I have recently been helping a friend (Mike) create a marketing plan for his new business venture. He is a web designer by trade but knows very little about the internal working of a computer. That is not a problem after all, he doesn’t need to know that for his work.
We did however have a in depth conversation about Adobe Photoshop and how he uses this tool (and other within the adobe suite of products) for his job. I was surprised to find out he had never used GIMP.
GIMP or “GNU image manipulation Program) is a free open source digital image editor under the GNU umbrella. ( More about GNU here) Its origins is deeply entangled in the Unix “like” realm, in its currently stature it is a cross-platform program.
I have used this tool for as long as I can remember and I love it. From basic photo blemishes to advanced tools, it ticks most boxes. Don’t get me wrong, it has a lot going for it, but it also lacks some key tools that designers use on a daily basis. For my needs it works well.
Mike set himself a goal to stick with GIMP for at least a week and see how he gets on. I can confirm that GIMP is part of his arsenal and uses it regularly.
It may not be of you and do what you need it to, but it’s a great alternative to the £££$ price tag of Photoshop
