Is it possible to edit a bitmap using Draw?

[Neutrino_Sunset]

I’m trying to find a way to annotate screenshots with arrows and shapes in Linux Mint.

Gimp has no support for drawing shapes.
Pinta is dead as nobody has seen fit to update it to support hidpi screens so it’s unusable.

Is this something I can do using Draw?

[Grantler]

You can import bitmaps into Draw and then add arrows/shapes.

You can import/edit bitmaps in GIMP and paste there arrows/shapes via clipboard from Draw.

I often use both proceedings depending on specific issues…

edit

Also recommendable: XnViewMP for Linux which can draw in a simple way.

[Neutrino_Sunset]

Can you point me in the direction of some info describing how to do it please? If I import a bitmap it adds it as an object in a document, and since the image and document size are different you then have an image in a document instead of an image.

Exporting the resulting document as a PNG you end up with a picture of a document with an image in it.

If there is some way to just edit an image, it’s not at all obvious how.

[Grantler]

Draw

• Open/Save Draw file
• menu Insert > Image or paste from clipboard
• select image > right mouse click > Original size
• if necessary, crop
• draw arrows/shapes on it; bear in in mind: Arrange can change visuability
• select all objects (CTRL + A) - status bar shows information about amount of objects
• menu File > Export :: Selection
• select format (mostly jpg or png)
• proceed to end (there are some properties to choose for specialists) and save as bitmap-file

[Grantler]

GIMP

• Open/Save GIMP file
• menu Insert > Image or paste from clipboard
• if necessary, crop or manipulate in some way
• insert arrows/shapes (copied from Draw) as layers on it
• manipulate layers as wished
• menu File > Export As … (jpg; png)
• select format (mostly jpg or png)
• proceed to end (there are some properties to choose for specialists) and save as bitmap-file

[Neutrino_Sunset]

The image I’m editing is a screenshot of a hidpi desktop, so it’s natural size is about 3 times as wide as a typical draw document so Grantler’s method doesn’t work too well. However it did set me on a useful track.

1. Check your screen aspect ratio.
2. Open new Draw document…
3. Right click page, select Page → Page Setup.
4. Select Orientation: Landscape, Format: Screen 16:9 (or whatever your aspect ratio is).
5. Set all Margins to zero.
6. Click Ok.
7. Right click page, select Page → Set Background Image.
8. You now have a Draw document page containing your screenshot in its correct aspect ratio. Add whatever annotations you desire.
9. Save as Draw document for further editing or Export as image.

This procedure works great if you are annotating a whole screen screenshot. Grantler’s method is fine for the more general case where you might be editing a screenshot of part of your desktop.

[Grantler]

You could set the values (1-5) and then save as a customized page style (otg suffix). Every time when needed you can start this and don’t need to manage the first points of your list… You can organize this file also as a template so that it can be started via menu File > New > Templates :: Drawings

[Neutrino_Sunset]

Good tip, thanks.