Excursus: Editing Photos in Gimp
A) Introduction to Gimp
This photo editing programme is for advanced users. Gimp is not easy to use in the beginning, because it works with layers and offers a lot of functions. But this also means that you can create a lot with this programme. Here we will only look into the basic functions, for more advanced we recommend tutorials on sites such as YouTube.
What is the difference between Gimp and PhotoScape?
Gimp and PhotoScape differ in many ways. First, it should be noted that Gimp is harder to use than PhotoScape. This is mainly because Gimp offers many more editing options than PhotoScape. Gimp’s mission is to offer an alternative to Photoshop, a very well-known editing software (which is expensive – Gimp is free). Also, important to note is that Gimp works with layers.
What are layers?
When you open a photo in Gimp, you have created the first layer: the photo itself. It is still the original, unedited image. When you edit the photo, you change the image. But some people like to trace every single step. And this is where layers come in.
Example:
Think of editing a photo in Gimp like baking a cake with many layers: in this model, the photo is the cake base. Now start working your way up from the bottom. The second layer, for example the text, then represents the strawberries, and the cream is the filter that you place on top. With Gimp you can retrace each step without changing or even deleting any of the layers.
- Click here to get back to the course.
- Click here to learn how you can edit photos with PhotoScape.
- Click here to learn how you can edit photos on your Smartphone with the app Photoshop Express.