# GIMP



## Broughtonblue (14 Jan 2021)

Today I got round to doing something I've wanted to do for years, teaching myself how to merge 2 different pictures as in photoshop, but I couldnt afford that so I used GIMP, which is absolutely free! I've only done the basics of cutting out pictures and layering them onto another but I'm totally hooked. Decided as we aren't allowed to travel I would 'take selfies' at the 7 wonders of the world. Now looking forward to getting more technical and adding shadows, learning about transparency and anything else. I'm a total techno phobe so more than happy with my days work. Obviously the attached pic is blurred intentionally to hide our identities, not a reflection of my newly found talents 🤣

Got to fill these cold winter lockdown days with something,


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## ebikeerwidnes (14 Jan 2021)

I used to teach ICT in schools

as a fan of free software (as was my budget) I used GIMP a lot

lesson 1 - introduce GIMP and make sure kids do not Goggle it
Lesson 2 - get round kids sniggering every time GIMP is mentioned

but apart from that

we did a project called "When XXXX visited out school"
they had to take a photo of the school and then find a photo of a celebrity and superimpose in onto the school looking like the celeb visited the school
Extra points if it included a picture of themselves with their arms round the celeb (apparently)

Yeah Gods the Girls loved that one!

The deputy Head was somewhat confused by the kids in the corridor outside my room taking photos of each other in weird poses and their arms out

Photoshop is over rated - a lot of stuff it is used for can be done for free

even did a simple version of the above in Primary -- still worked out fine without the problem of the GIMP name


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## Edwardoka (14 Jan 2021)

Broughtonblue said:


> Today I got round to doing something I've wanted to do for years, teaching myself how to merge 2 different pictures as in photoshop, but I couldnt afford that so I used GIMP, which is absolutely free! I've only done the basics of cutting out pictures and layering them onto another but I'm totally hooked. Decided as we aren't allowed to travel I would 'take selfies' at the 7 wonders of the world. Now looking forward to getting more technical and adding shadows, learning about transparency and anything else. I'm a total techno phobe so more than happy with my days work. Obviously the attached pic is blurred intentionally to hide our identities, not a reflection of my newly found talents 🤣
> 
> Got to fill these cold winter lockdown days with something,


GIMP is pretty good but if you're used to photoshop's interface, GIMP is extremely offputting.
Photopea is a web-based Photoshop remake and it's surprisingly excellent. The interface is virtually identical, I'm surprised Adobe haven't sued.

There was a way to get a copy of the now-ancient Adobe Creative Suite 2 (inc Photoshop CS2) without resorting to yarrr-matey behaviour, but it looks like Adobe shut it down.


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## Broughtonblue (14 Jan 2021)

Edwardoka said:


> GIMP is pretty good but if you're used to photoshop's interface, GIMP is extremely offputting.
> Photopea is a web-based Photoshop remake and it's surprisingly excellent. The interface is virtually identical, I'm surprised Adobe haven't sued.
> 
> There was a way to get a copy of the now-ancient Adobe Creative Suite 2 (inc Photoshop CS2) without resorting to yarrr-matey behaviour, but it looks like Adobe shut it down.


As I said, I'm a total tech novice, so just to be able to start the program up and tentatively find my way around is good enough for me🤣 computers are hard work for us oldies 😜


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## ebikeerwidnes (14 Jan 2021)

Well I was born in 1960 and I kinda manage them OK


mind you I was a programmer for 20 years, taught IT for 13 years and did some IT technician stuff in the meantime so I'm kinda used to it

but age ain;t a factor - just look for a local IT course for 'people of our age'
Silver Surfers or some such
when I was in North Wales they had a course called "Computing for the Terrified" - I would love to teach on that one!


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## ColinJ (14 Jan 2021)

After a few more weeks practice, you will be able to touch up your photos and remove those annoying purple splodges that always seem to turn up where you don't want them!


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## HLaB (14 Jan 2021)

OOh, I love free software but I've not got the bottle to google GIMP


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## irw (14 Jan 2021)

Looks like you've found 'magnetic lasso', or whatever the GIMP equivalent name is. May I suggest you now research 'edge feathering' to make it blend a little more


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## ebikeerwidnes (14 Jan 2021)

I


HLaB said:


> OOh, I love free software but I've not got the bottle to google GIMP


It really isn't a problem 

just don't do it in work or with people watching

and, if you have 'interests' allow a few hours


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## annedonnelly (15 Jan 2021)

Edwardoka said:


> GIMP is pretty good but if you're used to photoshop's interface, GIMP is extremely offputting.


Yeah, I tried GIMP when I bought a new PC & didn't want to install my extremely old version of Photoshop. Gave up after a few hours.
I don't do much image stuff but I'm sticking with Photoshop.


