Blog : What Is Gimp And What Is It For

Still don't know what Gimp is and what you can use it for? We tell you in this post. If you don't know what Gimp is, here is a hint: images are increasingly relevant in digital marketing. The visual has great appeal and is the fastest way to reach and impact the target audience. Social networks such as Pinterest or Instagram are based on this type of content, and photographs are beginning to become a prominent element in the marketing strategies of companies. And in all this, Gimp can help you.

The quality of the photographs is pampered with care, and it is usual to treat them with editing programs. The best known is Photoshop, which is used by many designers and users. Still, if you are looking for a free alternative to touch up your images in a somewhat more amateur way, today, we bring you a good alternative: GIMP. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is one of these image editing applications. It is free software, included within the GNU project, and available under this public license and the GNU Lesser General Public License.

GIMP is an ideal program for retouching, composing, and editing images. Many small businesses use it to create logos or graphics for free. Some of its features have nothing to envy other commercial licenses. In fact, it has become an alternative to Photoshop in some cases. The first version of the program was designed for GNU / Linux. Currently, there are also own adaptations for Windows and Mac OS X. This free software program supports most graphic files, such as jpg, gif, png, tiff, etc. Also, it has its own storage format, xcf. It is capable of importing pdf files or svg vector images.

1. Open an image: The first thing we will do is start the program as we do with any other, by clicking on its icon on our desktop, or by selecting it from the list of programs. Now, we will click on File at the top of the screen and look for the Open option. Clicking there will open a screen from which we can search our team for the image. We select it and click Open.

2. Crop an image: With an image already open in Gimp, we will click on Tools at the top of the screen. Once there, we will look for Transform tools> Trim. At this time, the clipping window will open. In the Options window, we will click on the box next to Fixed to choose a cut with predetermined sizes (for example, 4: 6 for a 10 x 15 cm cutout). If what we are looking for is to cut as we want and not with a predetermined size, we will leave the box unchecked. Now, we will click with the mouse on the part of the image from where we want to start trimming and drag the mouse down to where we want the cut to the end. This will create a box that shows us a preview of the cropped photo. If we like it that way, we will only have to press Enter to crop the image indeed.

3. Correct colors: Once Gimp is open and with an image, click on Colors. Now select Auto and White Balance, and thus the Gimp itself will adjust the white balance of the image. If what we want is to change the contrast of the photo, again, we will click on Colors and select Auto and Color enhancement. Thus, Gimp will automatically balance the color contrast. And if you did not like any of these changes, just go to Edit, Undo to return the image as it was.

Gimp began development in 1995 when students Spencer Kimball and Peter Matis started the project as a career job at the University of Berkeley. Currently, a group of volunteers is in charge of improving and developing the program, the first of its characteristics not specifically intended for professionals or experts. Now, when someone asks you what Gimp is, you can say that it is an excellent option, therefore, to retouch the photos of our small or medium-sized company.