Liquid Rescale is a free, open-source plugin for the GIMP image editor that implements a “seam carving” algorithm to resize images non-uniformly while preserving key features. It allows you to shrink, stretch, or alter the aspect ratio of photos without distorting important subjects (like people or buildings).
Content-Aware Rescaling: Unlike traditional scaling, which stretches or squashes the entire image, Liquid Rescale detects the “least important” pixels—often called seams—and removes or adds them to change the image size, leaving important features intact.
Object Removal: It can be used to remove objects or portions of a picture consistently, acting as a content-aware fill tool.
Manual Feature Protection: The plugin allows you to select areas to preserve (feature preservation mask) or areas to remove (feature discard mask) manually.
Real-time Interaction: The plugin, specifically version 0.6 and later, offers real-time interactive scaling to see changes instantly.
Availability: Liquid Rescale is available as a plugin for GIMP (versions 2.8 and newer) and can be accessed under the Layer menu after installation.
This technology is based on the seam carving algorithm developed by Shai Avidan and Ariel Shamir, which is used for image retargeting—fitting images to various screen sizes without ugly stretching. Liquid Rescale GIMP plugin: Welcome
Leave a Reply