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Weekend Project: Multi-Layered Image

Create a multi-layered image that demonstrates basic navigation, layers, and file format knowledge.

In This Lesson

Project Brief

This weekend project is the capstone for Module 1. Your goal is to create a multi-layered image that demonstrates the core skills you have built so far: navigating the GIMP interface, working with layers, and choosing the right file format for saving and exporting your work.

Keep the composition simple. The point is to exercise the fundamentals confidently, not to produce a masterpiece. A postcard, a simple poster, or a photo with a text overlay all make excellent subjects.

What You'll Practice

  • Navigation: Zooming, panning, and fitting the image to the window as you work.
  • Layers: Creating, naming, reordering, and toggling the visibility of at least three layers.
  • File formats: Saving your editable project as XCF and exporting a flattened copy as PNG or JPEG.

Step-by-Step

  1. Create a new image (File → New) at a size of your choice, for example 1280×720 pixels.
  2. Add a background layer and fill it with a color or a gradient.
  3. Add a second layer for a subject: paste in a photo, draw a shape, or import a graphic.
  4. Add a third layer for text, giving your composition a title or caption.
  5. Rename each layer descriptively and arrange the stacking order so everything reads clearly.
  6. Use the navigation tools to zoom in and refine details, then fit the image back to the window.
  7. Save your working file as XCF to preserve the layers.
  8. Export a final flattened version as PNG (for sharp graphics/text) or JPEG (for photos).

Deliverables

  • One layered .xcf file with at least three named layers.
  • One exported .png or .jpg version of the finished composition.
  • A short note to yourself on which file format you chose for export and why.