Gimp?

[DevilBoi]

Every review I see is fairly good. I was just wondering if anyone here used Gimp and what y'all thought of it, and if it would be good for a beginner? If not what do you recommend?

[eishiya]

Warning: Take everything below with a grain of salt. I do not currently use the GIMP. I use Photoshop, to which the GIMP is meant to be a free alternative. The post below is based on my very limited experience and familiarity with the GIMP several years ago, as well as my familiarity with the similarly-featured Photoshop.


The GIMP is a very versatile program, but because of this versatility, it also has a steep learning curve, and none of its drawing tools are really specialized. It's a good choice if you plan to do a lot of different things in it, but if you're only planning to do 1-2 distinct things, you may have an easier time using more specialized software, which have tools that the GIMP and similar tools like Photoshop lack, and which don't clutter up the interface with tools you'll never use.

The GIMP is a jack of all trades, master of none. Some programs do certain other things better, but the GIMP is a good choice if you expect to do a lot of different kinds of things and don't want to install/learn different programs for all of them.

One last factor is the availability of tutorials for certain things. For example, if you want to do comics, you might have trouble finding good tutorials because not a lot of good comic creators use it. You'll likely have to experiment to find your own effective techniques, or modify techniques from crappy tutorials. This is especially an issue since without dedicated tools for certain things (e.g. panel borders, speech bubbles, perspective rulers), everyone has their own hacky techniques to achieve them and you might like some of those techniques better than others.


What do you plan to do with it? Comics, illustrations, something else? Colour, B&W? Painterly or cel-shaded? Line-heavy or lineless? Knowing what you're aiming to achieve might help people give recommendations for other software. The GIMP can do all of these things, as can most drawing programs, the question is how easy it is compared to other tools.

[Hornmeister]

I worked for a long time with gimp, but that was like eight years ago at this point. If I remember correctly, and under the condition that my experiences still apply to the current version of the program, gimp lends itself very well to all kinds of ilustration work. You just have to work yourself through it, because the interface is a mess of arrangable and floating windows. I also remember having trouble with custom brushes, but that could be fixed and no longer relevant at this point

[CharliePeppersoap]

I recently got a new PC and windows 10 refused to acknowledge my ancient Adobe Photoshop 7.0 (R.I.P.) so went for broke and installed Gimp two-point-something

first and foremost, this program has a few dummy / hacking sites that try to put malware on your computer, so be sure you hunt down the genuine original website and set up a restore point before installing, just in case.

but secondly, it has improved! with an added frustration of needing to use the 'export' feature instead of 'save as' to change file type when saving, but once you get past that hurdle it's exactly like PS 7.0 warts and all. i recall having tablet sensitivity issues back in the day, but haven't unpacked the new tablet to test it out, yet, so.

my first comics were processed and 'toned' with manga hatching sheets in gimp, you can do a lot with very little if you persevere!

[JakiraJurosawa]

When I used gimp it sucked balls

[The_Hankerchief]

I noodle around with GIMP 2.6 for my digital stuff. It took me a while to learn how to use it, mostly because I had never fiddled with digital editing period, but once you understand how it works, you can really do a lot with it. It's the Ford Taurus to Photoshop's Shelby Mustang GT500: it ain't fancy, it ain't pretty, but it'll get you to and from work and it's got a decent radio. It is a little slow on load-up, but that might just be my laptop.

[MK_Wizard]

Honestly, I think Gimp is great and I would recommend it for anyone and anyone.

[JoKeR]

Even so this thread is a little bit old ...but MK_Wizard resurrected it.

So, I used Gimp in many versions (later Linux as well) and I wasn't that fascinated of it.
Many default short cuts (known in any OS) are different just to be different. The floating windows and the lack of getting them into one window like I usually do in PS or other picture editors is a mess and seems again to be different just to be different.
The quality of the outcome is exactly the same as in PS. You can save in PSD files and open them in other editors. Gimp is stable and load up quick enough... sometimes faster than PS.

I would say, for veterans who are used to certain short cuts to work fast and efficient and want to customise their UI to their need is Gimp not recommendable. You have to download hacks which alter the surface and behaviour to be more PS like.

But for new comers ...who doesn't have used PS or other picture editors, is Gimp a cheap alternative. If you have to learn all the "pros and cons" of any of the editors then it doesn't matters if you learn them in Gimp or PS. The learning curve is in both tools steep ...just the way is different.

Anyway ...if you plan to go professional and get a job in a company, is the standard mostly PS. And learning a new heavy picture editor after you've mastered Gimp, could be a little bit complicated.

[MK_Wizard]

Even so this thread is a little bit old ...but MK_Wizard resurrected it.

