GIMP- How do you create a background?

[catsanddogsandbirds]

 So, I am doing this art request, and it says that it needs a forest-y background. Okay, no problem, right? So I make this pretty wolf and it's sitting there. What next? Oh right, the background! I make a new layer and copy+paste a forest image I found on Google onto it. When it gets there, it's itty-bitty. I try to change the size, but it doesn't do anything. So, that's basically all I need from you guys. Are there any tutorials, or maybe just a quick walkthrough? Or is this something you can explain with a couple sentences?

 Thanks.

  Twizz out.

[LordSuragaha]

Well if you're getting an image off google you have to make sure it's the proper size so it doesn't seem so small when you open it up in GIMP. You need to find an image on google that is bigger than the picture you're drawing or you can shrink your picture down and scale it to fit properly into the google image you saved.

Try looking at this video so you can see how to add a background it should help :
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u5-WmuLFHys

[catsanddogsandbirds]

That would help, but I had exited out of my thing when the background was transparant already, and when I opened it again it was pink. I tried to do erase but nothing happened. I even colored the whole background black and then erased and where I erased it was pink. ?

[Tokoa]

Just go to Layer - Transparency - Remove Alpha Channel if its on that then click the Add Alpha Channel.

[Raz.]

Also if you're going to post it on DA or wherever, credit the background, because you didn't make it.

[Bawfle]

Try saving the image into your 'Pictures/Images' folder and then return back to GIMP; select 'File' in the top left and 'Open as layer'. That should then lead to your documents. Find where you saved the image and open it up.

Tip: When saving your image, something like this MIGHT pop-up. If so, click what has been selected in this example:



It should then go onto a page where you see the image's original size.


You then need save your drawing on a Transparent Background by making sure all the layers do not have Alpha Channels. You do this by right clicking the layer's canvas/select layer [on the toolbar], then select 'Transparency' and Remove the Alpha Channel if it hasn't been done already [Make sure that all you can see in the background are greyscaled squares - also try using the eraser tool on a coloured/blank background if you don't.]. Once you've done that save your drawing as a .PNG and if it tells you to 'Merge' the layer, do so. Don't flatten it. [Don't close GIMP down after]

Finally go to File >> Open and find the Forest background you had saved in your Images. When you save an Image, it seems to become larger instead of Copy and Pasting. Once the Image is opened, go onto the canvas with the Forest background and select 'File' again and 'Open as layers' then find your wolf and place it to how you want it on the page.

I hope I made this clear enough for you, if you're still having trouble, just let us know.

[Raphilion]

You can try what Buffy said. I hope it works.

Or when opening the image as layer you could try playing around with scale setting to scale the image up or down to get it to fit. Unfortunately i did it such a long time ago i forgot how i did it and im not on my pc now.
Best of luck.