If you are reading this book, you are
probably interested in learning how
to touch up your digital
photographs or create your own graphics or logos.
However, before investing hundreds of dollars on expensive software, you
may want to
make sure that manipulating digital photographs is something you truly enjoy. That’s where GIMP
2.6 a free digital image editing program comes in. You most likely
want to learn how to use this free software to
improve your
photographs.
This book is designed to facilitate
your entry into the world of digital
image editing with the help of
GIMP 2.6. Using hands-on examples, this book
will provide solutions
to common problems encountered when editing digital
images. The
instructions are structured in a step-by-step fashion. Each editing
tool and function of GIMP 2.6 will be explained in simple language.
You will learn the fundamentals of digital editing, familiarize
yourself with common
image editing tools and their functions, and
acquire a working knowledge of
the GIMP 2.6 program.
This book is not a reference guide for
GIMP 2.6. It was created to provide
you with a set of
“learning-by-doing” instructions that will explain how GIMP
works, what the program’s most important functions are, and how to
easily
locate and use these tools.
Digital image editing programs often
seem more complex than the more
common software programs, such as
word processors. Sometimes you must
perform a number of preparatory
steps before you can see a result on the
computer screen. However,
if you’re experienced with computers, certain commands should be familiar to you.
Whether you’re a Windows, Linux, or a
Mac OS user, GIMP works essentially the same way, with the exception
of the installation process. GIMP is often
distributed with Linux.
If you use Windows or Mac OS, you will have to install
the program.
This book will show you how.
Once you have explored GIMP and learned
how to use it, you may not need nor want to buy another image editing
program. If you do decide
to migrate to another program, you will
have to familiarize yourself with a
new interface. However, you’ll
quickly discover that the basic commands, functions, and tools of alternative
digital imaging software programs are
similar to those of GIMP 2.6
in more ways than you might think.
GIMP 2.6 also contains a built-in help
system. In addition, there are many
existing books about the
software, including several free online texts. Please
refer to this book’s appendix for a list of references regarding GIMP.
