The utility allows you to perform the correction of simple images and digital painting. Unlike the Adobe Photoshop photo editor, GIMP takes up little hard drive space and is completely free. As soon as the user gets used to the unusual interface of the application, it will become easy and pleasant to work. This article explains how to use GIMP.

Application installation

First you need to download the utility and run the installer. GIMP was created for Windows and MacOS operating systems. The authors suggest users to download installers from the official site. To install the application on an Ubuntu system, run the following command: $ sudo apt install gimp. The program is launched from the main menu of the operating system.

Setting the window layout

The user may notice that the utility is different from most similar editors. GIMP interface in Russian. The program window consists of several parts. In the side columns are the toolbars and layers.

The working window is located in the center. Panels can be moved as needed. To return to the usual screen view, select the "Single-window mode" item in the menu.

Color correction

After installing and configuring the utility, you should return to the question of how to use the GIMP photo editor. The program is used to create digital pictures from scratch. The application has a large set of tools that allows you to draw original works. Ordinary users can edit photos, perform color correction and optimize other settings.

To get started, open an image. You won't find automated tools in the Colors menu section. The user can manually adjust saturation, contrast, balance and other parameters.

Applying filters

The GIMP program allows you to enhance the appearance of images with a single click of a computer mouse. By opening the "Filters" menu, you can add a lens or flash effect, blur the picture and make corrections. To return the snapshot to its original state after an unsuccessful experiment, you need to click on the cancel button.

GIMP 2 supports batching. The selected filter can be applied to multiple photos at once.

Red-eye removal

In order to remove a defect, you need to select an object using the Magic Wand or Lasso tool. Then you should find the item "Improvement" in the "Filter" section. Next, you need to click on the link "Removing red-eye".

You can change the color using the slider. All corrections are displayed in a special window. Move the slider until the eyes look natural.

Correction of shortcomings

Editing photos in the free GIMP is one of the most important parts of a photographer's job. The Healing Brush is used to remove dark spots, highlights on faces, small leaves, and other unwanted objects from images. How to work with this tool?

To fix imperfections, you need to click on the patch-shaped icon and specify the size of the area to be corrected. The area to be painted can be selected using the Ctrl key. Then you should left-click the optical mouse on the unwanted element. The unwanted object will disappear.

Return to the previous state

If a computer owner does a lot of experimenting with his photos, he will soon notice that he lacks the number of undo levels in GIMP. How to use the option to increase the amount of memory used? To get started, go to the "Edit" menu, select the "Options" section and switch to the "Environment" tab. Next, you need to set the values ​​\u200b\u200bin your own.

Image transformation

This is one of the main features of the GIMP program. How to use the Transform tool? First you need to go to the "Conversion" section. Here you can find all possible options for transforming a photo. The application allows you to rotate the picture, warp the picture, change the perspective and perform other actions.

Editing layers

If the reader has previously used other complex programs for creating and processing images, then he has already faced a similar task.

Work with the picture is performed only on a certain layer. This is one of the most important processes in GIMP 2. Each layer contains its own part of the image. If you combine all the elements, you can get the whole image. To make changes, you need to make the layer active.

If this action is not possible, then part of the image cannot be edited. Switching active layers is done using the Page UP and Page Down keys. The program allows you to draw details. If the user changes their mind about adding new elements, they can make the layers invisible or remove them.

Working with other tools

The developers offered users a set consisting of classic and non-standard brushes. They also provided the ability to create new brush options. To add a tool, you need to open the "Brush" section on the left panel. Using a special slider, you can change the geometric shape of the brush. The result is saved in the same section.

Advanced users can with shades of gray. Results are saved in GBR format. Users also have the option to create wireframe brushes and colorful pictures with multiple levels.

Adding a watermark

To complete the task, you need to select any graphic image and activate the Text tool. The selected area will be used as the base layer. Next, you need to write the text. It is recommended to specify the color, size and style of the font beforehand.

After setting all the parameters, you need to click on the text layer in the right panel. Use the slider to select the desired level of opacity. To install the logo, go to the "File" section, click on the "Open as layers" link and specify the location of the image. Next, you need to select the value of the "Opacity" parameter.

Adding plugins

Free add-ons allow you to expand the functionality of the program. How to use Photoshop filters in GIMP? To do this, you need to install the PSPI plugin. With the free extension Focus Blur, you can improve the processing of the background image.

The Save For Web plugin is used when saving small pictures in good quality. To add additional fonts and text settings, you can install the Free Type Text extension.

Export photos

After you finish working with the image, you need to save the result. The user can choose to export the image in XCF format. All layer information is stored in the file. Photos exported in XCF format cannot be viewed in other applications.

