Life in Your Years Blog: Health, Finance, & More

The GIMP is a powerful open source (free) graphics editing software program. I use it frequently, since I can’t afford Photoshop and like the idea of open-source software. I have collected quite a few plugins and scripts over the years which make GIMP even more powerful. While the GIMP is not quite as powerful as Photoshop, plugins and scripts help take the GIMP closer to the professional level of Photoshop. Below I have listed 10 plug-ins and scripts, and collections of plugins and scripts, that make GIMP very powerful. These are the ones I use a lot and hope you enjoy. Obviously I have left out some, and may post on these later. I have linked to Windows versions if separate Windows versions exist, because I figure Linux users already know how to get the scripts and don’t need their hands held.

To install plugins on Windows, simply place the file or files (usually .exe) into the following folder:

c:\Program Files\Gimp-2.0\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins

To install scripts on Windows, place the file or files (.scm) into the following folder:

c:\Program Files\Gimp-2.0\share\gimp\2.0\scripts

Below are my favorites in no particular order:

1. Darla Purple Fringe – This script fixes purple fringing, an aberration in which some parts of  images have a purple outline. This is common on images shot on many digital cameras. This script helps fix the problem. I usually have to de-saturate blue to -80 to get the best result. Play around with the settings until you find what works.

2. GMIC for Gimp (Windows) – This plugin is a powerful collection of artistic, color, and other tools, which supercharges GIMP. Tools include soft focus, old photo, CMYK color mixer, fish-eye lens, additive noise, and many more!

3. Shadows and Highlights – This is a helpful script that allows you to lighten the areas that are too dark, and darken the areas that are too light. This is very useful in bringing out the details in regions of images that are too dark. However, it won’t “find” details that weren’t there to begin with; make sure you are taking photos that are properly exposed. The image above was enhanced using this script. The stumps on the far left of the image were practically black before I used the script.

4. Re-Focus – This is a nice plugin that sharpens an image in a smart way. I find that sometimes “Unsharp mask” (which comes with GIMP) gives good results, and other times, re-focus does a better job. Both, when used properly, sharpen an image without giving that over-sharpened look.

5. UFRaw – This is a program that runs separately from GIMP, but that is also integrated into GIMP. It allows processing of RAW files, before they are sent to the 8-bit GIMP editing environment. It is a nice program that allows for white balance correction, noise reduction, editing with curves, among other things. I wish it had a sharpening feature, but otherwise, I really like it.

6. FX-Foundry – This is a nice collection of scripts, which includes a lot of helpful tools. There are over 15 color tools alone, and many more in other categories. The one I use the most is “Contrast Overlay” which adjusts the contrast so that dark areas are brightened, and very bright areas are normalized. It also allows for the blurring of a layer, creating a nice “glow” to the image.

7. Technicolor 2 – I like the way this script turns a normal image into a more exciting one.  It makes an image look older and mysterious.

8. Eg Black and White – This script allows you to turn an image into black and white, and filter this based on color. UF Raw and GMIC also have tools for this, but this is a nice, easy-to-use, tool to do the job.

9. EXIF Viewer (Windows) – EXIF data is that information from the camera that tells you shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and a bunch of other information. GIMP doesn’t allow you to view this information without this plug-in.

10. Darla Blue-Sky Gradient – Sometimes the sky in a scenic image can be overexposed (losing detail because the area is too bright), which ruins an otherwise nice image. This script does a good job of fixing that, and making the sky blue (or whatever color you like) again. It does a nice job of knowing where the sky stops and the scenery begins.

I had a friend who used that phrase a lot, to describe, what Alcoholics Anonymous describe as “insanity.” Insanity, by the AA definition, is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Yet, how easy is it for us to be “insane,” to get into a rut, immersing ourselves in systems that destroy us, and yet the only “solutions” we seek are to move within the system itself. I can think of many examples, a few I have listed below.

