How many GIMP users do we have here? I love the program but I hate a lot of things about it. I usually use Elements, but GIMP offers some things that Elements doesn't.
I'm torn between spending the time to really learn GIMP and just putting up with Elements until I can afford an old version of Photoshop.
Does anyone know of a website that is dedicated to GIMP for photographers, rather than for computer geeks and painters?
Im a GIMP user but dont know anything about any website. I know there is acouple people here that use it. I do because it was free. Cool program, havent run into any problems but I dont really know everything it can do yet.
there is a little program called gimpshop that customises the gimp so that it looks and feels like photoshop. I've never used it but it may ease the learning curve from Elements to Gimp - just because the functions have the same names, and the menu layout is similiar. - Just google for gimpshop to find it.
I know about gimpshop but I don't like it; it seems to be a few versions behind, if I remember right. I'll double check.
I wonder if there are enough GIMP wannabes here to justify a "tips and tricks" thread just for GIMP... or maybe some tutorials that are GIMP specific.
I use only Gimp i have never used PS. Normally I read a PS tutorial and do the same thing in Gimp (there are some tools that arent implemented in gimp,... but you can make it around)
Keep in mind that most books already out will not be completely up to date for use with the latest version of the GIMP, but will be written for a specific release.
I own GIMP Essential Reference and GIMP Pocket Reference and have found both books to be very helpful, even though neither book describes all the features in the latest GIMP release.
You can get most of these from amazon.com, and the used versions are generally MUCH cheaper than the new ones!
Sara
My decision is made - Elements wins. GIMP just doesn't work for me and my way of thinking, for some reason. I turn out stuff much more like what I intend when I use Elements, with a lot less trouble.
I use both... often on the same project. There are some killer add-ons (free) for Gimp that I can't find for the same price for PS. So, I save as TIFF go over to GIMP do what I want and go back to PS.
Edit to add... the best diffusion filter I have ever found is a Scriptful for Gimp. I haven't found a free PS add-on that can even come close.
I only use the GIMP for resizing and maybe a few effects... I can do anything I need in MS Digital Image Pro 10... I use the GIMP to resize because the only thing I found DIP lacking is the cubic resize alogrythym .
I use gimp and I'm quite pleased with all that I'm able to do in it. The user interface is slightly awkward but after using it for so long I've gotten used to it. I did try gimpshop at one time but there were a lot of bugs so I switched back.
The only thing that I really hate about gimp is the lack of adjustment layers. I end up duping the background layer multiple times throughout editing and I end up with HUGE files. For example, I might duplicate the layer before applying a levels adjustment, then I might duplicate again before applying a hue/sat adjustment. Sometimes I've gotten up to around 12 layers and the files are huge.
I'm a gimp-only user, although I do have access to PS (CS and Elements). My main reason for using gimp is that both of my own PC's run Linux, and therefore gimp is my default option..
Yes, the interface is a little odd compared to many windows apps, but there are quite a few gnu/Linux apps with interfaces similar, so it seems right to me.
I use a few add-in scripts from 'PhotoKit' which gives me a smart sharpen (USM around details only) and vivid saturation (Velvia look, sorta).
Appart from that I use lots of layered effects when editing my own stuff for printing. For work I do for customers it's normally limited to a bit of cloning/healing type work, and sat/USM/sharpen for printed resolution.
Personally I see no reason to buy CS2 (I do have a windows XP laptop) when gimp does 99.9% of what I want and is free...
I think it's no secret that the GIMP suffers the same problem as many open-source applications. It's very powerful, but a bit lacking in documentation and ease-of-use.
I'd like to ask your help in writing some tutorials for GIMP users. Since writing a good tutorial is a difficult task for any one person to take on, I'd like to suggest that we collaborate on some tutorials.
If you would like to help with this, please visit the GIMP tutorial project. There are some tutorials already listed there, so feel free to edit them, or you can create a new one as well.
If you wish to create a new tutorial for the project, in the search box on the left side of the page, type in the title of your tutorial, starting with "Howto:" For example "Howto:do something in GIMP". Click the red words "this exact title" and you are taken to an edit page to create your new tutorial. If you need it, there's a help link for formatting, or just don't worry about it and I'll clean up the formatting for you. Include "{{Template:GIMP tutorial project}}" at the top of your new tutorial to add it to the project.
As these tutorials get relatively complete, I'll submit them to DPChallenge to be included here as well.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
