Almost everyone has heard about Photoshop, but let’s face it, you have to pay for its nearly endless creative options. Usually, when I mention the GIMP as a budget conscious alternative, people look at me funny. Sure, it has a strange name, but it is a powerful tool for editing and creating graphics.
As you would expect from something with a lot of options, the “Mac-ish” open-background and paneled interface can be a little daunting for those unfamiliar with graphics programs in general. No worries though, with a few minutes of freestyle clicking and experimenting you will figure out the basic tools pretty easily. Simply click the File menu and choose New to create a blank document to work with, Click on the Paintbrush, and its options appear below the toolbox window - pick a color, brush size/shape and start painting!
All the basic necessities are here, including but not limited to, a Paintbrush, Pen, Eraser, Gradient and Paint Bucket, Clone Stamp, as well as Blur and Smear tools. For those who have are also familiar with Photoshop’s newest tools, there are some very similar items like a Healing tool as well as a Perspective Clone Stamp.
GIMP uses layers to keep pieces independent of one another and has an ample supply of filters (special effects) and image adjustments.
The bottom line is this, if you want the ability to draw or paint something new, crop large pictures, adjust contrast, color balance, or even the tones of highlights and shadows, or just apply special effects like Lens Flares, Distortion, or Paper Curls to your pictures, GIMP is a capable tool. Best of all, it is free!
If you download the GIMP, also be sure to check out the Documentation link and get the manual and view some tutorials to help you get started. Happy Painting!
A big thank you to Ben Sanders, our latest contributor, for writing this review of Gimp. Ben owns a design company called Prema Studios. Hop on over there and check it out!
