes doing simple things a bit more difficult. Of course, using a photo-editing suite just for rotating an image is an overkill, but as it is multi-platform and easily available, I prefer it to install many different graphical programs for those rare times I need to edit an image.
Crop image
From the keyboard, it is possible to select the crop tool with Shift+C. Otherwise (depending on the language) select "Tools", then "Transform Tools" and at least "Crop".
Once the tool has been selected, use the mouse to select the area to crop.
Rotate Image
This functionality can be found under "Layer" (not "Tools"), then "Transform" and then select "Rotate 90" or "Rotate 180" degrees.
While it does rotate the image, it does not adjust its height and width so it does not what a "naive person" would expect.
GIMP differentiates between the image and canvas.
To fix this "issue", click "Image", then "Fit Canvas to Layers".
If you want to rotate by something different by a multiple of 90 degrees, then there is a "Rotate" under "Tools" and then "Transform Tools".
It is possible to automate the "Fit Canvas to Layers" step.
After selecting the "Rotate" Tool, on the tool options (left bar), it is possible to specify if the tool should act on the layer, on a selected area, on a path, or on the image.
Choosing the image will automatically execute "Fit Canvas to Layers".
The option is sticky, so it will persist between GIMP sessions, but notice that it applies only to the "Rotate" tool not to the option under the layout menu.
Reduce image quality
This is actually an operation I do pretty often. As opening an image with GIMP just for exporting it with a different quality is really tedious, for that operation, I can only recommend a CLI tool.
Both have a much simpler interface and most importantly support lossless optimizations. It means they can reduce the image size without affecting the quality (yes, even for .jpg).
In case the gain is not big enough, both also support lossy optimizations.
Otherwise, when exporting (not saving) images with GIMP, it is possible to define an export quality.
Do you want to share your opinion? Or is there an error, some parts that are not clear enough?
You can contact me anytime.