CNET Editors' review
The volunteer developers of The GIMP have been working hard to develop a polished, user-friendly, and freely distributed image editor. This application caught our attention--and hearts--as one of the most powerful general-purpose image editors around. The application's features include channels; layers and masks; filters and effects; tabbed palettes; editable text tools; and color operations such as levels. The application provides professional tools that can stand against the big boys without the hefty price tag. The only downside to this otherwise flawless program is the installation process. As it stands now, you have to install the GTX Runtime Environment and The GIMP separately. Once installed, though, the program is extremely powerful and easy to work with. The GIMP is ideal for amateur photographers, Web designers, and anyone who wants to create and edit professional-quality digital images on a budget.
Publisher's Description
From Gimp:
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a freely distributed piece of software suitable for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring. It is a powerful piece of software with capabilities not found in any other free software product. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert-quality photo-retouching program, an online batch-processing system, a mass production image renderer, or an image-format converter. GIMP is modular, expandable, and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image-manipulation procedures to be easily scripted. Version 2.0.3 is a bug-fixing release.
Note: You will need to download both GTK+ Runtime Environment and The Gimp installers. Install GTK+ before installing The Gimp.
Note: Please uninstall any previous development version of Gimp 1.3 and 2.0-pre before installing Gimp 2.0.4 (you can keep Gimp 1.2.5, and you can install over Gimp 2.0.0 and newer).
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All versions:
4.0 starsout of 819 votes
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Current version:
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"Gimp is a extremely great toolbox!"
Version: The GIMP 2.8
Pros
The toolbox for the carpenter does not make him a skilful carpenter but it is a condition for his work and his skills, the same goes for a photographer, Gimp or alternative professional editing program is a condition for his work, but you yourself must be skilful to do skilful editing. Gimp gives you just the tools.
Cons
It could be a bit more stable.
Summary
The toolbox for the carpenter does not make him a skilful carpenter but it is a condition for his work and his skills, the same goes for a photographer, Gimp or alternative professional editing program is a condition for his work, but you yourself must be skilful to do skilful editing. Gimp gives you just the tools.
It has total flexibility.
The programs total flexibility is one reason why it is so great.
People who says that Gimp is complicated or that the GUI is bad etc. do not actually know what they are talking about.
Gimp is a very simple program to edit professional work with. If you find it complicated, it is not because the program is complicated but because the task you are going to do is complicated.
That Gimp opens in three windows might be a good or might be a bad thing, but I find this debate about this as a extremely minor issue.
I think that Gimp is a gift from heaven as you get this great program for nothing.
I also think that it is great that it is open source. No nagging about upgrading. You can install in how many computers you like. No one cares! That is worth a lot! You do not either need to buy a new computer to use it, the old one will do!
Bjorn Lundahl
Gothenburg, Sweden -
"Not user-friendly enough"
Version: The GIMP 2.8
Pros
many features
Cons
too many features; too complicated
Summary
After using Photoshop for a while, I tried this in lieu of buying the full Photoshop program. Maybe I didn't give it a fair shot, but I want a program that is simple to use but also has easy-to-use effects and features, and Gimp wasn't it. This is 2012 and if you want to compete, then you'd better have one-click everything. Gimp tried my patience.
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"GIMP 2.6.12 is awesome, thanks a lot"
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
I have use it for graphic enhancement and editing , it is worth to have one, if you are looking for alternative software that functions like Photo shop well this is the one, love to learn each day, of course have to get use to the floating tool bars but i like exploring ... thank a lot
Cons
floating tool bars obstruct views ,
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"Would not load on my system (Win XP p4 2gb)"
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
Had previously read good reviews of this product and was looking forward to using it.
Cons
Would not load on my system - (running Windows xp Pentium 4 with 2gb ram). Tried DL from 2 different sources.
Summary
I will try this product again when a new version comes out.
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"IMHO, GIMP is best of the free graphics editor."
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
I seen lots of tutorials for Photoshop and GIMP can handle most of the functions I've seen.