Some friends I know find themselves very frustrated with emotion-driven charismatic churches. So, they shift from charismatic church to charismatic church, looking for the one that is not going to make them feel weird for not being emotional, all the while not realizing that it is the system itself the problem, because it is the nature of charismatic churches to be emotional. I went through this myself. Before I finally became Catholic, from 1998-2004 I attended many parishes, and was very restless. I think the reason was that I was not comfortable in the systems I was in (evangelical and Episcopal). For some people, these systems are great, but they weren’t for me, until finally it became obvious that shifting from church to church in the same system was part of the problem itself.

Another example is relationships. I have heard so many times “I only meet jerks; I can’t meet nice guys/girls.” In fact, I uttered this many times myself. However, when I eventually reflected upon it, I realized that if *I* only meet people that aren’t good for me, then something is wrong with the way I meet people, not people themselves.

Finally, I think of people who are deep into the party scene. I have some facebook friends whose status updates are a mix of “can’t wait to get drunk tonight” and “I hope life actually has some meaning this week.” The “solutions” they propose (and put into action) to this lack of meaning include partying more and hanging out with more “party people,” which basically get them deeper into the system that caused the problem to begin with. Finding meaning in this case involves something more difficult than getting drunk every weekend.

Of course, this is actually great news, not bad news. It means that even though it may seem that life isn’t fair, the reality is that our choices are what are limiting us. Although not always easy, we have the ability to get out of systems that limit us. Medical researchers have found that one difference between positive people and negative people is the way they respond to setbacks. Negative people consider a setback a personal attack, lash out at others while blaming themselves, and see no solution to the setback. Positive people see setbacks as unrelated to their character, and view unfortunate situations as problems that can be overcome through ingenuity and effort. In other words, negative people see endless quagmires, positive people see ways forward. While the negative person is moping about how life isn’t fair, and perhaps looking for a different toilet for the same crap, the positive person is replacing the crap.

I was in Denny’s the other night, hanging out (is there a better place to hang out?), and our waitress’ boyfriend was sitting at the counter, all while she was giving our table loads of attention, particularly one friend of mine who had known her for some time. She even sat down with us and talked for awhile, and clearly flirted with my friend. Her boyfriend just sat at the counter, looking bored, indifferent, except when he got a text, when he would quickly leave the building to make a call.  Afterward we had a good laugh how her boyfriend was probably just a placeholder for her, because he showed no visible passion for anything, not even his girlfriend. Now, by passion I mean having something that matters to him, something to get up for in the morning, and something that might show itself visibly on his face.  I suppose at least he was somewhat neutral in his passion, as opposed to trying to destroy the vitality, passion, and faith of those around him. Of course, I could be wrong about this. Heck, the guy could have a lot going for him. Either way, please pretend I am right, because it makes a good object less for what I am saying!

Jennifer was watching Oprah on the television at the Y today (otherwise neither of us watches it), and the show was pretty good, because Dr. Oz was on, the only part of Oprah I can pretty much stomach. Dr. Oz mentioned that having a passion of some kind can extend your life by up to 8 years. I reflected on my passions, and concluded that I am a pretty passionate person (as defined above), and most mornings I wake up excited about the possibilities related to my passions. I came up a few major passions of mine, listed below:

my faith in God

holistic health and exercise

my family

friends

I know people who love BMX bikes, others that are obsessed with rock music, and even a few that are passionate about Star Wars collectibles. I’ll let you decide about the nobility of these choices, but either way, unless you are passionate about consuming trans fats, playing with matches around gasoline, jumping in front of passing cars, or something similar, having something worth getting up for in the morning may extend your life significantly.

Research with the children of centenarians suggests that if you want to live to be 100 years old, next time you are at a party, or in a room full of friends and strangers, introduce yourself and say hello to most of the people in the room. Researchers believe that these individuals live to a ripe old age because they are outgoing, form a lot of meaningful friendships, and have ways to deal with stress effectively. Why is being outgoing positively related to stress and friendship? Well, anecdotally, I find that the people I know who are the most outgoing are also generally happy and comfortable in their relationships (unless being outgoing is a cover for some sort of inner loneliness – it happens). And, let’s face it, if someone can strike up, and genuinely enjoy, a conversation with a stranger, he must not get too stressed out about much.

