Update 05.’12. And GIMP 2.8 is done. Yay 🙂
Latest news from the official GIMP home-page. Including GIMP 2.8 release notes and GIMP download linkage and the official GIMP roadmap. And unofficially the web-sphere is buzzing with latest GIMP 2.8 news, views and reviews including Bring out the GIMP! GIMP 2.8.0 Final ~ download for Windows. [Update 05.’12. And ~ download for Mac OS X.] Hands-on testing the GIMP 2.8 and it’s new single-window interface. Six good reasons to try GIMP 2.8. GIMP 2.8 image software adds single-window mode.
And now we return to your all-about-GIMP introduction . .
“Wilbur is the official GIMP mascot. GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.”
“Meet Wilbur GIMP.”
Allow us to quickly fill you in on Wilbur GIMP’s life and times, to-date. Ahem.
GIMP explained with back-story and history (including linkage @ wikipedia.org) is the BOSS a FOSS ☛ Free Open Source Software (explained, including linkage @ wikipedia.org), desktop application, image retouching and editing tool, available for use by everyone on Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, Linux, and more computer operating systems.
Remind me. How’d you get that name again, Wilbur? GIMP.
GIMP was originally released as the General Image Manipulation Program and has since become GNU Image Manipulation Program.
‘GIMP is free, image manipulation, desktop application software’ is conveniently spread over two pages where the second and concluding page linkage is farther down and at the bottom of this first and opening page, thank you. And we have forty (i.e. 40) unique GIMP high quality tutorials awaiting intrepid readers who make it all the way to the end of page 2. Enjoy 🙂
So what’s GNU ☛ (GNU’s Not UNIX)? (explained, including linkage @ wikipedia.org)
GNU Logo
“The GNU Project
i/ɡəˈnuː/[1] is a free software, mass collaboration project, announced on September 27, 1983, by Richard Stallman at MIT. It initiated GNU operating system development in January, 1984. The founding goal of the project was, in the words of its initial announcement, to develop “a sufficient body of free software […] to get along without any software that is not free.“[2] To make this happen, the GNU Project began working on an operating system called GNU (“GNU” is a recursive acronym that stands for “GNU’s Not Unix“). This goal of making a free software operating system was achieved in 1992 when the last gap in the GNU system, a kernel, was filled by the third-party Linux kernel being released as Free Software, under version 2 of the GNU GPL.[3]
Current work of the GNU Project includes software development, awareness building, political campaigning and sharing of the new material.”
And who or what is GIMP up against (i.e. the competition), if any?
More from GIMP (explained, including linkage @ wikipedia.org).
“GIMP’s fitness for use in professional environments is regularly reviewed; as such, GIMP is often cited as a replacement for Adobe Photoshop.[20][21] The maintainers of GIMP state that GIMP seeks to fulfil GIMP’s product vision rather than seek to replicate the interface of Adobe PhotoShop.[22]
GIMP 2.6 has been reviewed twice by Ars Technica. In the first review, Ryan Paul noted that GIMP provides “Photoshop-like capabilities and offers a broad feature set that has made it popular with amateur artists and open source fans. Although GIMP is generally not regarded as a sufficient replacement for high-end commercial tools, it is beginning to gain some acceptance in the pro market.”[20] While previously it had been recognized that GIMP had extensive capabilities, few reviewers have cited GIMP as a tool used in professional environments.[citation needed] Dave Girard also reviewed GIMP 2.6, specifically with the aim of testing GIMP’s fitness for professional tasks. He noted at the beginning that GIMP was a high-end tool, but the review conclusion noted that, although many of GIMP’s tools were of high quality, he felt that GIMP lacked in some areas such as non-destructive editing, and that it was missing select tools (such as a desaturation brush).[23][24]“
GIMP versus Photoshop is regularly revisited and updated, by the informed and opinionated, providing an ever expanding volume of published web content, on the cans and can’ts and likes and dislikes of GIMP versus Photoshop (Google ☛ search), GIMP versus Photoshop ☛ Google video search and GIMP versus Photoshop ☛ Google Youtube search). [Update 05.’12. And now, after two years in the making, introducing Adobe Creative Cloud ☛ Create now. Adobe desktop apps subscription ☛ payment options now available with integrated online storage services and software features and membership upgrade ☛ payment options. Go check out the Adobe ☛ videos, FAQ ☛ frequently asked questions and read early punditry here, here, here, here, 06.’12 full-review here, and directly from the Adobe world-wide design evangelist, Terry White, watch the hour-long Youtube.com video (1h:02min:20s).]
