The GIMP project was started in 1995 by Peter Mattis and Spencer Kimball, and is now maintained by a group of volunteers under the auspices of the GNU Project. The first release was in January 1996, The latest version of GIMP, version 2.6.1, was released on December 21, 2010. Available under the terms of the GNU General Public License, GIMP is free software; this means that everybody can download and use it.
Besides being free, GIMP is a high-end image editor for photo retouching, image creation and editing. Through the years, a huge user community has grown around the GIMP; hobbyists, professional illustrators, filmmakers, and photographers use it daily in their work. This user base not only use it but also contributes to expand and improve GIMP through plugins and scripts.
This book is a collection of tasks that will allow you to learn how to use GIMP from a basic to an advanced level. Also, you can experiment while you learn, and enjoy it. I will repeat this throughout the book. It's important that you don't stick to the tasks exactly. If your objective is to work as a professional, only through experimentation will you acquire your own technique and style. Drawing, painting, and designing should not be a mechanical thing, even if you took the job just because you needed the money!
