This is a short introduction to the image manipulation program the GIMP. Many people on this site will have already heard of the GIMP before now, and be aware of what it can do for artists, especially those on a budget. The most important fact about the GIMP is this: it's free. You don't have to pay down the line to use it, there's no ad banners or features which only unlock if you pay, it's just yours to use without paying.

In comparison to commercial packages like Adobe's Photoshop, which currently retails at $649.00, the benefit of this is clear. The GIMP is obviously a different piece of software and you'll have to learn how to use it, but it features the tools available in most powerful image manipulation programs and a few more besides.

For any artist who's beens struggling with less powerful software, or who can't get to grips with other packages on the market, the GIMP is an option to consider, and being free there's nothing to lose from having a go. GIMP stands for Gnu Image Manipulation Program, which in turn refers to the GNU General Public License.

Features of The GIMP:

• Support for major filetypes like bmp, gif, jpeg, mng, pcx, pdf, png, ps, psd, svg, tiff, tga and xpm.


• Painting tools such as Brush, Pencil, Airbrush, Clone, etc.


• Use your own custom brushes and patterns, or ones you download.


• Full alpha channel and layer support.


• Use plug-ins to add new new effect filters and support for extra file formats.


• And more...

Find out anything else you want to know about the GIMP on the official homepage here: www.gimp.org
Download the program for Windows here: www.gimp.org/windows And MacOS X: www.gimp.org/macintosh

GIMPshop makes the GIMP look more like Adobe's Photoshop. Download it here: http://plasticbugs.com/241