Gimp: Distort picture - how it works

With Gimp you can distort an entire image or just cutouts and body parts. In our Gimp tutorial we will show you step by step how to do this.

Use Gimp to distort images

First of all, we will show you how to distort sections of the image and correct your nose, eyelids or mouth, for example:

1. To do this, click on the "Filter"> "Distort"> "IWarp" menu in Gimp.
2. Here you can choose whether you want to enlarge or reduce a part.
3. Then use the "Deformation radius" and the degree of deformation "to set how large and how strong the distortion should be.
4. If you now wipe the mouse over a spot in the preview image, it will be distorted.
5. Tip: If you click on "Remove" instead of "Enlarge", you can swipe the mouse over an area of ​​the image and your previous distortion is removed.

Distort the whole picture with Gimp

If you want to distort the whole picture, the "Perspective" menu is often easier in practice:

1. To do this, first click on "Perspective" in the toolbox, which is in front of "Mirror".
2. Now you can use the corner points to distort the whole picture with the mouse. Drag all corner points in one direction as far as you would like to distort the image.
3. Finally, click on "Transform".
4. Note: Since the distortion often extends beyond the canvas, you should enlarge the canvas significantly via "Image"> "Canvas size".

Image distort over scaling

If the freehand distortion is too cumbersome or inaccurate for you, you can also enter the desired distortion of the entire image in pixels or centimeters:

1. From the menu, choose Image> Scale Image.
2. Next to the information for width and height, remove the chain by clicking on it.
3. Now you can enter a new value for height or width - depending on the direction in which you want to distort the image.
4. Finally click on "Scale". You can undo the distortion at any time with [Ctrl] + [Z] and repeat with a different value.

If you don't need the whole picture, you can also use Gimp to cut out individual objects. On the next page you will find all the instructions.