A GIMP Tutorial
- Thread starter TrainClown
- Start date
"Puter for idiots"
Hey Jon I'm not good at this puter thing and am wondering what does this program do for a beginner like me?
Hey Jon I'm not good at this puter thing and am wondering what does this program do for a beginner like me?
Belg,
It allows you to do manipulation (changes) to about any type of image. Photographs and graphics like avitars or custom decals can be edited or created. Probably the most common uses, especially early on, would be sizing, cropping, adjusting colors/brightness/contrast, and enhancing photo's. You would be amazed what can be done with a photo that is damaged or poorly exposed.
Of course it goes hand in hand with a scanner or digital camera, but there are other ways to get images on your computer too. I would be glad to go through some of the common tools and show what they. I don't use them all (yet), but I know enough to do what I need, and certainly enough to get you off to a good start.
It allows you to do manipulation (changes) to about any type of image. Photographs and graphics like avitars or custom decals can be edited or created. Probably the most common uses, especially early on, would be sizing, cropping, adjusting colors/brightness/contrast, and enhancing photo's. You would be amazed what can be done with a photo that is damaged or poorly exposed.
Of course it goes hand in hand with a scanner or digital camera, but there are other ways to get images on your computer too. I would be glad to go through some of the common tools and show what they. I don't use them all (yet), but I know enough to do what I need, and certainly enough to get you off to a good start.
That's right, Belg, absolutely free, as in free beer. Linux folks take high quality free software for granted. Windows folks usually go into shock, or just don't believe it. 
Linux Mandrake 9.1 Rocks!!!
Got the GIMP at home.
I really like the Multi-layer feature of the GIMP. It's great for animated .GIFs and for Building up drawings.
But I'm getting ahead of the lessons here....
After a while, once you are comfortable with brush selection and use. You can create new ones yourself.
You can also create Text Brushes that are like a rubber stamp. So if you want to sign your work or add a logo, you can create a brush, select it, and stamp your name/logo onto the image.
It is a time saver when you don't have to redo a signature or cut and paste a logo on to each image.
It is also a great tool for making decals....
Sorry Jon, I don't mean to speak out of turn....
Got the GIMP at home.
I really like the Multi-layer feature of the GIMP. It's great for animated .GIFs and for Building up drawings.
But I'm getting ahead of the lessons here....
After a while, once you are comfortable with brush selection and use. You can create new ones yourself.
You can also create Text Brushes that are like a rubber stamp. So if you want to sign your work or add a logo, you can create a brush, select it, and stamp your name/logo onto the image.
It is a time saver when you don't have to redo a signature or cut and paste a logo on to each image.
It is also a great tool for making decals....
Sorry Jon, I don't mean to speak out of turn....
Re: Linux Mandrake 9.1 Rocks!!!
By all means, Ron, jump right in anytime! I can use all the help I can get
Also if there are any questions, don't be shy. I'm punching in this stuff as fast as I can in the limited time I can spend on it, so if it's not making sense, please speak up!
By all means, Ron, jump right in anytime! I can use all the help I can get
Also if there are any questions, don't be shy. I'm punching in this stuff as fast as I can in the limited time I can spend on it, so if it's not making sense, please speak up!
Sure wish I could download this Jon. I just have a 8.6 system on my mac and having a devil of a time finding 9.0. This program calls for a mac 10X which I will never have because of $$$$$
Jon I run windows XP is there anything special I would have to do ? How long did it take you to get comfortable with this program and how closely is it to Paint shop? And where do I sign up for the FREE BEER?
Clerk - the only thing I know you might consider is setting it up to run yellow dog linux, which runs on mac. Perhaps you can set it up to run both mac OS and Linux (dual boot)? You should read up on what other's have done before preoceding, and only attempt to upgrade or change an OS if you are comfortable with reloading everything from scratch to get back to where you are now (just in case it goes bad).
Belg - from the GIMP for Windows site: "Also, a NT-based Windows version (NT 4, Windows 2000, or XP) is much preferrable." So it's preferred over W9x. That was as in free beer; meant to be a comparison. There are two kinds of free in software, free as in free beer (you pay nothing to use it, no licensing fee, no strings attached) and free as in wild butterflys (there may be a fee, but the software comes with open sorce code). Usually both go hand in hand, but not always.
Belg - from the GIMP for Windows site: "Also, a NT-based Windows version (NT 4, Windows 2000, or XP) is much preferrable." So it's preferred over W9x. That was as in free beer; meant to be a comparison. There are two kinds of free in software, free as in free beer (you pay nothing to use it, no licensing fee, no strings attached) and free as in wild butterflys (there may be a fee, but the software comes with open sorce code). Usually both go hand in hand, but not always.
Two ways to get Linux...
Hi Clerk,
There are two ways to get Linux. You can either download (For Free) from a website, or buy a packaged set that comes with CD's and manuals (For a small fee).
