Is It Really That Hard to Learn Gimp?

If you experience any image manipulation, learning Gimp probably requires some effort. Not because Gimp is particularly difficult, it is because learning to manipulate digital images takes more than learning to push a couple of buttons. You must know the difference between raster and vector graphics, and become familiar with concepts such as channels, layers and transparency. Image manipulation is like any skill and takes time to master.


Why bother with Gimp? It is very rewarding to create your own graphics and enhance your photos. Gimp is a powerful and flexible piece of software. Once you have learned to use it well, you do not need to spend time to learn other software packages. Here is a list of other professionals to consider:

    Gimp is completely free
    Gimp can do almost everything that Photoshop can do
    Many Photoshop features, such as brushes, gradients and patterns can be used with Gimp
    GIMP runs on most operating systems like Linux, Windows and Mac OS X
    Gimp supports graphics tablets

What is the best way to learn Gimp? There are hundreds of GIMP tutorials are on the Internet. Most of the tutorials are not created by professionals, the trick is to find good tutorials that will help you master Gimp instead of frayed nerves and wasting your time!