Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from...

This one is the most comprehensive and useful books that I've found. I give it a five for five. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

— Mark Vandewettering, Brainwagon


Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional explains how to use the open source image manipulation program, GIMP version 2.4. You'll learn how to install GIMP on Windows, Linux, and MacOS X platforms. Once you've installed the application, you'll learn about the interface and configuration options, and then jump into a quick-and-simple project to familiarize yourself even further.

You'll learn how to prepare camera images for display on web pages&emdash;including functions like rescaling, cropping, and balancing color. The book also explains with great detail how to utilize layers, paths, and masks. You'll also learn how to draw lines and shapes, use patterns and gradients, and even create your own brushes, patterns, and gradients.

Touch-ups are covered thoroughly: how to smudge away blemishes, fix red-eye, and stitch panoramic images. You'll even learn how to tap into the powerful filters, effects, and plug-ins that are available and automate tasks using scripts. The entire book is laid out in a project-based manner, so as you progress through it, numerous projects help solidify your newly acquired abilities.

About The Author
Akkana Peck is a freelance software developer and writer who has been working with open source software for nearly twenty years. She has worked for a diverse collection of companies that include Netscape, Silicon Graphics, Sun, HP, and Apple, and has written imaging software ranging from GIMP plug-ins, to cartography, to scientific visualization.



Akkana is a longtime member of the GIMP community and enjoys giving GIMP courses and presentations, as well as filling up her hard drive with digital images. She lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and a motley assortment of old computers. You can find more of her musings at www.shallowsky.com.

Reader Reviews
I'm the first to admit that my graphical skills are limited. I have a version of PaintShop Pro that's a few revs out of date, and it does just what I need it to do... crop images, circle items of note, and erase the stray word or two. I've downloaded GIMP before, but I just don't have the time or motivation to explore all the options it appears to have. But after reading Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional by Akkana Peck, I think I'm about to make the switch to GIMP, and to make it permanently. This is a really well-done book... Contents: Get to Know the GIMP; Improving Digital Photos; Introduction to Layers; Drawing; Selection; Erasing and Touching Up; Filters and Effects; Color Manipulation, Channels, and Layer Modes; Advanced Drawing; Advanced Compositing; Plug-Ins and Scripting; Additional Topics; Getting and Installing the GIMP; Installing the GIMP on Windows; Installing the GIMP on Mac; Installing the GIMP on Linux or Unix; Building From Source; First Startup; Index Peck has tried to create a book that allows graphical neophytes like me to figure out what's going on, while also including material for those who have been doing this awhile. She definitely hits the first mark, and I think she nails the second one, also. The book starts with the basic of the GIMP interface, with an abundance of screen shots and images to illustrate the points. Even someone like me can easily see what's possible with the software, and I was able to quickly find and focus on the few tasks I do often with my existing software. I normally start to zone out when books start to head into the layers and color manipulation area, because I've never had much luck when it comes to that. But the author actually had me fishing out a few digital photos to try some things. I can even start to fix some of my good photos that were a victim of the demon red-eye effects... :) Bottom line... My old PaintShop Pro is now on the way out, as well as my out-of-date book on it. GIMP's getting loaded on all the PCs, and with the help of this book, I might even become... <gasp!