Artists' Guide to the GIMP (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Michael J. Hammel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Artists' Guide to the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the definitive manual for the free image manipulation and editing application for Unix-based systems such as Linux, Sun Solaris, SGI IRIX, and others.

The author maintains a relaxed and encouraging voice, lending credence to the fact that this book is for artists and users, not system administrators and technical developers. The early chapters offer a rundown of the interface, with each tool--the color selector, the bucket fill, the various pencils, paintbrushes, and erasers, etc.--explained, while later chapters cover complex layer editing and selecting, switching color palettes, using GIMP with scanners, digital cameras, and preparing media for print.

With the rise of Linux-based desktop systems, GIMP is an important and flexible tool. Not only does it support Photoshop file compatibility, text effects, and color correction effects, it can also import and export JPG and GIF file formats--the image formats that make up 99 percent of Web graphics. Chapter 6, "Layers and Channels," even explains how to convert a multilayered image into an animated GIF.

A notable bonus: the CD-ROM contains GIMP already compiled for Linux, Sun Solaris 2.5, and SGI IRIX 6.4. If you need to build GIMP for your specific version of Unix, chapter 1 of the book goes into step-by-step detail on where to download the source code and how to build the binary executable.

If you are a systems administrator, Web administrator, or a user of any Unix-based system and need to edit graphics, this book--and GIMP--are for you. With its flexible scripting language, rich feature set, and Photoshop file compatibility, GIMP can be a powerful asset to any Unix user's graphics toolbox. --Mike Caputo

Product Description

The Artists' Guide to the GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program), covers all of the basics a new user needs to get started, from detailed descriptions of all Toolbox features to using selections to a complete explanation of Layers and Channels. The GIMP runs on many UNIX syustems. It will also work with any of the popular Intel Linux distributions (Red Hat, Debian, Slackware, SuSE, etc.), as well as the latest FreeBSD distributions.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Frank Kasper and Assoc; Pap/Cdr edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578310113
• ISBN-13: 978-1578310111
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,789,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The printed manual for GIMP. Worth the price, for beginners, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This book / manual is a very good companion to the software. Included are hundreds of examples, (all on CD), and step-by-step directions to help the reader implement the graphic tricks being discussed. I found that this speaks mostly in terms that anyone can understand. I do like the tutorials that are included at the end of the chapters. I also found the instructions given for keyboard modifiers to be very useful, in fact, necessary! Good job, Michael!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Overview, September 3, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Newark Valley, NY) - See all my reviews

Although it doesn't cover everything that the Gimp is cabable of, it does what it's name says. It goes through almost all the plugins and gives you a good example of each one that you may not have seen before. Worth it for people who know a good deal about Gimp, but are feeling a little stuck.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Relatively uniformative., August 5, 2000

By	Wendell (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews

Despite the number of pages, this book does not go into much detail. The GIMP Visual Quickstart Guide by Davis is a vastly better introduction.