GIMP 2 for Photographers

GIMP 2 for Photographers from rockynook books costs $29.95, comes with a pretty useful CD that includes a PDF of the book, some Finished Images, Sample Images and Programs (GhostScript, and GIMP for MSOX and Windows), and if you are anything like me and would REALLY like Adobe Photoshop but want to see exactly how much you can do with the free (and very good) GIMP, is a book you should consider purchasing.

In fact to be totally accurate I use GimpShop as well.

First, the blurb on the book:

“Image editing has become a key element in the photographic workflow. Image editing tools, most notably Photoshop, are usually sophisticated and deep applications – and are fairly expensive. The only open source tool in this market is the GIMP, which has developed into a powerful, multiplatform system running on Linux, as well as OS X and Windows. This book has evolved from the classroom materials which the author developed and taught in courses and workshops on image editing with the GIMP. It covers the basics of image editing and guides the reader through the functions and tools of the GIMP from simple adjustments to more advanced techniques of working with layers and masks. The more important editing functions are presented in individual workshops. Moreover, the book covers the stitching of panoramic images and preparation of high-quality black and white images.”

Second, my views:

This certainly isn’t a reference book. It is a well constructed tutorial which makes good use of the sample on the enclosed CD to take you through a number of exercises to develop your skills and your confidence. Made up of five (5) chapters:

* Basics
* Using the GIMP: Correcting and Touching Up Your Images
* Using Masks and Layers – Painting, Filling and Color Tools
* Working with Black-and-White and Color Images
* Appendix

I found that it struck a good balance between generic tasks i.e. layering, creating and editing a path, cropping and clipping etc., with some good GIMP specific tasks i.e. Typing in the GIMP, artistically manipulating shadows. The one thing that it proves without doubt is that “managing” your digital photography isn’t a skill that you will learn overnight. It is complicated, frustrating and time consuming, but as the book proves it is possible.

Will I buy Photoshop? Possibly – but not for a year. This book has given me enough skill and confidence to explore and practice with GIMP for at least that long.

Details you may want to know: released October 2006, 200 pages, includes CD, ISBN-10 1-933952-03-2, ISBN-13 978-1-933952-03-1 Price: $29.95 USD, Orders processed by O’Reilly Media

About the author: Klaus Goelker is an architect and photographer who lives and works in Munich, Germany. He also teaches courses on image editing at a local art school. He chose GIMP to teach this class because it was free and yet powerful enough to do serious photographic image editing.

Target Group: Photographers, Designers, Illustrators