GIMP Bible [Paperback]

Jason van Gumster (Author), Robert Shimonski (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470523972 | ISBN-13: 978-0470523971 | Publication Date: March 1, 2010 | Edition: 1

The ultimate reference and guide to the GNU image manipulation program

GIMP is a free, Photoshop-like image manipulation program, and as its use grows, so does the demand for detailed instruction on how to get the very most out of it. GIMP Bible is the most comprehensive and current independent GIMP reference available that goes beyond official documentation.

If you're a digital artist or photographer, the step-by-step explanations in this authoritative guide show you how to power-use GIMP throughout a production pipeline. Topics include understanding the GIMP interface and how to work with it, how to use all of GIMP's tools to create high-quality images, GIMP's default filters and plug-ins, advanced techniques for customization with Python and Scheme scripting, and much more.

• GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free graphics editor that runs on Linux, Windows, or Macs; it is used to process digital graphics and photographs including creating graphics and logos, resizing and cropping photos, altering colors, combining images, creating basic GIF animated images, and more
• Whether you're a digital artist, professional photographer, or beginner, this detailed how-to shows you best practices, valuable techniques, and helpful tips for getting the most out of GIMP for your projects
• Topics include the GIMP interface and how to work with it, in-depth description of GIMP's tools and how to use them to create high-quality images, a comprehensive reference for all of GIMP's default filters and common plug-ins, and advanced customization with Python and Scheme scripting

Get the most out of this free image editing tool for your production pipeline with the GIMP Bible.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The most current and comprehensive desktop GIMP reference you'll find!

Create dazzling digital graphics using GIMP

Edit photos, paint, create animation, batch process—you can do it all with the free, open-source GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) and the instruction in this comprehensive GIMP Bible. This valuable book first introduces you to GIMP's interface and tools, then clearly shows you how to manage an entire production pipeline and produce high-quality images. If you're an artist, photographer, Web designer, or animator using GIMP, this is the book you need to succeed.

• Find out what GIMP can and can't do—and master all of its tools

• Learn to use layers, paths, channels, and colors effectively

• Start painting in GIMP with improved paint dynamics

• Master a slew of filters and masks and see how to automate tasks

• Animate by hand or add effects to video with the GIMP Animation Package

• Intelligently resize images with Liquid Rescale

• Create custom effects with scripting and other advanced techniques

Companion Web Site
Find the latest GIMP updates, as well as support materials for the book's tutorials and supplemental tutorials at wiley.com/go/GIMPBible.com. The site also includes links to the most current versions of GIMP plug-ins, tips on how to install them, and a blog where you can ask questions pertaining to the GIMP Bible.

• Digital images are sampled into a grid of pixels
• Control image desaturation with the Channel Mixer
• Apply textures painted in GIMP to a character model
• Use GIMP to create high-quality images
• Learn all features, functions, and tools
• Master default filters and common plug-ins

About the Author

Jason van Gumster is a production artist at Hand Turkey Studios, where he specializes in using open-source tools to produce animations and visual effects for television, film, and video games. In addition to GIMP, he is well-versed in a broad spectrum of open-source tools including Blender, Inkscape, Cinelerra, and Scribus.

Robert Shimonski is a senior-level systems and network engineer with over 15 years of production experience working with enterprise applications, systems, and solutions. He is an expert in Web and digital media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470523972
• ISBN-13: 978-0470523971
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource, December 2, 2010

By 

Roland Wostl "rmw" (Denver) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GIMP Bible (Paperback)

This book is nothing short of excellent. It covers every tool and function of GIMP in detail, and it even includes treatments of a number of plug ins. It also covers features of GIMP 2.8, which has not yet been released. In addition, there is a companion website you can access for associated material, updates and corrections.

I thought at first I could learn GIMP by reading the manual associated with the program and watching how-to videos on Youtube. After struggling a while I bought this book. Now I realize how naïve I was. GIMP has far more features and functionalities than I imagined, and to learn it on my own, or even with the help of Youtube turtorials, would be a cumbersome way to proficiency.

The GIMP bible covers it all, and it got me off dead center. It handles fundamental concepts as well as advanced utilities - I'm glad I bought it. I'm still not very good using GIMP, that will take a bit of work and practice, but I'm starting to use the program creatively, using the GIMP bible as a resource when I get stuck.

I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to become proficient with, or master, GIMP.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference; Wish it had more tutorials, January 25, 2011

By 

A.Crouton - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GIMP Bible (Paperback)

I am about half way through this book. It clearly goes through all the different tools and filters of the book explaining every option. For this reason it makes a great reference book. I will keep it at hand every time I am using the program.

The reason I only gave it three stars is because it is short on tutorials. I was hoping more examples of how to use the tools they talk about, not just explaining what they do. This book does have some tutorials, and I have learned some really cool things, but I was hoping it was going to be packed.

The second thing is it is in black and white. How useful are pictures talking about the color tones of a photograph when it is in black and white? Not very. This was huge in my opinion.

I do not regret the purchase of this book as it has been really helpful and I will continue to use it as a reference point.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The GIMP guide for Encyclopedia readers, March 3, 2011

By 

StormChild (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GIMP Bible (Paperback)

Before you purchase this guide, ask yourself how serious you are and how much time you are willing to invest in learning the GIMP process. This is not a cheat sheet. It is definitely a Bible of work. There is an enormous amount of information presented in the GIMP Bible. This is both the good news and the bad. Not for the faint of heart, this massive volume can be intimidating. I cannot stress enough that this is a serious and involved look at what GIMP offers and should be considered a text book.

The same things that make this an overwhelming text make it also a valuable resource. Like a massive dictionary or encyclopedia, the GIMP Bible offers a mountain of information at your fingertips. Most, maybe all, of the information can be found online, and most of us utilize online tutorials. However, if you like to have a paper copy you can turn to, like I do, this book gives you instant access to more answers about GIMP than you realized you had questions for.

I do have one major complaint in the use of B&W images in the examples. (Really???) They're absolutely a useless waste of ink in most cases. I understand that color images would have cost more to print, but considering the instructional purpose of the image content, it would have been nice to be able to actually see what the examples needed to show.

I can't give this volume less than 4 stars, because the information is vast. The author's attention to detail is admirable.

I can't give it 5 stars, because the textbook layout is sometimes stress-inducing and the images are basically worthless.

Buy this book at once if you are committed to studying the ins and outs of GIMP. Buy it if you want a physical reference to supplement what you already know. If you prefer a quick and easy-to-understand answer with glossy, color image aids...save yourself the money and look up a topic specific video tutorial online.