GIMP does social too, on Google + and Facebook, to get your media update fix.
Yup, GIMP is the real deal. Want to learn how to use GIMP as efficiently and effectively as practicable to master your digital imagery ~ for the longer run?
You do. Let’s go to the official web-home of GIMP and poke around. (Updated to 2.8.)
GIMP (including linkage @ gimp.org)
“This is the official GIMP web site. It contains information about downloading, installing, using, and enhancing it. This site also serves as a distribution point for the latest releases. We try to provide as much information about the GIMP community and related projects as possible. Hopefully you will find what you need here. Grab a properly chilled beverage and enjoy.”
Introduction to GIMP (including linkage @ gimp.org)
“GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.
GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.
GIMP is written and developed under X11 on UNIX platforms. But basically the same code also runs on MS Windows and Mac OS X.”
GIMP guidance is abundant on the web. And we’ve done your homework for you.
1st mention: The official GIMP User Manual is on-line @ gimp.org and official GIMP documentation including the GIMP User Manual downloadable @ gimp.org too. Unofficial, hard copy books and digital copy eBooks are available to buy for your personal study and application (e.g. GIMP for Absolute Beginners, published April 25, 2012, and available @ apress.com ~ yup, released just a few shorts days ago at time of posting). More GIMP eBooks @ amazon.com. Or you can stay on-line and use, unofficial, free (like GIMP) web-resources, e.g. Wikibooks ~ GIMP @ wikibooks.org and older Grokking the GIMP (including linkage to online browser-readable and downloadable ‘Grokking the GIMP’ book @ gimp-savvy.com and linkage to paid hard copy @ amazon.com.
Uh-huh. Let’s get you started with . .
Officially download GIMP (@ gimp.org) and officially install GIMP for Windows (@ gimp.org/windows/) or install GIMP for Macintosh (@ gimp.org/macintosh/) on to your personal computer.
GIMP for Windows ~ download and install (2m:18s):
GIMP for Macintosh ~ download and install (1m:22s):
Official GIMP – Tutorials @ gimp.org (Beginner, Intermediate, Expert, Photo Editing, Web, Script Authoring).
GIMP Video Tutorials
- 12 video tutorials for GIMP 2.6 beginners by own2eyes @ youtube.com.
- 59 video tutorials including 49 vid tuts for GIMP Beginners by PhotoAdvanced’s channel @ youtube.com.
GIMP Beginners’ Guide Announcement video (2m:48s):
- 25 GIMP Video Tutorials to Help Get You Started (including commentary and linkage @ sixrevisions.com) and 10 websites to help you master GIMP (including commentary and linkage @ sixrevisions.com).
Another comprehensive GIMP web-resource is Meet the GIMP! Video tutorials for GIMP (including commentary and linkage @ blog.meetthegimp.org) with 180 vids and counting. You will download the vids before viewing. And MeetGIMP @ youtube.com is regularly adding the videos for on-line web-browser viewing at Youtube.
- 19 high quality GIMP video tutorials by ExoticGimpTutorials @ youtube.com.
- 21 GIMP video tutorials by GimpCorps @ youtube.com.
- 21 HD GIMP video tutorials by GIMPMastering @ youtube.com.
- 24 GIMP video tutorials by Pixovert @ youtube.com.
- 27 GIMP video tutorials by LoveToGIMP @ youtube.com.
- 59 GIMP video tutorials by mahvin62 @ youtube.com.
- 83 GIMP video tutorials by GIMPtricks @ youtube.com.
Many more GIMP video tutorials are available (@ youtube.com) and your specific search expression will yield more relevant tutorial videos, e.g. GIMP fonts search (@ youtube.com).
Page 2 → GIMP (second and concluding page) ☛
but when I began to point, click and type ~ they cried with joy”
full measures of good heartedness and warm laughter and all while gainfully
Learning technology together.
Click or Press the Donate Now! button to make a donation to SeniorNet Kapiti
Kapiti SeniorNet 
BoutiqueLife is Stuart . And my contribution to the boomer community of volunteers, who selflessly donate time and energy to help SeniorNet members and friends learn the ins and outs of technology together, is a collection of posts that may assist fellow boomers to gain more ( knowledge and practical usefulness ) from your technology lifestyle . Your questions, queries, concerns and comments are invited and welcome . Do join the conversation and expand our horizons by learning technology together . Thank you .