A Guide to GIMP Photo Editing Software

Can This Free GNU Image Manipulation Program Deliver Good Results?

Oct 7, 2009

Photo & image manipulation software can be costly. GIMP photo & image editing software is free to use & offers a range of comparable options with many paid for programs.

Commercial photo and image editing programs don't always come cheap. Although there are many different freeware alternatives that can be used to replicate some of the features of commercial packages, many users find that they just don't have the same clout as the big names.

GIMP's photo editing free software package, however, is often favourably compared to Photoshop in terms of its functionality and features.

What is GIMP?

GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) was first conceived in 1995 and has seen various version releases over the years. The software is designed to allow users to edit, compose, manipulate and retouch photos and images.

As part of the GNU free software program, GIMP is free to download and to use. Users can simply use the base program if they wish or they can extend its functionality to suit specific needs via a wide range of free plug-ins.

What Does GIMP do?

The software can do just about anything in photo and image editing terms. This may, of course, depend on the plug-ins that are downloaded and used on projects. Some users will use it for simple tasks such as retouching occasional photos. Others may use it for more complex projects such as animation production and video editing. Some of the more popular features of the program include:

The software works via a series of different tabs or windows which can hidden or shown as the user wishes. This can be especially useful when working on more complex projects. Initially available for Unix users GIMP can now be downloaded on to various platforms, including:

The Advantages of Using GIMP

One of the main advantages to using GIMP is that it can be as simple or as complex as its user wishes. The program is easy to learn how to use yet offers the kinds of features and functions that tend to be otherwise reserved for commercial products. Unlike many other freeware photo/image editing packages this solution probably comes closest in terms of matching overall functionality to the commercial market leaders.

Cost is also a primary factor for many users trying out this kind of package for the first time. The fact that GIMP allows a user to access advanced kinds of photo/image creation, editing and manipulation tools completely free of charge may make it worth a look. Given the high costs of commercial software packages in this sector, many will try out GIMP as an alternative first so this may be worth doing.

The copyright of the article A Guide to GIMP Photo Editing Software in Freeware/Shareware is owned by Carol Finch. Permission to republish A Guide to GIMP Photo Editing Software in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.