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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

GIMP 2 for Photographers: Image Editing with Open Source Software New Release by Rocky Nook

Before investing hundreds of dollars on expensive software, you want to make sure that editing digital photographs is something you truly enjoy. That’s where “The GIMP 2”—a free digital image editing program—comes in. After you have explored the GIMP and learned how to use it, you may not need—nor want—to buy another image editing program.

“GIMP 2 for Photographers” by Klaus Goelker is designed to facilitate your entry into the world of digital image editing with the help of the GIMP.

Image editing has become a key element in the digital photographic workflow. Image editing tools, most notably Photoshop, are usually sophisticated and deep applications—and fairly expensive. The only open source tool in this market is the GIMP, which has developed into a powerful multiplatform system, running on Linux, as well as OS X and Windows.

The most important editing functions are presented in individual, easy-to-follow workshops.

In “GIMP 2 for Photographers” you will learn:

• The basics of image editing
• The many functions and tools of the GIMP
• How to make simple adjustments
• Working with advanced techniques
• How to work with layers and masks
• Stitching of panoramic images
• Preparation of high-quality black and white images

Author, Klaus Goelker is an architect and photographer who lives and works in Munich, Germany. He also teaches courses on image editing at a local art school. He uses the GIMP to teach this class because it is free and yet powerful enough to do serious photographic image editing. This beginner’s guide to the GIMP has evolved from the classroom materials the author developed and used in courses and workshops on image editing.