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## PeteXXX (15 Jan 2021)

HLaB said:


> OOh, I love free software but I've not got the bottle to google GIMP


'Safe search on' should help 👍🏼


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## DCBassman (15 Jan 2021)

Or Google its full name, Gnu Image Manipulation Program...


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## Cycleops (15 Jan 2021)

Thank god it's about a photo editing program, I thought maybe you'd started wearing one of these:


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## mjr (15 Jan 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Thank god it's about a photo editing program, I thought maybe you'd started wearing one of these:
> View attachment 568999


No but when I find a photo of the OP, it will soon look like it!

www.gimp.org


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## Andy in Germany (15 Jan 2021)

I've been using The Gimp for pictures and all kinds of other stuff. In fact it was how I made the transfers for my touring bike, and at another time made a 1 metre sign for a bar, it's really versatile and once you work out how to think the right way, great fun.


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## MichaelW2 (15 Jan 2021)

In these "difficult times" we need a "GIMP your bike somewhere exotic" thread.


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## ebikeerwidnes (15 Jan 2021)

MichaelW2 said:


> In these "difficult times" we need a "GIMP your bike somewhere exotic" thread.


I think I know what you mean


but it doesn't half sound wrong!!!!

I mean - I have heard some stories about how much 'some people' love their bike


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## figbat (15 Jan 2021)

Good work. However I feel bound to mention the small matter of copyright. Taking images off of the internet and republishing them is a breach of copyright unless permission is given. Manipulating them just adds to this.

I’m not saying I’m blameless nor that in many cases it isn’t harmless, but like a lot of low-level misdemeanours, where do you draw the line? Better to know the facts then make your decisions than to inadvertently end up in a lawsuit for grabbing the wrong image. I’ve had pictures ‘stolen’ and reused without my knowledge or permission - when I find out all I ask for is a credit.


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## MontyVeda (15 Jan 2021)

figbat said:


> Good work. However I feel bound to mention the small matter of copyright. Taking images off of the internet and republishing them is a breach of copyright unless permission is given. Manipulating them just adds to this.
> 
> I’m not saying I’m blameless nor that in many cases it isn’t harmless, but like a lot of low-level misdemeanours, where do you draw the line? Better to know the facts then make your decisions than to inadvertently end up in a lawsuit for grabbing the wrong image. I’ve had pictures ‘stolen’ and reused without my knowledge or permission -* when I find out all I ask for is a credit.*


have you had any luck getting that credit?

Years ago, some bloke from Hornby on the east coast was using one of my photos of Hornby Castle for his historic hornby blog, I politely asked him for a link to the website he'd taken the photo from, but he flat refused (tosser). I then asked him to remove the photo from his blog, but he flat refused (tosser). It was only when i pointed out that the photo of Hornby Castle was in fact the one in Lancashire and not on the east coast, and advised him to remove it before anyone noticed how crap a historian he was, did he remove it (monty: 1, tosser: 0) 

Lancashire County Council were also using the same photo on their City, Coast & Countryside website and i asked them for a link to the website they'd taken it from. They refused. I asked them to take the photo down and eventually they did, but even that took a lot of emails.

With regards to image editing software... it's best to just stick with what you know. I've been using Fireworks for the best part of 20 years. Photoshop just isn't intuitive for me, but i guess if I'd started with Photoshop, Fireworks would look like a cheap toy in comparison. I have had a look at GIMP in the past, but it offered me nothing more than what i was used to.. so stuck with Fireworks.


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## figbat (15 Jan 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> have you had any luck getting that credit?


Actually more yes than no, although I am not prolific so it has only been a few cases. I usually approach all friendly-like and only get bullish if they don't play ball.


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## BoldonLad (15 Jan 2021)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> Well I was* born in 1960* and I kinda manage them OK



1960! a mere child....


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## DCBassman (16 Jan 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> With regards to image editing software... it's best to just stick with what you know. I've been using Fireworks for the best part of 20 years. Photoshop just isn't intuitive for me, but i guess if I'd started with Photoshop, Fireworks would look like a cheap toy in comparison. I have had a look at GIMP in the past, but it offered me nothing more than what i was used to.. so stuck with Fireworks.


For what limited image manipulation I do, I use Paint Shop Pro 7.04, hugely outdated, but does what I need it to do. This was off my work hard drive when that was given to me at redundancy. In January 2003! So it really is ancient.


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## MontyVeda (16 Jan 2021)

DCBassman said:


> For what limited image manipulation I do, I use Paint Shop Pro 7.04, hugely outdated, but does what I need it to do. This was off my work hard drive when that was given to me at redundancy. In January 2003! So it really is ancient.


My Fireworks CS6 is from 2012... but it doesn't appear to do any more than the initial MX version i began using in 2004... in fact I recall how disappointed i was after 'upgrading' from MX to CS6


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