Manipulating Graphics with The GIMP10novdocx (ENU) 01 February 200613510Manipulating Graphics with TheGIMPThe GIMP (The GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a program for creating and editing pixelgraphics. In most aspects, its features are comparable to those of Adobe Photoshop and othercommercial programs. Use it to resize and retouch photographs, design graphics for Web pages,make covers for your custom CDs, or almost any other graphics project. It meets the needs of bothamateurs and professionals.Like many other Linux programs, The GIMP is developed as a cooperative effort of developersworldwide who volunteer their time and code to the project. The program is under constantdevelopment, so the version included in your system may vary slightly from the version discussedhere. The layout of the individual windows and window sections is especially likely to vary.The GIMP is an extremely complex program. Only a small range of features, tools, and menu itemsare discussed in this chapter. See “For More Information” on page 139 for ideas of where to findmore information about the program.10.1 Graphics FormatsThere are two main formats for graphics—pixel and vector. The GIMP works only with pixelgraphics, which is the normal format for photographs and scanned images. Pixel graphics consist ofsmall blocks of color that together create the entire image. The files can easily become quite largebecause of this. It is also not possible to increase the size of a pixel image without losing quality.Unlike pixel graphics, vector graphics do not store information for all individual pixels. Instead,they store information about how image points, lines, or areas are grouped together. Vector imagescan also be scaled very easily. The drawing application of OpenOffice.org, for example, uses thisformat.10.2 Starting GIMPStart GIMP from the main menu. Alternatively, enter gimp & in a command line.10.2.1 Initial ConfigurationWhen starting GIMP for the first time, a configuration wizard opens for preparatory configuration.The default settings are acceptable for most purposes. Press Continue in each dialog unless you arefamiliar with the settings and prefer another setup.10.2.2 The Default WindowsThree windows appear by default. They can be arranged on the screen and, except the toolbox,closed if no longer needed. Closing the toolbox closes the application. In the default configuration,GIMP saves your window layout when you exit. Dialogs left open reappear when you next start theprogram.
