What is Gimp?
Gimp is short for the GNU Image Manipulation Program. Gimp is an image retouching and editing tool. Gimp can be used on a Linux, Mac or Windows PC.
Gimp has many tools which enables you to resize, retouch and edit an image. Gimp contains for example brushes and filters. You can use an animation plug-in to create GIF and MPEG files that contain animated images. You can install even more plug-ins, skins and scripts to extend your GIMP installation. Plug-ins for Gimp are like apps for a smartphone.
A smartphone has preinstalled apps but you can download a lot more apps for your own needs and excitement. It’s even possible to write your own plug-in for Gimp and use it on Gimp if you can’t find that kind of Plug-in on Gimp yet. The only restriction you got on creating a plug-in for use on GIMP is that you need to redistribute your plug-in freely other Gimp users. But in this way you offer others the opportunity to make their Gimp experience as good as yours.
How to Install Additional Scripts on Gimp
Gimp comes preinstalled with many scripts. But you can extend your GIMP version by installing new scripts to GIMP. If you are looking for additional scripts or plugins to use with Gimp go to the website Gimp Scripts. After you have found the script that you are looking for, install the script on Gimp.
You can do that by following this steps:
1. Find and download a script
2. After your download copy the script to the scripts directory. You can find the script directory by clicking on Preferences, Folders → Scripts
3. For the script to appear in the menu bar you need to refresh the scripts to refresh go to Filters → ScriptFu→Refresh. The scripts now should appear in one of your menus. If the script doesn’t appear in one of your menus you should look under the root file menu filters. If you can’t find your script anywhere than there was something wrong with your script.
Special Effects in GIMP
The special effects in GIMP can be sorted in four main categories Blur / Enhance, Distorts, Lights and Shadow and Artistic. If you use the Blur filter you can for example add a vintage look to a photo.
If you want to use the distortion tool you should first open the original image in GIMP. The MAIN control of the distortion tool will distort the entire image. The edge control will only distort the edge of the image. With the ZOOM control you can crop out part of the image and use a smaller part of the image. And best of all you can combine all controls and use their multiple functions to edit your image.
How to apply light effects to photos
To apply light effects to photos you have to create a new document in Gimp. When the document opens you have to choose a size for the document, for example choose 600 x 600 pixels. In the window you have just created you click on File > Open as layer. Locate the photo that you want to edit. Click it and your photo will open in your GIMP Window. Now that your photo is in a layer you can play around with the light effects that come with GIMP. To find the Light effects go to Filters > Light Effects and try one of the Lights effects available. You can press CTRL+Z to undo the effect and try a different GIMP effect.
Shadow can be just as important as adding lights in your image. If you want to add a drop shadow effect in Gimp open a new document in Gimp and choose a file size of for example 600 x 400 pixels. Click on the text (T) icon on the right, to add new text to your newly created document. Add the text “My example”. Choose a font and color for you text and after that click on Filters > Light And Shadow and Click on Drop Shadow. Change the settings of the screen that opens to what you have in mind and click on OK. After you have created the shadow text you can still move the shadow text so that you shadow can be where you want it to appear
How to also add inner Text shadow in GIMP
You can not only add a drop shadow effect to texts your create in GIMP - you can also add inner Text shadow in GIMP. To do that you open a new document in GIMP and you set the size requirements. Click on the OK button and after that click on the Background color box to make the color picker appear. Set the color you wish to appear as a background of your GIMP document. After that click on Edit> Fill with BG Color to fill your opened document with the background you desire. After you have found the background color, you set the foreground color for the text and select the text tool in the Toolbox.
Add a text in your document. And when you are happy with your text, right click the text layer in The Layers, Channels. Paths Window and choose to duplicate the layer. Make sure your newly created layer is selected and click the color bar in the text tool toolbox and click on it to select a color for the text in your new text layer. After that select your old, original lower layer. Click the move tool in the tool box and make sure the tool toggle is selected to be able to move the active layer. Click and drag the lower text layer to create the illusion of a text shadow. You might have to move both layers around in order to p[lace the text on the right spot of your background color or image.
How to create a Glass Text Logo
Open a new document - (in gimp) RIGHT CLICK on that empty canvas and follow:
RIGHT CLICK > File > Create > FX Foundry > Logo > Glass Effect Text (that's it your finished) -AFTER you change the Gimp entry at the top of the menu .This text is transparent (PNG) so anything under it will show through!
If you don't have that script in your (scripts) folder -
Get the script here http://gimpfx-foundry.sourceforge.net/
Artistic Effects in Gimp
There are several effects in GIMP that can give your photos an artistic look. To find the artistic effects go to Filters > Artistic and choose one of the artistic filters. You can choose for example cartoon which makes you photo to look like a cartoon. You can change the look of your cartoon by changing the Mask Radius and Black Percent bars.
The photocopy effect will make your photo look like you copied the photo in a photo copier. And the soft glow effect which you can find under Filters > Artistic > Soft Glow, will add a soft look to the photo
The cubism effect will apply a bunch of little tiles to your photo and will give your photo a cube look. If you have a photo and want it to appear as an oil painting - for example if you want to print your photo on canvas – you can turn your photo into an oil painting by using the oilify effect.
Change the look and feel of GIMP
If you don’t like the default skin of GIMP you can download many more GIMP skins. You can also create your own skin for GIMP.
If you want to install existing skins on Gimp you first need to quit Gimp if you currently run it. After that click START > Computer and navigate to the following folder C:/Program Files/Gimp 2/share/gimp/2.0/themes.
In the theme folder you can find all the themes that are currently installed within your GIMP installation. Download the GTK2 Themes and save them to your desktop. Open your download and view the contents. When you see a folder with many themes click CTRL+A and after that CTRL+C to copy the content. Open the C:/Program Files/Gimp 2/share/gimp/2.0/themes again and click CTRL+V to paste the theme package in the theme folder. Close the open windows. After that restart GIMP to change try the new themes. IN GIMP click edit, preferences. In the new screen that opens click on Themes. You now have 15 new themes to choose from. Select a new theme and press OK. Now you have to quit GIMP again and restart the program, Gimp will launch in the new theme after the restart.
If you want to create your own themes you should add them to C:/Program Files/Gimp 2/share/gimp/2.0/themes* and for example adjust current themes to your own taste. If you want to create your own theme most of the work contain of editing a GTK theme configuration file. Which is called gtkrc (which is a text file). The icons that are used in the Gimp themes are located in the 'themes/Default/images' folder. If you are creating a theme you have to add your files in a folder so that your configuration file can find all the used files. You should use example theme skins, to see how there configuration file looks like and where the files of that theme are located.
Linux: for your user: ~/.gimp-2.8/scripts or system-wide: /usr/share/gimp/2.0/script.
Windows Vista/7: C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\scripts or C:\Users\YOUR-NAME\.gimp-2.8\scripts
Windows XP: C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\scripts or C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\.gimp-2.8\scripts