When you download off the internet, you usually have to burn the download onto a CD and then boot from the CD to install the material onto the Hard Drive. Also, you don't get all the extra and suplimental software that is included on the store-bought CD's. And, the download can be very large and take a lot of time to download. Which is not the best option when you don't have a high speed internet connection.
I just got Mandrake Linux 9.1 in the package with manuals. Version 9.2 will be shipping shortly. It's ~ $40-$70 USD depending on the package you choose. But for this money, you also get online support as well as a whole bunch of extra software.
Including the GIMP!
When you run Linux as a workstation on your PC or Mac, you get the look and feel of Windows, without the price. KDE or Gnome are the usual window managers, but you can also experiment with funky ones like Enlightenment..
Look for a local and/or on-line LUG (Linux Users Group) and shop around for a Distrobution of Linux that will be Mac compatable. There's lots to choose from like Mandrake Linux, RedHat, Yellow Dog, SuSe, Gentoo, Debian and Slackware to name a few.
Each of the Linux Distrobutions have there strengths and are geared to specific end users. Mandrake is based on RedHat, but is geared towards Linux Newbies. Slackware is also reputed to be more user friendly. For Rock Solid performance go with Debian, which is slower to evolve, but tends to be the most stable.
Hi Clerk,
There are two ways to get Linux. You can either download (For Free) from a website, or buy a packaged set that comes with CD's and manuals (For a small fee).
When you download off the internet, you usually have to burn the download onto a CD and then boot from the CD to install the material onto the Hard Drive. Also, you don't get all the extra and suplimental software that is included on the store-bought CD's. And, the download can be very large and take a lot of time to download. Which is not the best option when you don't have a high speed internet connection.
I just got Mandrake Linux 9.1 in the package with manuals. Version 9.2 will be shipping shortly. It's ~ $40-$70 USD depending on the package you choose. But for this money, you also get online support as well as a whole bunch of extra software.
Including the GIMP!
When you run Linux as a workstation on your PC or Mac, you get the look and feel of Windows, without the price. KDE or Gnome are the usual window managers, but you can also experiment with funky ones like Enlightenment..
Look for a local and/or on-line LUG (Linux Users Group) and shop around for a Distrobution of Linux that will be Mac compatable. There's lots to choose from like Mandrake Linux, RedHat, Yellow Dog, SuSe, Gentoo, Debian and Slackware to name a few.
Each of the Linux Distrobutions have there strengths and are geared to specific end users. Mandrake is based on RedHat, but is geared towards Linux Newbies. Slackware is also reputed to be more user friendly. For Rock Solid performance go with Debian, which is slower to evolve, but tends to be the most stable.
[I've moved the tutorial part of this thread to a new thread called Archive: A GIMP Tutorial so it can be moved to the academy. I'm leaving this thread intact, so we may continue our conversation. The tutorial will remain here until it's moved, so if the above link fails, check the academy if you wish to read it... jon]
Ron. I just checked out the Mandrake software and it doesn't say what type computer it is for. Mac or IBM compatible.
I'll ask Tech Support for you...
Hi Clerk,
Give me a rundown of your hardware and I will check with Mandrake Expert for you.
I need to know the make and model of your computer, including peripherals, like printers and modems. I can ask and find out what is required.
If Mandrake won't support your hardware, they may be able to suggest another distro for you.
You might be better off with an older version of Linux, but it will still support the Linux version of the GIMP.
Linux is ported to all platforms, so Mac should be supported by Mandrake. And as a bizaar twist, you are usually better off with older hardware.
Most computer manufacturers are under the thumb of M$ and will not share propietory information with Linux Developers. So the manufacturers will supply hardware drivers that can only be used under M$. (This is in the PC marketplace).
So most Linux hardware drivers have to be reverse engineered to work. So older equipment has better drivers, because there has been more hacking done to get the hardware to work.
Hewlett Packard supports Linux development as does nVidia. So they tend to be first out of the gate with Linux Drivers for their products. Some other hardware is a write-off, especially WinModems, which don't work very well under M$ and are impossible under Linux/Unix.
If you contact a local LUG (Linux Users Group), you may be able to find someone willing to custom install Linux on your system for free, or for a nominal payment.
Hi Clerk,
Give me a rundown of your hardware and I will check with Mandrake Expert for you.
I need to know the make and model of your computer, including peripherals, like printers and modems. I can ask and find out what is required.
If Mandrake won't support your hardware, they may be able to suggest another distro for you.
You might be better off with an older version of Linux, but it will still support the Linux version of the GIMP.
Linux is ported to all platforms, so Mac should be supported by Mandrake. And as a bizaar twist, you are usually better off with older hardware.
Most computer manufacturers are under the thumb of M$ and will not share propietory information with Linux Developers. So the manufacturers will supply hardware drivers that can only be used under M$. (This is in the PC marketplace).
