Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional (Expert's Voice in Open Source)

A very useful reference book for someone moving to GIMP

A few weeks ago I knew nothing whatsoever about the GIMP.I downloaded version 2.6 and decided to learn how to use it.After a frustrating attempt to educate myself with the onlinehelp files I turned to Akkana Peck's Beginning Gimp, second edition.I found her book to be just what I needed. It's a big book at justunder 600 pages, but I found it a reasonably quick read due in largepart to many full color examples and Akkana's clear writing style.It is not easy to write technical documentation, and so it is wonderfulto encounter such a well written work. Ms. Peck has the rare talentof being able to present volumes of technical information in a mannerthat has enough detail to be useful, without overwhelming the reader withminutiae, or being boring. Her style makes heavy use of examples,which are nicely illustrated (kudos to the publisher to spending the extramoney for color images). Key concepts are presented in a well ordered manner, making it quite painless to understand the "Zen" of GIMP.After reading the book cover to cover, working through most of theexample exercises, I feel I have expanded my image processing abilitiesimmensely. By the way, you can (and should) download all the examplematerial found on the publishers web site.Many thanks to the extraordinarily talented programmers who createdthis remarkable program. Thanks also to those who have created theonline help files (which are quite useful once one has a basic understanding of the GIMP).And thanks again to Akkana Peck for making the initial learning curve so pleasant!

Well written and easily understandable. This is the affordable manual so badly needed for Gimp. It is neither a tutorial or a reference, but has advantages of both. It's easy discussion style leads you through how to use Gimp, starting with the basics, and moving soon to advanced. But I have had no problem using the index to jump ahead to specific topics of interest, as the discussions made sense without reading everything in order. I feel like I will be a Gimp expert when I finish the book, but I and already getting lots of use from it in improving my digital photos.The book is a couple of versions behind. There are a few mentions in the Appendix describing the differences in the newer versions, but the explanations are just short summaries. Most of the tools are still in the newer versions. But in newer versions (latest is 2.6.10) many tools have been relocated and can be hard to find. In fairness, with versions changing so rapidly, it would be difficult for any author or publisher to keep up. Because the book is advertised as covering version 2.6 but really doesn't, I downgraded my rating from five stars to four.

The book is well written (I'm not that far into it yet.....) and very informative. My only objection is that I imagine Gimp is, for many people, a kind of "poor man's Photoshop", and I imagine that some people (me, for instance) have gotten Gimp because it's free!!, and Adobe has priced itself out of the realm of the Real World (and beyond a lot of fantasy worlds.....and now you have to rent it......) Akkana Peck has carefully avoided ANY reference to Photoshop (Gimp may be all she ever used???......), and it would be good if she said something like, "This is like the dodge tool in Photoshop, but it's more subtle, and you need to use 2 hands."While it may be the "poor man's Photoshop", Gimp seems to incorporate a lot of the same features, and can probably hold its own in most matchups.

I recently downloaded GIMP 2.6. As I am a reasonably low-tech person I soon realized I needed some help to get going so I ordered "Beginning GIMP". I didn't realize that the book is based on version 2.4 so I was a little upset that this wasn't made clear in the promo for the book. However it hasn't been a problem as most of the book applies to 2,6 and I have had little difficulty in mastering at least the basics in the two weeks I have been using it. There is an appendix which outlines some of the differences between versions 2.4 and 2.6 and this is helpful.There is a ton and a half of info in the book which will apply to the more advanced photographers but the basics of image manipulation are easy to use and very clearly explained by the author. Any low-tech types will benefit from this book and so will the pros if they want to get the most out of GIMP. I would recommend this book.

For pretty long time my hobby is photography. In digital age I must now depend (at rather old age 76) on digital darkroom. Which one?I first thought about upgrade of my old Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, but the only solution was (and is) to buy the most recent one, perhaps the best on the market, but with a lot of gimmick gadgets and verbose help I will never use. Then I come across GIMP. After a number of evenings on the Internet I come across references about this GIMP book and other books as well.I made the very best choice. This book is now my companion because of the very straightforward language (English is not my native language) and some intrigue questions it set up chapter by chapter, so that the reader wants to follow it. Because of that I believe that soon I am able to use all features of GIMP I need and to improve colors and tone scale of my pictures beyond Adobe Elements 2.0.I also like the graphical side of the book which makes reading easy and pleasurable. Therefore no wander why I praised this book so high.Wojciech Swider

Gimp can be quite daunting at first. Lots of tools and settings to master. But Akkana Peck's guide is so easy to follow, even with trickier tasks, its like having an endlessly patient tutor at hand!I hadn't expected such a big book when I ordered it, especially for the price! But it's packed with really helpful images as well as blissfully straightforward text. Akkana not only explains how various Gimp features work but why things work as they do - and all in an easy unhurried way.If you're wondering whether to get Gimp or drain your piggy bank and get Photoshop? Get Gimp (its free) and this book. You'll never look back!! Five minutes spent reading will add another useful tip to your armoury.This book is a 'must have' for Gimp users everywhere.

This is a fine book, illustrated clearly throughout and easy enough to follow. It is substantial too, a weighty tome which teaches by example. Freeware image processing software, like GIMP, deserves this kind of support so I am pleased to have bought the book.Buyers should be aware that the book was written for GIMP version 2.4 and the current version is 2.6 at the time of writing. However, there is a chapter at the back of the book highlighting the differences. To be fair, these are not substantial anyway and, in any case, GIMP's online support pages are also out of date.

If you want to learn how to get the best out of this great piece of free software, then this is the book to read.It leads you gently by the hand through all the Gimp's features.Noteworthy is the section on Layers. I have in the past found Layers to be a difficult concept to get my head around.Akkana makes the concept so much easier to understand, and I am now using this feature regularly in my photo editing.I highly recommend this book.

This had to be the best value item I have ever had from you! 557 pages of expert image-editing information, practicals & explanations packed into a vary readable tome in immaculate condition for just £2.50 and sent all the way from Las Vegas, Southern Nevada to my home in West Sussex for just £2.80. A total of £5.30. Amazing!! Thank you very much.

The Amazon reviews I read before buying indicated that the book would at least be useful, in fact it is very good, very clear and seems pretty complete (I'm still working through it, a relative GIMP beginner). I can't imagine there's a much better practical book for people (like me) who don't know much about GIMP but would like to do more than just basic photo manipulation, but there also seems a lot of more advanced stuff too (it's a sizable book!), so it could well also be a book for people who already know something about GIMP.Definitely worth considering....!