What is Gimp?
Gimp is a completely free graphics editor that is similar to the well-known Adobe Photoshop. The majority of the functions are similar to those found in Photoshop, and its modern features and tools with the same names can become a full-fledged alternative to a professional licensed program. Private individuals and small organizations who do not want to spend money on a Photoshop license prefer it.
You can download Gimp (2024) for Windows and other operating systems from the official website at the end of the article.
Gimp Features
The software allows you to work with various image formats (JPG, TIFF, PNG, GIFF, MPEG, etc.). The software even has its own XCF format and a limited version of the Photoshop PSD format.
Users can not only process images, logos, and photographs, but also create them from scratch. Brightness level adjustment, color and contrast editing, resizing, combining several photos into one, and more are all possible.
The application also has a number of other features:
- Drawing - a large set of tools for creating high-quality and complete drawings. Brushes, pencils, stamps, erasers, and more can easily be adjusted by selecting the shape of the lines and optimal thickness.
- Animation - the ability to create animated files in the MNG format. Each frame is processed as a separate layer.
- Red-eye effect correction.
- Creating multi-layered projects - each element is applied as a separate layer, and it can be deleted or changed as desired.
- Selecting parts of an image in various shapes.
- Support for graphic tablets and scanners.
- A large number of filters.
- Batch and individual file processing.
- Multi-language menu.
- The ability to work in both single and multiple windows, and more.
Pros:
Gimp is a modern graphics editor for drawing and processing existing images, which has a multitude of advantages, including:
- Versions for Linux, Windows, and OS X;
- Professional-level editing capabilities;
- Completely free software;
- A familiar and intuitive interface with the ability to switch languages;
- Support for various image formats, including the proprietary format of Photoshop.
Cons:
There are also some negative aspects of the application:
- In rare cases, the program either freezes or runs slowly;
- Bugs may occur;
- Updates are released very rarely, as the development is almost not funded.
