GIMP – GeekOut UK

Making A Simple Gif in GIMP

I’ve been using GIMP on and off for many years now, but it was always to edit and improve an image. I mean, it’s called the GNU Image Manipulation Program after all. However, one thing I think we can all agree on is that gifs are far too cool in this day and age to miss out on. I truly love a good gif, so I wanted to see if I could create a gif. Considering GeekOut UK is coming to a close soon, I’ve been thinking on what the future brings and the one thing that’ll be staying is the GeekOut Discord server. So after getting a Nitro sub because, why the hell not, I love and support Discord, I decided to animate our logo.

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Our Poster Creation Process

As many of you are aware, we here at GeekOut Media like to come up with posters. Well, I like to come up with poster ideas at least, which sometimes translates really well, other times not so much. One thing I’ve been debating is creating more merchandise, however I thought I’d talk generally today about the creation process behind each of our posters. I figured I’d be transparent and talk about the costs involved with getting them printed, as well as the process behind making them. Right, let’s get into this, shall we?

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BIMP: A Time Saving Tool For Photographers

BIMP might seem like a really weird acronym to the average person, but to those who take a lot of pictures, it’s one of the best time saving tools out there. Having been using it for a long time, join Timlah as he discusses the benefits of BIMP and addons.

BIMP stands for the Batch Image Manipulation Program, which is a specific addon for GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It’s worth noting that BIMP is free and has to be my favourite time saving tool, whether I am creating a GeekOut Bristol Meet gallery like this past Monday, or if I just want to reduce the brightness of an image like I did in my AmeCon Cosplay Masquerade gallery. I have been using BIMP for over a year and I don’t know what I would do without it. It’s become a part of my work life during GeekOut Media activities, so it’s not surprising that I have a lot to say about it.

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GIMP Tutorial: Make a Christmas Bauble

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you went on GIMP and made a Bauble. Well then, now that’s out of the way with, tonight’s very short post, complete with images, is how to make your very own bauble in GIMP. Join Timlah and get into the festive cheer, by creating your very own Christmas decorations and join us on GeekOut in getting Christmas-y.

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Working with GIMP

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP, is a well known and easy to use application for… Well image manipulation. So what’s the difference between GIMP and, say, Photoshop? Find out here!

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP, is a well known and easy to use application for… Well image manipulation. So what’s the difference between GIMP and, say, Photoshop?

The common differences are simply condensed to these three steps:

Price: GIMP is free to use, though you are always free to donate to the project. I’d highly recommend donating if you have a few quid spare and you’re looking for an application like Photoshop. Photoshop is upwards of £100, although it’s to be noted that Adobe now offers a monthly package for Photoshop, the cheapest of which is £8.57 as of the time of writing this article.
Power: Whilst the price difference may be a reason you’d immediately go for GIMP, you have to realise that yes: You are lowering some of the power you get. Photoshop can be used for a large variety of projects, however GIMP is a lot more limited. It’s good for your basic image manipulation, or spriting, but it’s not so good for Text manipulation, 3D effects or adjustment layers.
Compatibility: Photoshop isn’t available here on Linux, but it is available on some versions Mac and Windows. GIMP is available on Linux, Max & Windows.

Now that we’ve gotten the differences out of the way, let’s look at GIMP and debunk the myths that it is hard to use.

Much like Photoshop, there are toolbars for all of the tools you’d expect. You have layers for working on individual elements of a picture and you have backgrounds. You can choose to go with a black, white or transparent background, allowing you to manipulate the images in any way you want. In the image below, you can see that I’ve been busy at work with different pictures for our logo, along with some… Sneak peaks, let’s just say.

Okay, so I’ve only made something simple, but GIMP is the software I’ve used since day one here on GeekOut South-West. I’ve always been a fan of it, so I’d implore you to at least check it out if you need to do some image manipulation. It produces some seriously high quality works.

It’s lightweight, it’s pretty powerful and yes – I’m a huge fan of it. For free software, this is honestly all that you can ask for and then some more. In an article I did some time ago, I showed how it could be used for spriting. But that’s not all this application can do. It has enough powerful tools to make your very own wonderful scenes, or to touch up an existing piece of art. It’s the tool I’m going to be using through making my very own adventure video game, for all of the textures and sprites I could ever need.

Have you used GIMP? Do you like it, or do you prefer to use Photoshop? What’s the reason for your preference? As always, give us your comments below or over on the Facebook or Twitter page. I hope I’ve given you the confidence to begin image manipulation.