So, I used Gimp in many versions (later Linux as well) and I wasn't that fascinated of it.
Many default short cuts (known in any OS) are different just to be different. The floating windows and the lack of getting them into one window like I usually do in PS or other picture editors is a mess and seems again to be different just to be different.
The quality of the outcome is exactly the same as in PS. You can save in PSD files and open them in other editors. Gimp is stable and load up quick enough... sometimes faster than PS.

I would say, for veterans who are used to certain short cuts to work fast and efficient and want to customise their UI to their need is Gimp not recommendable. You have to download hacks which alter the surface and behaviour to be more PS like.

But for new comers ...who doesn't have used PS or other picture editors, is Gimp a cheap alternative. If you have to learn all the "pros and cons" of any of the editors then it doesn't matters if you learn them in Gimp or PS. The learning curve is in both tools steep ...just the way is different.

Anyway ...if you plan to go professional and get a job in a company, is the standard mostly PS. And learning a new heavy picture editor after you've mastered Gimp, could be a little bit complicated.

Lol, what can I say? I find GIMP is so underrated which is a shame because sometimes, you don't need all the frills. You just need something that works.

[Kryptoniano_SSJ]

Hi .

I dont know... but i use Gimp and it is fine and pretty easy to use, and i am a beginner too. I'm making my first webcomic on Gimp, here is the cover.

[link removed]

Sorry, I just wanted to give an example of how it is drawn in Gimp, not self-promotion.

[NikuComics]

Hello!

I used gimp in the first 3 and a half chapters of my comic but didn't like how it made my comic look. Eventually I found a new program after a friend told me about it. The program was called Krita and I have never been more happy for a free drawing program.

That is kinda my feedback on Gimp. Don't know if it was what you were looking for but I just replied to what I read. xD

Namasté

[Kryptoniano_SSJ]

Hello!

I used gimp in the first 3 and a half chapters of my comic but didn't like how it made my comic look. Eventually I found a new program after a friend told me about it. The program was called Krita and I have never been more happy for a free drawing program.

That is kinda my feedback on Gimp. Don't know if it was what you were looking for but I just replied to what I read. xD

Namasté

Krita looks good! I'm going to test it on my next webcomic.

[authorloremipsum]

I've been using Gimp for almost three years now and truth be told? You can make art as good as photoshop and whatnot, it just takes some extra elbow grease and determination.

Sure tutorials don't apply and you have to find your own solutions to things, but its easy to add brushes and fonts, dynamics, gradients, all those cool things, once you get the hang of things.

That being said, HMU and I can give you the tips I've learned.

[AltCat]

Even so this thread is a little bit old ...but MK_Wizard resurrected it.

Many default short cuts (known in any OS) are different just to be different.

They can all be changed though. Which is probably the first thing one need accept about GIMP, that it is not finished for any specific more advanced use, it basically "needs" to be modded by the end user.

I also don't think there really has been much of a standard for shortcuts anyway. It's different between most other graphic editors outside PS too really, except the base things like cut paste that lingered on into de facto standards since the dark ages of what was on a screen.

The floating windows and the lack of getting them into one window like I usually do in PS or other picture editors is a mess and seems again to be different just to be different.

There has been the option to use it single windowed for quite some time now. It is probably not activated by default still.

Anyway ...if you plan to go professional and get a job in a company, is the standard mostly PS. And learning a new heavy picture editor after you've mastered Gimp, could be a little bit complicated.

While true, adapting anything new is usually not super smooth. So going from something said to be harder to easier is a great way to adapt similar new things faster. That's why I see it as doing oneself a double disservice by going for the overly costly easy choice either because quick introduction phase or one might need it in future motivation.

Also. Maybe that whole thing died off, but around right after the millennium turn quite a few big media production companies started shifting to open software, for economy, for having more control over the way to use them over time. So in time this may trickle down.

It's the Ford Taurus to Photoshop's Shelby Mustang GT500: it ain't fancy, it ain't pretty, but it'll get you to and from work and it's got a decent radio.

It is a little slow on load-up, but that might just be my laptop.

Uneconomic, unsafe and impractical for everyday use?

Probably laptop yes. Krita is loading up much slower for me, even kind of in a grinding phase on SSD.. So consider getting one of those if you have not.

[cloverthegreat]

Used it, hated it.

I cannot sing Clip Studio's praises highly enough. It's easily worth the $50, but you can also wait for a sale.

There are some other good free programs out there for illustration, but CSP/Manga Studio 5 is my favorite. If you're looking for illustration programs, I'd search for that rather than Photoshop alternatives as many of them are built around photo editing.