In order to be able to open saved images in other programs, you need to go to the "File" section. Then you need to select the "Export" item. Next, you should save the edited version of the photo in or PNG.

conclusions

This article covers the key points of working with the application. The program has all the necessary tools. The level of complexity of the work performed depends only on the skills of the user.

Photoshop is the most popular graphic editor for image and photo editing. Only the lazy have not heard of Photoshop and do not use it at least once in their lives. But Photoshop is a paid professional program. Gimp is a free alternative for it, developed by the community for the community.

Most people don't want to spend a lot of money on software, especially if they don't use it professionally all the time. Of course, Gimp does not contain all the features that Photoshop has, but for many it will be enough. In this article, we will compare photoshop and gimp, and also try to understand which editor is best for you.

Before we take a closer look at the functionality of Gimp vs Photoshop, let's look back and find out how the first and second programs were created.

photoshop

Photoshop development began back in 1990 at Adobe. The first version of the program was developed in 1987 by students John and Thomas Knoll. And in 1990, Adobe bought the rights to the program. The program had limited functionality and several other products were supplied with it, but over the time it has developed very much and has become one of the most serious graphic editors. Now the Photoshop team has many professional developers who are developing and adding new features.

GIMP

The GIMP program was created five years later in 1995 by Peter Mathis and Spencer Kimball as a graduation project. The goal of developing the program was to reduce the need to use commercial projects for image editing. It was the first free professional image processing program. Now GIMP is still far from Photoshop, but this program can do almost everything, although in some cases it will be more difficult than in Photoshop. Gimp is developed by hundreds of developers around the world.

2. Interface

All professional designers or photographers, and just beginners, are familiar with the Photoshop interface, it is simpler and more intuitive. The interfaces of Gimp vs Photoshop are very different.

The main window of Gimp is very unusual, it is divided into three parts - tools, workspace and an additional panel. All this and the arrangement of the instruments is very unusual. But you can get used to it with time. It's not that hard. In addition, in recent versions of Gimp, developers have added the ability to include a single window, which makes the Gimp interface more familiar.

3. Opportunities

Although Gimp has enough features, but in the photoshop vs gimp comparison, it still loses. Let's look at how they differ at the level of functions.

Professional photographers and designers use in most cases two color modes, these are RGB and CMYK. The RGB system is based on the colors red, green, blue, and CMYK is based on the ink colors of printers - cyan, magenta, yellow and black. For photos that will be printed it is more convenient to use CMYK, this feature is supported only in Photoshop.

Layers are supported in both editors, but it all works more organically in Photoshop. Working with layers allows you not to destroy the current image, but to create its modifications, which can then be very easily returned. Of course, simple image editing is available both there and there, but if you think of something more complex, then nothing will come of it.

In addition, Photoshop has more tools, there are basic tools like levels, curves and masks and brushes, the same as in Gimp, but there are more professional tools here. For example, in Photoshop there are only four types of healing brushes, while in Gimp there is only one and this is the case with most tools.

It is important for photographers to be able to edit images in RAW format as it contains a lot more information. This feature is supported by Photoshop, but in GIMP, the photo will first need to be converted to JPEG. Also, Gimp does not work in 16-bit color mode, which can cause some difficulties for its professional use.

In terms of Gimp or Photoshop features, the latter wins.

4. Community

The community of Photoshop users is undoubtedly larger. Most professionals use this program and there is nothing surprising about it. Therefore, documentation and training materials are also more for her. If you want to find any tutorials, it's easier to find Photoshop videos and books. Although there have been a few books for Gimp recently as well.

5. Support and price

Photoshop is a professional tool that comes with a professional level price. Earlier versions of Photoshop cost hundreds of dollars. New versions are distributed by Adobe through Creative Cloud for a monthly fee. But Adobe has entire teams to help users, just call and ask for what you need.

The open source program GIMP is completely free to install and use. But there are far fewer plug-ins than for Photoshop, and technical support is only volunteers on the forums.

conclusions

Our comparison of photoshop and gimp has come to an end. At first glance, Gimp vs. Photoshop is a clear loser, but it's not as it's a free program. Gimp is perfect for me, I'm not a professional photographer or designer and I don't need features like CMYK, any complex tools or color modes. And with the task of correcting photos or something simple to draw, Gimp copes very well.

For an ordinary user, what is in Gimp is enough, and you can get used to the interface and learn how to work with it very quickly using hotkeys. Of course, if you're a pro, you'll likely need Photoshop and have to keep a separate Windows version, or try to install Photoshop in wine.

The GIMP program is full of amazing possibilities for working with digital images. You just have to understand how to use them, and computer graphics will obey your imagination.

To make it easier to get familiar with the editor, and to make your first steps more confident, we have collected the best GIMP tutorials in video format that clearly demonstrate the possibilities of this program. After watching these materials, you will learn how to process photos, create animation, work with text, filters and other tools. If you want to work like a pro in GIMP, then this start will significantly bring you closer to your desired goal.

