Gimp 2 for Photographers: Image Editing with Open Source Software [With CDROM]

The Gimp has evolved over the years, with pieces tacked on here and there to add features that help it keep pace with Photoshop (at a much lower "price.") Originally a program written by propeller-heads for propeller-heads, the program has actually become useful for photographers who don't have a computer-programming bent. Even so, the interface can be confusing, and that's where this excellent book comes in. It helps you sort out all the features of The Gimp so you can get up and running and actually use this program. Then, it shows you what you need to know to move into more advanced image editing. Highly recommended.

GIMP 2 for Photographers provides essential help-by-example in the use of the many advanced GIMP tools. It does not claim to be a complete manual, and does not address the paint and art creation aspects of the GIMP. It does an outstanding job demonstrating its use in the advanced photo editing procedures that are normally well beyond the capability of common photo editors, such as the ones bundled with camera software. The GIMP is often included in desktop Linux distributions. A CD included with the book contains recent versions of the GIMP for Linux, Windows and OS X. It also contains practice images for use with the examples in the book. After an introductory chapter, the book presents chapters covering correcting and touching up images, using masks and layers - painting, filling, and color tools, and working with black-and-white and color images. A typical exercise describes how to improve a scanned image. The initial image is tilted and needs to be righted, using the angle tool to measure the degree of tilt to be corrected. A moiré effect is removed with the Gaussian blur tool, the levels and curves tools are used to correct the tonality, and contrast is increased for better definition. The different options available for these tools are briefly discussed. Another example shows how to restore an old, faded and scratched picture using various cloning and healing tools. The use of layers and masks is shown to modify an originally dull landscape photo. The colorless sky is replaced with a blue sky with natural-looking color gradient and some light clouds and a setting sun low in the sky is added. The text tool is then used to convert the image to an Easter card. Some of the examples towards the end of the book are getting complex enough to go beyond the scope of ordinary photo editing but serve to demonstrate some of the most sophisticated tools available in the GIMP. I highly recommend this book as an excellent and essential guide to using the GIMP. Adobe's Photoshop Elements 5 may have more bells and whistles, but the GIMP will let you do most of the same editing steps for free. Of course, Linux users don't have a choice and are fortunate to have this powerful editor available.

Why don't more Windows and Mac people use The GIMP (GNU (GNU's Not UNIX) Image Manipulation Program)? Is the name too confusing? Is the cost (free) too reasonable? Are they opposed to Open Source, collaborative projects where the Internet community work together to achieve excellence? Maybe they don't trust software they don't have to pay for (I have heard this comment made more than once). Or, more likely, the lack of nifty books to guide one through learning the features of the application have held people back. Here is a book that covers all the basic and not so basic techniques of the GIMP digital darkroom. So, what did I like best about the book? The instructions were clear, concise and accurate. An abundance of screen shots nicely supplemented the text. A wide range of skills and techniques were covered in just 177 pages. The CD included everything I needed to get started.

Author Klaus Goelker has nicely covered the features of this complex application with this tutorial guidebook. It is printed in full color throughout, including headings, keywords in the text and filenames. The book also lists a number of web sites where additional software add-ins to the GIMP can be obtained. The book comes with a CD-ROM which has the GIMP 2 software, as well as all the sample images.

If you are doing digital photography, and these days, who isn't, then chances are you will be in need of an image editing program. If you have the money, you can spend around $600 for a copy of Photoshop or, for less functionality, you can get Photoshop Elements for about $100. But what if you are just starting out, or on a tight budget, or you work in a Linux environment? You can get GIMP 2 For Photographers, which contains both a beginners' manual for GIMP 2 as well as the GIMP 2 software on an enclosed CD. You just may find that you do not need any other product This book began as materials that the author has used and refined in his workshops and classes. For beginners just getting into image editing, as well as those who are starting to work with GIMP 2, GIMP 2 For Photographers is an excellent addition to your library. It will get you up to speed in no time and lay the framework for your future success.