Mouse pointer highligher trail in GIMP

The default setting in the GIMP has a mouse pointer highlighter active. It makes working in GIMP difficult- to the point that it's been mistaken for a bug. I came across this issue before- and disabled the highlighter immediately. Using another computer today, I came across the same issue, but I'd forgotten how I'd fixed it- and it took me a while to find the solution. Eventually I found it on Pimp my GIMP.

Go to File>Preferences>Image Windows and untick Show brush outline.

Update: this looks like a Debian Lenny issue: my Debian Squeeze machine doesn't have this problem. Time to update the old laptop I was using when I wrote this post, probably.

Remove unwanted items from photos with GIMP

The day after I'd read this story in PCPro about how the new version of Photoshop can remove unwanted items from photos (and watched the admittedly low resolution and grainy but nonetheless impressive Youtube video), I came across this post on OMG! Ubuntu which describes how a plug-in for the GIMP (written by somebody as a Phd project, it seems) can do the same.

[Update: the OMG! Ubuntu post seems to have gone. The Resynthesizer page is still up. Debian users can install the plug-in from the repository.]

After installing the plug-in, make a selection and go to Filters> Map> Resynthesize.

Simple as that.

Now you see it...


Now you don't...


UPDATE: Tutorial here.