Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional explains how to use the open source image manipulation program, GIMP version 2.4. You'll learn how to install GIMP on Windows, Linux, and MacOS X platforms. Once you've installed the application, you'll learn about the interface and configuration options, and then jump into a quick-and-simple project to familiarize yourself even further.
You'll learn how to prepare camera images for display on web pages--including functions like rescaling, cropping, and balancing color. The book also explains with great detail how to utilize layers, paths, and masks. You'll also learn how to draw lines and shapes, use patterns and gradients, and even create your own brushes, patterns, and gradients.
Touch-ups are covered thoroughly: how to smudge away blemishes, fix red-eye, and stitch panoramic images. You'll even learn how to tap into the powerful filters, effects, and plug-ins that are available and automate tasks using scripts. The entire book is laid out in a project-based manner, so as you progress through it, numerous projects help solidify your newly acquired abilities.
The GNU Image Manipulation Program, more commonly known as the GIMP, is a program for creating and editing bitmapped images. That means it’s well suited for editing digital photographs and typical web graphics. You can also use it to make some pretty amazing drawings.
The GIMP is a complex program suitable for professional artwork, but it’s also just plain fun—a place to play with pretty pictures and let your imagination run wild. As you read this book, please keep that in mind. Make a point of “fooling around” and having fun with your image-editing projects.
About the Author Akkana Peck is a freelance software developer and writer who has been working with open source software for nearly 20 years. She has worked for a diverse collection of companies that include Netscape, Silicon Graphics, Sun, HP, and Apple, and has written imaging software ranging from GIMP plug-ins, to cartography, to scientific visualization.
Akkana is a longtime member of the GIMP community and enjoys giving GIMP courses and presentations, as well as filling up her hard drive with digital images. She lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and a motley assortment of old computers. You can find more of her musings at www.shallowsky.com.