An example of creating a moving picture in the GIMP editor using the "Interactive Distort" function.

We put a real shine on the photo, using a light filter.

Demonstration of the process of inserting an image into another image, so that the overall picture in the end seems to be a single whole.

How to put people from one photo on another background, and pass it off as a real picture. Find out in this video tutorial.

We superimpose images on top of each other, while getting a wonderful effect.

How to give any photo an amazing style. Watch and repeat.

An interesting method to create a unique photo with 3D effect. Really cool!

An easy way to turn any image into an oil painting.

Adding a burning effect to text using standard editor tools.

Add volume to any text using the Motion Blur filter.

Learn how to add a fur effect to any object in GIMP

Basic course for beginners

Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5. Layers
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Lesson 11
Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Lesson 17
Lesson 18
Lesson 19
Lesson 20
Lesson 21
Lesson 22
Lesson 23
Lesson 24
Lesson 25
Lesson 26
Lesson 27
Lesson 28
Lesson 29
Lesson 30
Lesson 31
Lesson 32
Lesson 33
Lesson 34
Lesson 35
Lesson 36
Lesson 37
Lesson 38
Lesson 39
Lesson 40
Lesson 41
Lesson 42
Lesson 43 Part 1
Lesson 44 Part 2
Lesson 45 Part 1
Lesson 46 Part 2
Lesson 47 Part 3
Lesson 48 Part 1.
Lesson 49 Part 2.
Lesson 50
Lesson 51
Lesson 52
Lesson 53
Lesson 54
Lesson 55
Lesson 56
Lesson 57
Lesson 58

To date, several programs are popular. Each of them is endowed with different functionality and is available to users with different levels of training. There are entry level, advanced and professional level editors. Depending on the purpose, graphic editors can be either completely free or cost several hundred dollars.

Overview and features of the graphic editor Gimp.

The most popular product among graphic editors is Adobe's Photoshop. It is designed for professionals and has a huge functionality, which is often not used even by a third. Naturally, the cost of the program is very high and rarely anyone can afford to officially purchase it. Not everyone knows that there is a completely free advanced graphics editor Gimp. Since it is distributed as an open source application and developed by a community of programmers, you can use it completely freely and without any restrictions.

In this article, we will tell you in more detail what the Gimp editor is and how it came into being. You will be able to learn about the main functionality of the program, learn how to install it and get basic information on how to work with it correctly.

The Gimp graphics editor was born in 1995. The project does not have an official company responsible for releasing new versions and supporting old ones. These functions are performed by a community of developers, consisting of a group of volunteers. In the first 10 years of its existence, the project did not have a single idea of ​​what it should be like for the end user. Only in 2005 a single standard was developed and principles were drawn up, which developers are trying to follow to this day. The program is completely free and distributed with an open license. This means that if you wish, you can become part of the developer community and release your own modifications without violating copyright.

Many will see Gimp as a complete replacement for Photoshop, and it's completely free. And really, why pay a lot of money for Photoshop when there is a free Gimp. Yes, many of the functions are similar to the competitor, and there is also support for its original PSD format, although somewhat limited. The name of the functions and the available tools also largely coincide. But even the Gimp developers themselves do not position their product as a full-fledged alternative to Photoshop. It is rather an independent product with similar functionality and its own audience. However, it is preferred by hobbyists and small organizations that cannot afford to pay for a monthly subscription or buy a full Photoshop license.

Features of the Gimp Editor

The Gimp graphics editor allows you to perform a wide range of operations on various images. It supports a large number of formats, has many preset filters, brushes and patterns. If you are not satisfied with the initial functionality, it can be expanded with additional modules. So what can the program do?

Program installation

Several sites are popular on the Internet from where you can download the Gimp graphics editor. However, not all of them are official resources. We recommend using one of two sites: the official site of the project https://www.gimp.org/ and the official Russian resource http://gimp.ru/. In the first case, you will need to click on the Download link, and in the second - "Download", then select Gimp from the pop-up menu.

After you download the installation file and save it to your hard drive, install the program.

1. In the installer window that opens, first of all, select the language that is convenient for you. There are 9 of them in total, and if your computer has a Russian-language menu, Russian will be selected by default.
2. To control which components will be installed, as well as select the ones you need, click the "Configure" button in the lower left corner of the installer window.
   
3. A user agreement will immediately pop up, with which you must agree. It is written in English and if you do not speak it, just press the confirm button, nothing terrible is written there. Even if you know English and have read the user agreement in full, but disagree with something, you have no choice but to agree, otherwise the installation will be aborted.
   
4. In the next window - "Select components" - check the boxes for those elements that you want to use in your work. If you don't want to take too long to figure out which component is responsible for what, select "Full installation". If you think that something can be neglected, uncheck that item. In addition, several installation packages can be selected from the pop-up menu: full, weighing almost 300 megabytes, or compact - 128 MB. Once selected, click the "Next" button.
   
