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Easily create crisp, clean circles in GIMP using this quick tutorial
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Are you wondering how to create a circle in GIMP? Although there is no way to quickly create a circle shape, you can use the selection tool to make one instead. Read on to learn how to create a circle in GIMP using the Ellipse Select Tool.
Quick Steps
- Create an alpha channel.
- Draw a circle with the ellipse select tool and use the ratio terms to make it the right shape/size.
- Invert your selection.
- Erase everything else.
- Save your circle file.
Steps
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Make an "alpha channel" in your project. Once you have a blank canvas, go to Layer > Transparency > Add alpha channel . If the option is greyed out, you already have an alpha channel in your layer.
- If you don't have a canvas already available, go to File > New and create the canvas for your GIMP project.
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Create a selection with the ellipse select tool. It's an option in the 2nd box next to the "Move" tool; you can press E to quickly select the ellipse tool so you can use it.
- Click and drag your mouse on the canvas to create an ellipse selection.
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Select ratio options for your circle. In the "Tool options" dialog window under "Ellipse Select," select "Fixed/Aspect Ratio" and make sure the text field below says "1:1" for a true circle.
- If you don't see the "Tool options" window, go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Tool Options .
- Move the selection around if it isn't in an area you like.
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Invert the selection. This selects everything except your circle.
- Invert your selection by going to Select > Invert .
- Alternatively, press Ctrl/Cmd + I .
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Erase the background. Go to Edit > Clear or press Delete on your keyboard to delete everything except your circle.
- You might see a checkerboard background if you don't have background layers. But don't panic! That pattern will not appear in the final product, but instead acts as a placeholder for transparent areas.
- If you want, you can go to Image > Zealous Crop to auto-crop the image to a smaller size.
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Save your shape. Save your file as a PNG to keep the transparent nature of your image or save it as an XCF if you plan to continue editing it in GIMP. [1] X Research source
- Press Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + A or go to Select > None to deselect the area.
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Click the Ellipse Select Tool in the Toolbox. You'll find this in the upper-left corner of the Toolbox window. The button has an oval with a dotted border. [2] X Research source
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Click and drag on the canvas to start creating an ellipse. You can click and drag it to another location or press and hold Shift to make another circle and add it to your previous one.
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Click the Select tab and choose Border ' A new menu will appear which allows you to select the selection you just created, essentially allowing you to create an outline. [3] X Research source
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Enter the size you want to use for your circle border. For a thin border, enter "1" for a single-pixel border. Larger numbers will add that number of pixels to each side of the selection. For example, entering "2" will result in a border that is four pixels wide. [4] X Research source
- You can change the unit of measurement if you prefer working with different units.
- Click OK to close the "Border Selection" window and continue.
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Select the color you want to use for the circle border as the foreground color. Click the foreground color in the Toolbox and use the color picker to choose the color you want to use for the circle's border.
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Click the Edit tab and select Fill with FG color . This will fill the circle's border with the color you selected. Your circle now has a border color and a transparent center.
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Fill the center with a different color if you'd like. You can use the Bucket Fill Tool to fill the circle with a different color if you want to. Select the color you want to use as the foreground color, then select the Bucket Fill Tool and click the inside of the circle. [5] X Research source
- Press Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + A or go to Select > None to deselect the area.
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Click the Ellipse Select Tool in the Toolbox. You'll find this in the upper-left corner of the Toolbox. It looks like an oval with a dashed border. [6] X Research source
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Click and drag on your canvas to begin creating an ellipse. You can click and drag it to another location or press and hold Shift to make another circle and add it to your previous one.
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Click the Select tab and choose To Path . This will create a vector object from your circle.
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Click the Select tab again and choose None . The circle you created will seemingly disappear. This is normal.
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Select the color you want to use for the border in the color picker. Click the current foreground color in the Toolbox and select the color you want to use as the border for the circle.
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Click the Edit tab and select Stroke Path . A new window will appear so you can choose how your circle will be outlined.
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Set the width of the circle border in the "Line width" field. By default, this will be pixels, but you can change it to another unit of measurement. [7] X Research source
- You can choose to create the stroke with different tools for a more artistic effect.
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Click Stroke to create the circle. The circle will be created with the border in the color and size you selected.
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Fill the circle with another color if you'd like. You can use the Bucket Fill Tool to fill the circle with a different color after creating it. Select the color you want to use from the color picker, then click inside the circle with the Bucket Fill Tool selected. [8] X Research source
- Press Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + A or go to Select > None to deselect the area.
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Click the Ellipse Select Tool in the Toolbox. While this tool is normally creating an ellipse-shaped selection, you can use it to create circles as well. You'll find this tool in the upper-left corner of the Toolbox window. [9] X Research source
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Start creating an ellipse by clicking and dragging. Click and drag on your canvas to begin creating an ellipse shape. You can click and drag it to another location or press and hold Shift to make another circle and add it to your previous one. [10] X Research source
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Choose the color you want to fill the circle with. Click the foreground color box in the Toolbox to open the color picker. This color will fill the circle. The circle will be borderless.
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Click the Edit tab and select Fill with FG color . The circle will fill with the color you selected.
- Press Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + A or go to Select > None to deselect the area.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I draw curvy lines in Gimp?Vincenzo PerniceCommunity AnswerSelect "Paths tools". When you click two or more times in different spots of your document, you create a line between two points (be sure that you are in the correct layer). Then click on this line, and drag this as you want to modify it into a curvy line.
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QuestionIs it possible to draw three intersecting circles to create a coloured Venn diagram with GIMP?Shaats Pvt. Ltd.Community AnswerYes, it is possible to create a colored Venn diagram with three intersecting circles using GIMP, a popular image editing software.
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References
- ↑ https://www.gimp.org/tutorials/CircleImage/
- ↑ https://www.gimp.org/tutorials/CircleImage/
- ↑ https://linuxhint.com/gimp-draw-circle/
- ↑ https://linuxhint.com/gimp-draw-circle/
- ↑ https://thegimptutorials.com/how-to-draw-circle/
- ↑ https://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-tool-ellipse-select.html
- ↑ https://docs.gimp.org/2.10/en/gimp-path-stroke.html
- ↑ https://thegimptutorials.com/how-to-draw-circle/
- ↑ https://www.gimp.org/tutorials/CircleImage/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Click the Ellipse Select tool.
2. Click and drag to create the shape.
3. Hold Shift
as you draw to create a perfect circle.
4. Click the Select
menu.
5. Click To Path
.
6. Click Select
again and choose None
.
7. Select a color and click Edit > Stroke Path
.
8. Select your preferences and click Stroke
.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 390,066 times.
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