Maybe you aren’t the naturally outgoing type, and would like to be. Well, the good news is that we can re-wire the brain over time, with work. Alan Garner in the book Conversationally Speaking, gives some great tips about how to increase “personal and social effectiveness.” One technique he gives is called SOFTEN, which is a way to make yourself more naturally open to engaging in conversations and interactions with others. Below are the techniques (which, I may add, may have the social effect of making you more likable).

S – Smile: Smiling shows an openness to others, and to interaction with  them. Make sure the smile is real though. Social scientists have proven that fake smiles don’t have the same effect as real smiles. Garner suggests practicing in the mirror if you are worried about your smile!

O – Open Posture: Again, this is a sign of openness. Sitting with legs and arms crossed signals being closed, even though there are times I do it for comfort and posture reasons, but basically, it conveys a lack of interest.

F – Forward Lean: This signals interest, and genuine affection.

T – Touch: This refers to appropriate touching, of course. Nothing raises the stress levels, and contributes to old-age, like getting slapped with a sexual harassment suit. Seriously though, appropriate touching shows interest and affection.

E – Eye Contact: Truly interacting with people requires interest. Eye contact shows that you are interested in the other person. This may take practice.

N – Nod: Just like the others, nodding shows interest, and says, “I am enjoying your company” instead of “I really don’t care about your hang-ups…now where was that bowl of Doritos I saw when I came in the room?”

Garner explains other ways to be more outgoing, but the SOFTEN technique has stuck with me over the years. So, be outgoing, be friendly, and maybe, be 100.

Below I provide examples of photos processed using the program QTPFSGUI.

I am always looking for open-source alternatives to high-priced proprietary software. People who know me understand that I am not opposed to closed-source software like Windows, but that I prefer open-source software because of the quality and price.  I have posted about saving money using open source software, and saving more money using open source software.

I have been interesting in creating HDR (High-Dynamic Range) photos for some time, but wasn’t aware of how to create them. I figured that my camera wasn’t capable. An HDR image is one in which the contrast is closer to reality than is possible with a Low-Dynamic Range image. Although it is preferable to use a camera that is capable of saving in a 16-bit RAW format (or TIFF), it is possible to create HDR photos using a jpg. At any rate, this brings me to the product qtpfsgui, which is an open-source way to create HDR images. And, yes, the name is confusing, but there is a reason for it.

Basically, the way qtpfsgui works is like this. First, you create a new HDR image. This can be done either with one image, or preferably, with a series of bracketed images. After you do this, qtpfsgui will walk you through the steps for creating an HDR image. The default settings tend to work well, but if you want more control, the program offers this. Then, after you have your image, you can adjust the gamma to lighten it or darken it.  Finally, you tone-map the image. This can be done using a variety of methods, based on academic papers relating to creating high-contrast images. The results (and type of image) vary depending on the method used. I find that for more realistic photos Reinhard ’02 and Reinhard ’05 produce the best results, while Mantiuk and Fattal produce rather fascinating images (but they look unrealistic, if default settings are used). Below are some photos I have taken that were processed through qtpfsgui. Often, after processing with qtpfsgui, I also do some work on them in GIMP, but here I just kept the images directly from qtpfsgui. However, the first image is the original brightest photo I took, which was not processed (note that because I bracketed the photos, there were two other darker photos).  The processed photos are far closer to what I actually saw that evening. Click on the photo for larger detail.

Below is the Reinhard ’02 Processing:

Below is the Reinhard ’05 processing

Below is the Mantiuk processing

Below is Fattal (Current)

Fattal (Old…still available in current release)

Note that within each type of processing, there are many ways to manipulate the photos. For example, in the Fattal setting, you can control alpha, beta, color saturation, and noise, and you can control the gamma as well. This means that you can do a whole lot within each processing method. Unfortunately, my camera only exports to jpegs (8-bit, processed, images). If it could export RAW, 16-bit images, I would be happier, but you can still see the impact qtpfsgui has.

