This blog tries to present some advanced tips and tricks to perform smart image processing and graphics operations, using open-source software and libraries only.

The themes addressed here include:

The presentation and illustration of some extended features available for GIMP, Krita and other open-source image editing tools, through their available plug-ins (such as the G’MIC plug-in for instance).

The use of command-line-based image processing tools (such as G’MIC, ImageMagick or GraphicsMagick) in order to transform images and videos, or to create weird (but nice!) synthetic 2D and 3D graphics from scratch.

The coding of specific image processing operators (mainly in C++), for instance with the use of the CImg Library.

Some posts will be quite technical, and not always suited for complete beginners in image processing. I apologize in advance 🙂

Basically, I want to show that we can perform quite complex image processing operations only with the use of open-source tools. You don’t actually need Photoshop or other closed-source (and expensive) software to do real graphics!

Who am I ?

I am David Tschumperlé, a permanent researcher working in the field of image processing in a daily basis, since 1999. I work for the CNRS institute, more particularly in the Image Group at the GREYC laboratory in Caen / France.

I have been particularly interested in PDE’s and variational methods for processing multi-valued images in a local or non-local way, in order to solve a wide range of problems in the medical imaging, photo retouching, or artistic fields. I have written more than 60 articles and papers about my research work, published in recognized international journals and conferences.

I’m also the manager and main programmer of two open-source projects, both focused on the processing of generic images: