Customer Reviews

Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been reading and using this book for a few weeks. It's great!

The open source community needed an updated gimp book. Gimp is already a mature open source project, and the two books that came out a few years ago were long outdated.

The best thing about the book is the generous use of images to illustrate her points.. APress did a fantastic job with layout and making it easy to find things.

I appreciate how the book reviewed a few basic points with general information. In short, this book has a little bit for everybody.

I'm the first to admit that my graphical skills are limited. I have a version of PaintShop Pro that's a few revs out of date, and it does just what I need it to do... crop images, circle items of note, and erase the stray word or two. I've downloaded GIMP before, but I just don't have the time or motivation to explore all the options it appears to have. But after reading Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional by Akkana Peck, I think I'm about to make the switch to GIMP, and to make it permanently. This is a really well-done book...

Contents: Get to Know the GIMP; Improving Digital Photos; Introduction to Layers; Drawing; Selection; Erasing and Touching Up; Filters and Effects; Color Manipulation, Channels, and Layer Modes; Advanced Drawing; Advanced Compositing; Plug-Ins and Scripting; Additional Topics; Getting and Installing the GIMP; Installing the GIMP on Windows; Installing the GIMP on Mac; Installing the GIMP on Linux or Unix; Building From Source; First Startup; Index

Peck has tried to create a book that allows graphical neophytes like me to figure out what's going on, while also including material for those who have been doing this awhile. She definitely hits the first mark, and I think she nails the second one, also. The book starts with the basic of the GIMP interface, with an abundance of screen shots and images to illustrate the points. Even someone like me can easily see what's possible with the software, and I was able to quickly find and focus on the few tasks I do often with my existing software. I normally start to zone out when books start to head into the layers and color manipulation area, because I've never had much luck when it comes to that. But the author actually had me fishing out a few digital photos to try some things. I can even start to fix some of my good photos that were a victim of the demon red-eye effects... :)

Bottom line... My old PaintShop Pro is now on the way out, as well as my out-of-date book on it. GIMP's getting loaded on all the PCs, and with the help of this book, I might even become... <gasp!> GRAPHICALLY CREATIVE!

Akkana Peck has written a very thorough introduction to the GIMP. In fact, I'd call it more of a definitive guide than just an introduction. This book is great for the completely new user, but even the seasoned veteran can learn quite a bit from "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional".

Covering everything from where to get and how to install the GIMP to how to use the powerful built-in scripting language Script-Fu, which allows users to use and program scripts for repeatable actions, like adding bevel or glass effects. Despite its thoroughness - it's written in a easy-to-understand way that anyone can benefit from.

You can learn more about this awesome book on Akkana's website - GIMPBook.com.

All this and the software (GIMP) is free for Windows, Mac, Unix, or Linux!

Although this book may be very useful to someone who has had no prior experience with an image editing program before, I have found it particularly frustrating to use because I have never been able to find help on any subject I have needed a quick reference on without a great deal of searching. I am used to Photoshop related books that normally provide a decent index where one can look up a topic and get to it in a hurry. Not so with this book; I have to hunt and hunt to find out what I am looking for, if I can find it at all, without just experimenting with Gimp. On the other hand, it will probably be more useful to first time users of image manipulation programs simply because in its peculiar way, it does actually cover most topics, eventually, and if one read it through from the beginning it would probably help. My conclusion: It could be much better organized and indexed.

A book like this has been long overdue. I've been looking for a "current" book on the GIMP for the past few years. I just recently discovered this one.

Not only is it current, but it's fantastic. It's very thorough. I've been using all kinds of Image Editing software for years (Paint Shop Pro, Photo-Paint, Ulead PhotoInmpact and The GIMP) but I've never really been able to do much beyond simple editing.

In the past year or so I've done most of my image editing in The GIMP (partly because I've been spending more time in Linux). I've also used the Windows version. Both are virtually identical so having this book is great either way.

Honestly it's going to take a lot of study for me to get everything down, but that's no fault of the book. Quite the contrary, it just shows how good it is.

Considering one can find umpteen books on most proprietary image editing software and the fact that this single book is so thorough speaks volumes about it.

GIMP users are very lucky. Thank you Akkana!

The title of this book really says it all. A novice, casual user, or even experienced graphic artist could all benefit from the authors detailed handling of this robust and invaluable piece of Free Software. The book is fairly large but wastes no time. Directions are distinct and to the point and by the third chapter, "An Introduction to Layers", I was compelled to fire up the Gimp and try some of the techniques. The "Advanced Drawing" and "Advanced Compositing" chapters really added to my skills but even the first chapter taught me some things. A worthwhile addition to any open source aficionado's book shelf.

I'm very new to photography and have no experience at all with other image programs (Photoshop etc.). I found this book very easy to follow and extremely helpful. I've had it for less than a week and I'm nearly finished with it. I've already done lots of work on older photos that I hadn't got quite right and now they look great! I would recommend this book to anyone just starting off in digital photography.

I've been playing around with the GIMP for awhile, mostly on my own because the online help isn't very user-friendly for the layman. It would assume prior knowledge and was aimed for professionals who worked with graphics a lot. Through self-teaching I was able to use the GIMP but I knew I was only scratching the surface of it's capabilities.

For some time, I've been on the lookout for a book that would not only explain the various tools of this powerful application but go step-by-step to show how to create professional-looking effects. I stumbled upon the website introducing this book and, after checking out the sample chapter, I knew I found the book I've been looking for.

This book has something for every GIMP user. The text is written at a level where a layman can read it and instantly understand the subject at hand. The use of many screenshots keeps the guesswork out of wondering if you're at the correct menu. They will show you exactly what you should be seeing. It's almost like you're sitting behind the author while she's showing you the steps.

The book itself is softbound but has a nice heavy feel to it. Akkana Peck did a great job with the book's layout. Each chapter builds upon the previous one but, once you get an understanding of some of the basic tools, you can jump to a specific topic without feeling lost. Like I mentioned, I had a decent working knowledge of the GIMP but within 10 minutes I discovered a cool way of entering text that was buried in an unseen dropdown menu.

The book's title says "From Novice to Professional". I'm not a professional, so I can't comment on how useful it would be at that level but there's a lot of great stuff in here so I feel confident there would be some stuff for seasoned pros. But for the rest of us, this book is an indispensible guide to harness the power of the GIMP. Kudos to Akkana Peck... this is the book I've been waiting for.

Finally, there is a book on GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) that I can recommend without reservations. Personally, I love using the GIMP program for image manipulation and find that it has always been able to do everything I have ever needed. However, most of that knowledge has been gained through a long process of trial and error. Beginning GIMP is a treat to read through and explore the different techniques and effects that are possible with the program. Written at a level for the complete novice it is easy to understand and the author does an excellent job of walking the reader through complex subjects by explaining them well and then demonstrating how to do it. Some of the areas discussed include working with digital photos, drawing, using filters, creating special effects, and advanced composition techniques. If you want complete flexibility to create and/or modify your digital photos or drawings and get the results you want then GIMP will give you that flexibility and power. Beginning Gimp: From Novice to Professional is highly recommended and the first book I would recommend for the user new to GIMP.

The GIMP application is very powerfull but for beginers or semi proffessionals, some sort of kick to get the "picture" and understand the app. is needed. This book gives a very understandable view of what GIMP is and how to use it. The book is also organized in such a way that it is easy to find a particular topic to be able to solve the issue you're facing. The book also begins with a very good description of different graphical formats, pros and cons etc.