5. In the next window - "Select file associations" - select those files that you would like to open with the default Gimp editor. The utility automatically marks several native formats for the program. If you want to use the editor for other files, check them, and then also click the "Next" button.
   
6. In the next window, you will be prompted to display a shortcut for a quick launch on the desktop and the quick launch bar. If you don't need them, uncheck the boxes. Click "Next" to move to the next step.
   
7. In the last window, select the folder where you want to install Gimp. Click the "Install" button and wait for the procedure to complete.
   
8. Run the program and wait for a while until all the necessary program components are loaded.
   

After the Gimp graphics editor is installed on your computer, you can start working with it. In the next paragraph, we will review the program menu. If you are looking for guidance on how to perform specific tasks, you can find a series of articles on this site on our website.

Working with the program

The interface of the program is somewhat unusual and can be difficult for beginners. By default, it consists of three separate windows: the main window with a working area in which you can process an image or create new drawings, as well as two windows in which you can select the tools you need to work.

It is this position that causes the most discomfort. To switch to the more familiar single-window mode, especially if you have worked at least a little in Photoshop before, in the main program window, go to the "Windows" menu, and then activate the "Single-window mode" function.

After that, two windows with tools that were located on the sides of the screen will join the main window and become its elements.

Now let's see what the layout of the Gimp editor's workspace is.

To edit the finished image, click "File" - "Open".

To create a new one, press Ctrl + N or "File" - "Create".

After finishing the changes, save the file in the desired format.

Conclusion

Now you have an idea about what kind of beast this is, the Gimp graphics editor. This is a rather advanced program, and of all the analogues, Photoshop is the closest to it in terms of functionality.

Despite the fact that the audience of products is completely different and the free Gimp is unlikely to ever be able to compete with it on an equal footing, but for certain situations, especially if you are not going to be a professional graphic designer, you can safely get by with the capabilities of Gimp. If you have any questions about working with the program, ask them in the comments.

Screenshots

Description of GIMP

Gimp has a lot of functionality, so only the most basic ones are covered in this review.

Strengths of Gimp:

• In Gimp, you can edit a photo, create an image
• A large number of filters, the list of which can be expanded independently. Additional filters can be found here: http://registry.gimp.org/
• Gimp is a cross-platform application that is available for all popular operating systems.
• Gimp has the ability to batch process images, which is done through Filters -> Script-Fu
• The functionality of the program is comparable to Adobe Photoshop. Gimp may not be able to completely replace the graphic brainchild of Adobe, but it can become an everyday photo editing program.

Weaknesses of Gimp:

• The program interface is made in a window style, as a result, each window is independent of each other. This style is inconvenient, as the windows constantly interfere and block each other. Gimp developers promised to fix it in the new version.
• The inability to record actions as Action. How it is implemented in Adobe Photoshop. (remark)

• Interface language: Russian
• License: GNU GPL
• Homepage: http://www.gimp.org
• Additional Information: Site about Gimp - collected a lot of useful information.

Installation

1. You can download Gimp from the official page of the project. .
2. Install stable version of Gimp in Ubuntu you can from the official repository with the command:

   # sudo apt-get install gimp

3. Install unstable version of Gimp in Ubuntu can be from an additional repository. Additional repository is only available for Ubuntu karmic, but in theory it can be connected to almost any version of Ubuntu (works fine on the version Lucid). Connected with commands:

   # echo "deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/stownsend42/gimp/ubuntu karmic main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

   # Connecting an additional repository

   # sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 6AD49174A224E3DB && sudo apt-get update

   # Install the security key and update the list of available packages

   # sudo apt-get install gimp libbabl-0.0-0 libgegl-0.0-0

   # Install Gimp and required libraries

   Starting Gimp version 2.7 differs from version 2.6 and is done by command: Because of this, Gimp may not start when using the old shortcut.

   Gimp is undeservedly considered a program that is not worthy of attention and is not able to compete with similar software, although in most cases the use of a graphic editor on the average user's computer comes down to simple image editing, which Gimp is easy to handle.

   Gimp does not need codecs, but if you need to install codecs in Ubuntu, then read the post " ".

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   Comments

   1. Aleksdem
      11 May, 12:23

      Windowed mode would not be considered a minus, especially when working on 2 monitors. But the lack of the ability to record actions, like Action in Photoshop, is a very sad thing.

   2. [email protected]
      11 May, 18:11

      Aleksdem: I advise you to immediately add gimp with several plugins, such as refocus (improve the clarity a little), wavelet analysis (smooth the skin neatly), Color vibrance (make colors more natural and contrast), etc. In the repositories, almost all of them come in one package, but the benefits from them are obvious!