GIMP Save As question HELP!

I have been working with Gimp a short while and have been having a problem when I save my Gimp .xcf file "save as" to a .tga, it changes my working .xcf file to a .tga. I don't notice this happening because I can still work in layers until Gimp is closed. I'm on version 2.6.6 right now. I've lost a lot of time having to redo projects because of not noticing this happening. I couldn't find a setting anywhere to stop this from happening.

Does anyone know how to stop this from happening?

I don't think there is any way to stop this, it is a Windows default. I will be interested if anyone knows how to change this.
BT

Yes it's Windows XP Pro

Get into the habit of using "Save a copy..." when you want to export as a tga file. Then your work remains in the xcf format and will remind you to save when you go to exit.

Thank you Cheree! ...that will save a lot of headaches!

I would do the same thing - still happens once in awhile - very frustrating. My habit now is as soon as I save the image as a .tga and scale it down, I CLOSE it. immediately. seriously. right then. Or I end up screwing myself over. sigh.

hope it helps.
cheers,
anik

This. That's the only way that I've found around this annoying issue.

Isn't this the way most graphic apps work anyway? You work in the application's format and save OUT a file. Such as tga? Then save the file you are working with. That's the way I've always worked.

(edit) I should add. When I'm happy with my edits, I usually "Copy Visible" then "Paste as a new Layer". Do a sharpen and finishing touches, then flatten and save to tga or whatever.

Maybe "Paint" works like that simply.

Before I save to tga or any other format I save to xcf first. I usually name that file the same as the file I'm going to save to tga but add "working" to make it easily identifiable when I to look for it later. I've never lost a file doing it that way. And I have the full file with all the layers for further editing if I need it.

"Save As" is supposed to save a copy of the file to what you want WITHOUT changing the original working file.
"Save" is supposed to save the file to what you want and may change your working file to that.

Gimp is the only program I've seen that disobeys this, although I have not use Photoshop for some years I don't recall having that issue. I also asked a friend who uses PS and doesn't have this problem.

I have been saving my xcf before "save a copy" and has been working well. The only time you need to really watch is the first time you "save a copy" since you have to select the file type. Make sure you don't save over your xcf file. Once you do this, everytime you "save a copy" you don't have to select the file type any more until you close Gimp.

does Gimp have is the ablility to move the window with the live move hand, not the layer as it does? Using the scroll sliders all the time is a real pain.

I orderd a V-Mouse, pen mouse, I hope this will make working a lot easier than with the mouse.

It's not a problem, it's the way it works.
I just opened my PS CS3. Save AS, changes the file you are working on to the new name. You have to open the original again to keep working on it. Same as Gimp.

Save AS in every program will save the file you have open to the filename you choose. The working file you saved from is now closed. You now will have the saved version open.

In my Photoshop there is a save version option which is exactly the same as Gimp's Save a Copy. And that's what we all should be doing. It's the way it's designed.

So my take on this is: Never "Save AS" unless you want a new filename for the file you are working with. Always use "Save a Copy" or "Save a Version"

QUOTE:Layla Honi
"does Gimp have is the ablility to move the window with the live move hand, not the layer as it does? Using the scroll sliders all the time is a real pain."

Not sure what you mean but holding SHIFT will move only the highlighted layer you are on, not the top layer.
Try the Edit>Preferences for window resize options.

do you mean you want to move all the layers at once, instead of each one seperately? the lock button on the layers window will do that, all the layers that are locked will move together when you move one of those layers, i haven't tried it with scaling, but i assume it would do the same thing

...or press SPACE BAR to move the image around and hit again to release.

I don't want to move any layers...I want to move the window around the layers as the scroll bars do, but with a panning hand, I guess it would be called live panning. The move controls move the layer around rather then panning the window.
I found a way to pan under the View/Navagation Window. It doesn't use the panning hand, but opens a new window with a panning window you can move around to pan. It also has some zoom controls. I added it to my tool box.
...Oh and I found another panning control on the bottom right of the main window, but it moves rather fast. Who would think to look down there lol.

See post above. Use spacebar for panning inside the window.

oh, I like that space bar pan! It's quick and easy and more what I was looking for.

Thank's Kornscope



Rathven,
you got me curious about moving mulitple layers at once. When would you use this and how do you do it?

i haven't used it for anything yet. my roommate was using gimp to make a flyer. until i showed him gimp, his imaging skills were limited to windows paint, which obviously it's hard to go back and edit things without messing up the image. but he did it by accident actually. in the layers dialog, next to the button you click to show/hide the layer there's a link button next to it, when you click it a chain image appears. when you have several layers linked by clicking that button on each layer and then move one of those layers the others will move with it.

Linked layers:
Say you make a button for a shirt and it is on three layers and you don't want to merge them first.
e.g. Button/Shadow/Detail.

And you want to copy and move them:
Copy the layers first (of course)
Then click the Link button (Chain) on all three.
Press m (for the move tool)
Now all three layers will move together.

have you tried it with resizing or flipping?

Hi all,

i've got to ask, since this has been driving me crazy. i want to make a circle on a layer that fades in all directions to transparent - so deeply colored in the center, faded all the way around.

i've tried messing with the gradient tool and i just don't understand it. does anybody have any links to tutorials or other hints for this?

thanks for any help.
anik

I notice this in GIMP and other programs. Windows can not see a tga file in its native viewer. If I want to look at thumbnails, all I see are little unrelated icons. Is there any way to make a tga thumbnail show up the way a jpeg does?
Thx
BT

I've done what you are discribing. I've used two methods. The first and probably the easiest is to start with a solidly filled (color of your choice) layer. Using your ellipse selection tool with the "feather edge" box checked...........set the feather to a relatively high number (say 100). Draw your circle or ellipse on the colored layer and invert the selection...........then cut. You will have solid color fading to transparent.

The other way I've done it is to use the gradient tool with the gradient set to "FG to transparent". On the shape drop down menu pick radial. Start your gradient in one corner and end it in the opposite corner (diagonally). That will give you a quarter of a full circle starting with opague and ending with full transparency. Next, put two guides on the canvas........one 50% vertical and one 50% horizontal. Make sure "snap to guides" is enable (it is enabled by default so unless you've changed that it should ready to go). Now resize your layer to 50% of it's orginal size. I use 1024 by 1024 for all my texture work so that would reduce the layer to 512 by 512. After you've done that move your layer to one of the corners........the snap to guide should snap your layer into perfect place when you get within a few pixels of the guide grids. Under the layer menu set "layer to image size". Now it's just a process of duplicating and flipping to get all quarter circles in place. Merge the four layers and resize to what ever size you need for your texture.

Sounds complicated.......but it's not. And, my discription may add to that perception. Play with it........really easy to do.

Good luck.

You need a thumbnail viewer addon that handles those file formats. I use one called ThumbView Lite, but there are many free ones out there.

or you could just save it as png, which is supported by recent clients and windows will thumbnail

Here's the thumbnailer. For thumbs in Windows Explorer. Used to work ok.

http://greggman.com/pages/thumbplug_tga.htm