How to Make GIMP Into a Negative

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Negative images are used in artwork and designs.

Film photographs are recorded onto the film strip as negative images, where all of the colors are reversed. When the film strip is converted to prints, the negative image is converted to a positive image. Turning photographs into negatives can provide a unique look for art or design work. The GIMP editor has the ability to create negatives from any digital image with only a few simple steps. You can even choose to turn a color photo into a black and white negative for more contrast.

Advertisement

Color Negative

Video of the Day

Step 1

Open GIMP by clicking its icon on the desktop or in the "Programs" section of the Start menu.

Video of the Day

Step 2

Open your image in GIMP by clicking "File" then "Open" and double-clicking the image file.

Advertisement

Step 3

Click "Image" in the toolbar at the top of the screen and highlight "Colors" with the mouse, then click "Invert." All colors in the photo will be inverted, creating a color negative effect.

Black and White Negative

Step 1

Open GIMP by clicking its icon on the desktop or in the "Programs" section of the Start menu.

Advertisement

Step 2

Open your image in GIMP by clicking "File" then "Open" and double-clicking the image file.

Advertisement

Step 3

Click "Image" in the toolbar at the top of the screen and highlight "Mode" with the mouse pointer, then click "Grayscale." This will convert the image to grayscale or black and white.

Advertisement

Step 4

Click "Image" in the toolbar at the top of the screen and highlight "Colors" with the mouse, then click "Invert." Since there are no colors in the image, it will be converted to a black and white negative.

Advertisement

Advertisement

references

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...