So most Linux hardware drivers have to be reverse engineered to work. So older equipment has better drivers, because there has been more hacking done to get the hardware to work.
Hewlett Packard supports Linux development as does nVidia. So they tend to be first out of the gate with Linux Drivers for their products. Some other hardware is a write-off, especially WinModems, which don't work very well under M$ and are impossible under Linux/Unix.
If you contact a local LUG (Linux Users Group), you may be able to find someone willing to custom install Linux on your system for free, or for a nominal payment.
Wow Ron. Lots of stuff there.
My Mac is a G3 Power Mac with OS 8.6 system. I have a Apple color stylewriter printer 4500 made by Hewlett Packard, A Microteck Scan Maker IISP Scanner. Lacie Tsrnami external hard drive in addition to my computer hard drive. Zip Drive and a Motorola surfboard modem for my cable.
Oh yes almost forgot, Download equipment for my new dig camera which I need the system 9.0 to operate. Quite a mouthful.
and also 196 mg of memory.
My Mac is a G3 Power Mac with OS 8.6 system. I have a Apple color stylewriter printer 4500 made by Hewlett Packard, A Microteck Scan Maker IISP Scanner. Lacie Tsrnami external hard drive in addition to my computer hard drive. Zip Drive and a Motorola surfboard modem for my cable.
Oh yes almost forgot, Download equipment for my new dig camera which I need the system 9.0 to operate. Quite a mouthful.
and also 196 mg of memory.
http://www.linux.org/dist/list.html
Madrake supports PPC. My personal choice from the list would be debian or Yellow Dog. I would choose debian for the many programs available and the learning possibilites, or Yellow Dog, because it has always been know as the distro for the apple lovers.
None are bad once you got X running, especially with gnome (pronounced ganome) or KDE running. But I often build them light, so I need an adaptable distro. I have a P1 133MHz w/ 64 MB Labtop that boots X Windows from the command in 10 seconds. That's light! (slackware 7)
Madrake supports PPC. My personal choice from the list would be debian or Yellow Dog. I would choose debian for the many programs available and the learning possibilites, or Yellow Dog, because it has always been know as the distro for the apple lovers.
None are bad once you got X running, especially with gnome (pronounced ganome) or KDE running. But I often build them light, so I need an adaptable distro. I have a P1 133MHz w/ 64 MB Labtop that boots X Windows from the command in 10 seconds. That's light! (slackware 7)
I tried to download 3 different types and every time I get a note that says I need a plug in. When I go to the plug in's another note come up that says there are no plug ins available for this computer. I guess that means I am shut down for that. I found a source where I can get Mac OS 9.1 CD for $119.00 so will have to wait awhile.
Thanks everybody for trying.
Thanks everybody for trying.
Clerk, I've never personally bought a real Linux boxed set for myself, but I've bought a few books that come with a copy free. Barnes and Nobels and Sams Club is where I got mine, as I recall, and both had oodles of such books. Some came with 3 distros. I've also bought the CDs for about a buck each. These cheap CD's are available from a variety of sources. I bought mine from linuxmall.com, which is now CheapBytes. This is how I got ahold of Linux before downloading was practical for me. The prices have skyrocketed, but the distros are now 2 or 3 discs instead of one. Nowaday, you could pay a good 10 bucks for these after shipping.
http://linux.org recommends:
http://www.linuxwerks.com/cds.html (Mandrake and Yellow Dog for PPC, and they take requests for others, $5 or $6 each set)
BTW: Linux.org is a great starting place to learn Linux.
I'm not against buying a full boxed distribution, and I have placed corporate orders boxed sets. You might wonder how they can sell any with cheap CDs and free downloads of the same thing. Some people buy the boxed set, because they don't know there is a cheap alternative. Some don't believe they are getting the same software (I guess they think it's a demo version). Some buy the set for some sort of service the vendor tacks on, like free support for a period of time. I, like many, bought the boxed set to support the company that saved my company tons of money. For home use, I've never seen anything that comes in the box enticing enough to seperate me from my money
http://linux.org recommends:
http://www.linuxwerks.com/cds.html (Mandrake and Yellow Dog for PPC, and they take requests for others, $5 or $6 each set)
BTW: Linux.org is a great starting place to learn Linux.
I'm not against buying a full boxed distribution, and I have placed corporate orders boxed sets. You might wonder how they can sell any with cheap CDs and free downloads of the same thing. Some people buy the boxed set, because they don't know there is a cheap alternative. Some don't believe they are getting the same software (I guess they think it's a demo version). Some buy the set for some sort of service the vendor tacks on, like free support for a period of time. I, like many, bought the boxed set to support the company that saved my company tons of money. For home use, I've never seen anything that comes in the box enticing enough to seperate me from my money