by Lorene Troyer
I started in graphic design about 2 years ago when my pastor asked me to take over the church website. One of the things I needed to do was to create slides.
I was a total novice, but I noticed that when I created slides in Paint, my text was jagged- (a look I really did not care for). Since I was working on a Mac at the time, I bought Pixelmator- this program worked well and I enjoyed it very much- I then had to quit using the Mac and start using a PC so I found and downloaded this nifty program called Gimp :).
I really enjoy Gimp and it's the only program I use at this point in time (other than dabbling a little bit with Inkscape) to create images to sell.
Here are some ideas on how to learn to use Gimp.
First of all, you can read books that teach you how to use Gimp. Awhile back I read the book, Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional by Akkana Peck. I found it very interesting and easy to understand. It covers a LOT of information so be prepared to spend some time with it and take down plenty of notes so you don't forget what you learned!
I started in graphic design about 2 years ago when my pastor asked me to take over the church website. One of the things I needed to do was to create slides.
I was a total novice, but I noticed that when I created slides in Paint, my text was jagged- (a look I really did not care for). Since I was working on a Mac at the time, I bought Pixelmator- this program worked well and I enjoyed it very much- I then had to quit using the Mac and start using a PC so I found and downloaded this nifty program called Gimp :).
I really enjoy Gimp and it's the only program I use at this point in time (other than dabbling a little bit with Inkscape) to create images to sell.
Here are some ideas on how to learn to use Gimp.
First of all, you can read books that teach you how to use Gimp. Awhile back I read the book, Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional by Akkana Peck. I found it very interesting and easy to understand. It covers a LOT of information so be prepared to spend some time with it and take down plenty of notes so you don't forget what you learned!
Hint- your local library might have the book as well if you don''t mind having to rush through it or if you just want to see whether this is a book you want to invest in.
Another way to learn how to use Gimp is to read or watch tutorials on the Internet. I personally like to go to Youtube and look for Gimp tutorial videos. I can learn a lot by just watching the videos but I learn much more by actually following along and "doing" the tutorial.
This can get frustrating, especially if you are a beginner, but keep reminding yourself that this is a process and you won't learn it all in one day. By the way, if you are a complete beginner, it will go a lot smoother if you master the easy tutorials before going on to the harder ones.
If you happen to have a desktop computer as well as a laptop, it can work very well to watch the tutorial on one computer while following along on the other computer.
The final suggestion I am going to mention is to experiment on your own- open the Gimp and start clicking around to find out what all those tools do. If you can't figure it out- do some research. Put in the name of the tool + Gimp and usually you will find out all you need to know to use it effectively. Here is a good place to start: Gimp Tutorials
Of course these are not the only ways to learn how to use Gimp but they will at least get you started. Have fun!
