>> And it's not like the GIMP comes with a manual.
> 
>   Where did you get that notion? The gimp has a complete help file system,
> and the same documentation is available online as well:

OK, well then I just learned something...

>> - Tim manages to draw, UNdraw and then redraw lines multiple times. 
>> Usually in a bitmap editor, all drawing operations are final and cannot 
>> be undone like that.
> 
>   Ever heard of the concept of layers? If you haven't, you should really
> learn to use them. They help you making new additions without changing
> anything of the existing image. Your additions are overlayed over the
> rest. Layers are also the thing which help you move individual elements
> of the image around without moving the entire image.

I've heard of layers - but it never occurred to me that you could use 
them for *composing* images. I always throught of them as simply a way 
of merging two images into one. (E.g., so you could cut out part of one 
photograph to insert it into another one.)

If all of the complex manipulations seen here are really done with 
layers... hmm, it must take quite a bit of planning to make sure 
everything is in the correct layer and not accidentally paint yourself 
into a corner.

>> (That's what's so great about vector images - you 
>> can edit *everything* and nothing is ever "final".)
> 
>   He is not using vector images.

Indeed. What I way saying is that this is why *I* prefer vector 
graphics. I make so many mistakes, it's nice having a system where 
anything can be undone or modified later. But it doesn't seem to hinder 
Tim in any way...

>> - He scales objects. This generally isn't possible in bitmap editors 
>> without absurd levels of highly-visible distortion.
> 
>   Of course it's possible. You simply need a very large resolution for
> the image in order to avoid pixelation.

Well, it would probably work if the image was 10,000 pixels square. But 
that sounds a litle infeasible. (OTOH, the final image is quite low 
resolution, so maybe it's doable...)

>> (Tim even scales 
>> individual *parts* of objects - something I've never seen any bitmap 
>> editor allow.)
> 
>   Read my lips: Layers.

Lilah appears to be in a single layer. (He moves her around as one 
item.) And yet, he was able to scale just one leg. How do layers help here?

>> - Tim is able to move objects around, place one in front of another, and 
>> draw stuff behind objects. It's standard in a vector editor, but I've 
>> never seen it in a bitmap editor.
> 
>   Read my lips: Layers.

Yes, I see that now... I would never have thought of using layers that way.

>> - I guess the floor fills kind of give it away that this *must* be a 
>> bitmap. But how does he manage to fill in all that counter-shading and 
>> never accidentally draw over the outlining? Is he just extremely 
>> skillful, or is the software assisting him somehow?
> 
>   Layers and layer masks.

DPaint used to have a thing called "stencils" where you could mark 
certain colours as "protected", and any pixels drawn in that colour 
can't be altered. (Remember, DPaint works with palette-based bitmaps.)

Is this a similar trick, or something different?

>> - How the heck does he do that thing with the floorboards? And the 
>> shading for the shadow in the doorway? I've never seen anything so 
>> advanced, ever!
> 
>   Layers, transparency.

Well, sure - but how does he make the shadow edges soft? That must 
involve some pretty special shading technology. Most software I've seen 
will do simple linear colour gradients, but not complex shadow outlines 
like that.

>> - How on earth does he do the text like that?
> 
>   Photoshop has quite advanced text manipulation capabilities.

You can say that again...

> It handles
> them as vector graphics (probably one of the few true vector drawing
> features in the program) until they are "burnt" into the final bitmap
> layer.

I see.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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