How to create cool images with GIMP

If you have been reading the web design and creation articles, such as How to build a Web Site then you are
probably at the point where some image design is required. Lucky for you there
are some very powerful tools available.

I'm going to mainly talk about Gimp, which is a full featured, image editor,
that rivals Photoshop in many ways. It also has the huge advantage of being
free. But I'm also going to point you too some other very cool programs that
will help with other graphic and file types for your website.

GIMP (Graphic Image Manipulation
Program) came out, and really became popular with the Linux movement in
1999 and 2000. An Open Source project, it had been around a few years before
that, but really started to make some great advances about that time. It was
good then, but it is very stable, and feature rich now. It also has an easy
to install Windows version.

Downloading and Installing

When you get to the download
page, you will need to get two software packages and install them both.

The first package is GTK, which is a programming environment (something like
Java or Perl) which needs to be installed on your computer before Gimp will
run. After you download and install GTK, then download and install Gimp.

System Requirements

RAM is a big thing for graphic manipulation programs and GIMP is no exception.
Running Gimp for any real purpose is going to take 128 megs of RAM at least,
but the more the better.

Also you will need Windows 2000 or better. The Gimp team no longer supports
earlier versions.

Start it up

Okay, we got it downloaded, and installed. Let's start it up.

First thing you will notice, if you have a huge library of installed fonts,
is that like its Adobe cousin, it has to go through every single one of them
and get them setup before it can start up. There's not much you can do about
that, except to remove some of the installed fonts (which will also help with
your computer start up time as well).

The first time you start Gimp up it is also going to walk you through some
"Performance" settings. Leave the settings at the default the first
time, and then, once you get use to the program go to the Gimp website and read
up on some of the tuning and setting changes that are available (there are quite
a few). I say this for two reasons. First of all, there's a lot of ground to
cover in this area, Gimp has several changes you can make to get the most out
of it, and your computer. Second, make sure you like the program before you
put that much time into it.

What can I do now?

What I really like about Gimp is that you don't have to know much about image
design to get in there and start messing around with things. My first suggestion
is to try out some of the Script-Fu programs.

Script-Fu is the scripting language for Gimp which allows you to make cool
effects with a click of the mouse. There is a library of these which comes with
Gimp to create logos, for example. To get to these go to the Menu->Xtns->Script
Fu->Logos

Choose Cool Metal, to start with and just type something cool into the text
box area. Leave the rest of the settings as they are, and hit the Ok button.
The script runs, and makes an image.

Kinda nice eh? There are lots of these scripts in that area, which will save
time when you need buttons or quick images for your website.

On line help

While the program looks simple, it is feature rich. I haven't yet found something
I could do in Photoshop that I couldn't do in Gimp, though each program has
some features that it does easier. There are several resources out there on
the web which have tutorials on using different features, here are some that
I've come across or went hunting for. Not being a graphic designer, they have
helped me out several times in the past.

Gimp Tutorials

http://empyrean.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/~nem/gimp/tuts/

GIMP Tutorials from the GUG

http://gug.sunsite.dk/?page=tutorials

GIMP tutorials on the Gimp page

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

That should get you started. There are plenty more out there, and with the
Script-fu GIMP has, anything you can't do, you can make up as you go along.

Other Programs

Web design can be an expensive hobby if you go out and purchase all the name
brand items. Having them around is nice, but you can start with some open source
or less expensive software to get you going. Then move up the ladder if these
tools don't meet all of your needs.

PDF Files

PDF is fairly important if you are going to make ebooks or put out forms. Making
them with Acrobat is very easy, but expensive. CutePDF
has an answer for you here.

Another option is PDF995

Flash

Flash animation adds some class to a website if used in moderation, and now
that the search engines can read text that is inside flash presentations it
makes the format even more valuable to website designers.

Powerbullet Presenter has put out a flash
animation creator that is free, and does a great job as well.

More Graphics

If you want to get into the 3-D graphics design then the Art
of Illusion program might be a good place to start. A very impressive piece
of software. The site also has a nice gallery showing off the abilities of this
package.