There are many plugins available.Cons
Yes, it takes some time to learn - but so does Photoshop.
It takes up quite a bit of memory, so some of the plugins can be a little slow.Summary
If you have the time, GIMP is worth learning...
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"This not a review but is a tip."
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
I have been using GIMP for so long that I even do not remember when I began. Perfect product.
Cons
Tip:
Once upon a time, GIMP offered to download the programme in the language of your choice. I remember installing a GIMP in English and another in French with one icon for each. This time is over.
After downloading from different sources and always getting GIMPs in Thai, I discovered that GIMP now checks the language that is set by default in your computer, which usually is the language of the country where you got your version of Windows. I live in Thailand and I found myself with a GIMP almost 100% in Thai, language that I cannot read.
This aspect of "default language" is not stated by the downloading sites, including CNET.
Furthermore, the GIMP concept is to read the manual first and then to install later, while the average user downloads the programmes first and click Help later. In my case the Help was also in Thai...Summary
The rescue consists in a visit at http://www.gimp.org/docs/. The site is in English.
GIMP offers the User Manual in 10 languages, including English, Russian and others.
From there follow the titles as below:
>2. Fire up the GIMP > 1. Running GIMP > 1.2. Language
and you find the ways to start GIMP in the language you like.
I used the batch file solution and, now, I enjoy a GIMP in English..
I have just replaced the original GIMP icon (link to Thai GIMP) by the icon of the batch file that links to GIMP.in English.
Hope it might be useful. -
"Non-intuitive and difficult to operate"
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
None at all
Cons
The simplest of tasks are difficult to manage.
The review is 3 1/2 years old which will throw people off expecting a review of the latest version.Summary
The easiest of tasks are difficult at best. The program has a steep learning curve so be forewarned.
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"Why pirate Photoshop when this is free"
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
Easier to use than Photoshop. Can be installed on all private, work, and school computers free of charge. Most Photoshop lessons or tasks can be adapted to GIMP. No risk of legal complications arising from pirated software on your computers with this free program.
Cons
Like Photoshop it has a steep initial learning curve but is no harder to learn than Photoshop. Does not yet handle 16bit images. Raw converter not built in but Rawtherapee, the camera manufacturer's, or another free raw converter can be used prior to opening images in GIMP.
Summary
I am a professional user of GIMP. I own a legal version of Photoshop CS4 and Elements and would use GIMP for 99.99% of my images.
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"Excellent Photo Editor!"
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
Import and export in virtually ANY format (including PSD, PNG, JPG, GIF, and many more)
Many photo manipulation tools
Many options available for graphic creationCons
Learning of the program is required
Summary
If you have used PhotoShop you will need to relax, step back, and take some time in learning how Gimp works (as I have and lived to tell the tale). I happened to have learned Photoshop in college but since I don't have my college computer anymore, I needed a cheap (as in free), non illegal alternative. I have used Gimp for over 2 years now and I have found ways to do everything I learned in PhotoShop and much more.
I have been a part time graphic designer for over a year in my job (small business with many hats), and Gimp has allowed me to shine in the graphical area. If we have people importing PSDs, I can take it and manipulate it, send it back in PSD format no problem. If I need a PNG, GIF, BMP, of JPG, all of that can be done with a scroll and a click.
With Gimp, I import graphics as layers, utilize effects, kern, resizing, you name it. Gimp does it all like a champ.
Add this program to your arsenal. You'll be glad you did. -
"Terrible program."
Version: The GIMP 2.6.12
Pros
It's free.
Cons
Impossible to use. The manual is practically nonexistant. This is not an intuitive program at all. This is coming from someone that has years of experience with photoshop. Simply put, when you hit a button, such as "crop to selection", GIMP doesn't do anything. It should be that simple, but it really isn't. There's some kind of magic word you must utter, some kind of "abracadabra" incantation you must recite or some kind of demon you must invoke in order to make this program work, and I just haven't found it.
Summary
Terrible.
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