I have mentioned before that I come up with really good ideas in church and while running, particularly when running outside. I have been reading the book What a Great Idea: Key Steps Creative People Take, and author Charles Thompson lists 10 settings where people tend to generate their most creative ideas. Before you read the list, take a guess what number one is!

10.While performing manual labor

9. While listening to a sermon in church

8.Upon waking in the middle of the night

7. While exercising

6. During leisure reading

5. During a boring meeting

4. While falling asleep or waking up

3. While commuting

2. While showering or shaving

and number one? I am sure the guys reading this have guessed it…

1. While sitting on the toilet

Image taken by me, of the view from where I sometimes run in the summer. To make the photo more vibrant, I used the FX-Foundry “cross-processing” effect, followed by the “contrast overlay” effect, all freely available using the GIMP.

Before I say this, I am not referring to some sort of new age aura or anything like that, but rather using our nervous and pent-up energy for good things, instead of just being nervous or aimless, etc.

I have been reading some books on public speaking recently (maybe more on this later), and they give some tips on how to take excess energy (much of which could be nervous or undirected) and focus the energy to something positive, namely the current intellectual, spiritual, or athletic performance. One idea some authors recommend is to focus on something positive, e.g. a happy moment or person. This is based on research that people are literally physically stronger when they think of something positive than when they think of something negative. I tend to think of two things to channel my energy to increase my performance: the photo of my niece grace smiling and running outside on a hot summer day. Today, while I was running (inside), I noticed that not only did I feel a burst of energy when thinking of niece, but I always smiled at the thought of her smiling in that photo. Another technique I have read about is to make yourself taller, which means standing proud to exude confidence. I tried this today, and I did it by pretending that my head and shoulders were attached to a string hanging from something very high in the air…it was actually quite easy to do when I was imagining that. Again, I felt an improvement in my energy levels. I am experimenting with ways of my own, and will let you know about these in the future.

Yesterday, as I returned home from a meeting of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter (a great meeting and great organization by the way), I was thinking of times when I get particularly inspired to come up with good ideas. Generally, the two major times when ideas come to me are:

1. During Catholic Mass

2. While running (particularly outside)

Let me explain a little bit about each. When I first thought about having great ideas during Mass, I thought “I hope this doesn’t mean my mind is wandering too much during worship.” I then realized that my mind doesn’t really wander too much. In fact, the ideas usually come during the times in the Mass reserved for quiet reflection. I am guessing this shows that I really am paying attention (sometimes I admit my mind can wander…I am human after all).

Typically my best ideas come when running, mostly when running outside. I think my running ritual creates a great opportunity for thinking. First, running relaxes me and loosens me up, physically and mentally. Second, I love being outdoors, so when I run outside, I am immediately in a good mood, and receiving the mental benefits of sunshine and fresh air. Third, since I usually run close to 4-6 miles at a time, I am sure I am getting some sort of “runner’s high” by the middle of my run. Fourth, I typically take some Acetyl L-Carnitine or DMAE before running, which enhances my mental clarity. Finally, I often run alone; this gives me that rare time to just gather my thoughts. All of these factors make running both physically and mentally enjoyable.

Now, let me explain what doesn’t usually inspire me. I am not usually inspired by quotes or gimmicks. You know, the type of stuff that gets you excited and makes you go “ah ha” on Monday, but doesn’t really impact you anymore by Friday. I know that many public speakers and inspirational speakers thrive on this sort of thing, as does the average American. A lot of people have quote-a-day calendars that they glance at every day. I have tried that and usually by February my calendar is still on January 10th. I do like inspirational quotes, but they don’t have much lasting power in my life. I tend to be inspired by content, rather than inspired by inspiration. Friends and life, just as they are, tend to inspire me as well. Also, a very good movie or song can inspire me in lasting ways, especially if the story reminds me of my own story. Well, that’s just me! I am sure that most of you are different, and that is cool too.