An acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP is another word for “free, powerful image retouching software”.\u00a0 Emphasis on the word free.\u00a0 You may ask, “how well does a free, volunteer-managed photo editing app stand up to the pricier software options?”\u00a0 Quite well.\u00a0 Unlike most of the other freeware photo-editing applications, GIMP has the more advanced capabilities usually found in the ones you pay for.\u00a0 Although GIMP was not designed to be a Photoshop clone, it can hold its own in terms of functionality and the use of Layers.\u00a0 Those who tried earlier versions (prior to 2.0) may have found the UI confusing and unfriendly, but recent updates have improved on that.<\/a><\/p>\n

Functionality and User Friendliness: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing that stands out as soon as you open GIMP, is just how different its interface is to Photoshop’s.\u00a0 Seasoned Photoshop users may have to get used to the multiple screens and the different tool placement, but you shouldn’t have a problem adapting over time.\u00a0 If you’ve never used Photoshop before, you don’t have to worry about this as much.<\/p>\n

GIMP has advanced color management tools, filters, useslayers and channels, and allows you to undo your history with the click of a button.\u00a0 The program also has a pretty nifty “Align” tool that allows you to align a list of layers, paths, or guides with another object, a selection, or the image itself. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Although GIMP has managed to stay competitive by offering more advanced tools, it is lacking in its advanced color scheme support (No CMYK) and as of right now, it only supports 8-bit per channel images (whereas Photoshop supports 8, 16, and 32).\u00a0 The new version also offers beginner-friendly tools like automatic Red-Eye Correction (not available in previous versions) and guided color selectors and crop tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you’re set on the Photoshop interface, be sure to check out GIMPShop, a modified version of GIMP that has the familiar Photoshop layout. \u00a0In terms of compatibility, GIMP uses XCF format but can save to PSD formats as well as BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, and PNG. \u00a0<\/p>\n

GIMP is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS.<\/p>\n

Awesome Features: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
• Nestable\/dockable palettes keep your workspace streamlined and less cluttered. \u00a0<\/li>\n
• Crop Tool Guides (Rule-of-thirds, Golden Rule, etc).<\/li>\n
• Great selection of filters, especially for a free program.<\/li>\n
• The color picker tool allows you to pick a color from anywhere<\/em> in your desktop, not just a GIMP window.\u00a0 (Saves the hassle of taking screenshots and importing the image into GIMP just to take a color sample!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Features to Write Home About…<\/strong><\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n

  \u00a0\u00a0Although it may take some getting used to, GIMP is \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0incredibly customizable using the “Preferences” section.\u00a0 In \u00a0fact, this is where it may actually surpass Photoshop \u00a0(although recent Photoshop versions have become more \u00a0customizable as well).<\/p>\n

  \u00a0\u00a0The Bottom Line: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

  \u00a0Definitely try GIMP if you’re looking for something new (or \u00a0something free) to edit your photos.\u00a0 The functionality and \u00a0customization options are great for a free program although \u00a0the multiple-window interface could take some getting used \u00a0to.<\/p>\n

  Final Mentions: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

  If you’re a newbie to photo editing, you might find the “help” section lacking and there aren’t as many guided options available for GIMP as there are for Photoshop or the more affordable Photoshop Elements.\u00a0 If you’ve tried GIMP in the past and didn’t like it, go into 2.6.5 with an open mind and remember, these developers don’t have the resources that Photoshop developers have and they still managed to churn out a kick-ass product.<\/p>\n

  If you want to download gimp, click here: \u00a0Download<\/a><\/p>\n

  <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  An acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP is another word for “free, powerful image retouching software”.\u00a0 Emphasis on the word free.\u00a0 You may ask, “how well does a free, volunteer-managed photo editing app stand up to the pricier software options?”\u00a0 Quite well.\u00a0 Unlike most of the other freeware photo-editing applications, GIMP has the more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,1],"tags":[40,37,41],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}