HELP - Learning to use GIMP

Pioneer

Pioneer

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Okay. Since I dropped my subscription to Photoshop several months ago I have been trying to learn GIMP but I am not having much success. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good written or online tutorial that might assist me to get past this apparent block? Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
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IIRC there are also GIMP classes on YT. And the price is right. And do not lose sight of the Jesuit motto of learning: "Repititio, repititio, repititio." I tried learning GIMP by putting a manual under my pillow and it did not help one little bit. ;o)
 
Oh goody. This looks like its going to be fun. :D

I guess it is too much to expect to see a book like the Adobe Photoshop for CS6. That was one of my go-to resources and there was an earlier one for CS3.

Maybe learning another digital software system is the impetus I need to pull my old Beseler 45 enlarger back out of mothballs. :D
 
I was just peeking at the GIMP manuals and they take me to a difficult spot. If I am coming from raw should I edit in GIMP? I understand that GIMP is non-destructive and has the sidecar of instructions plus the original image but if I am in RAW maybe I had better learn ART. But as I am lazy I'd probably opt for JPG in GIMP. Or nothing at all.
 
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I see the problem. It seems to have been made by engineers, not photographers. Way too cryptic and complex. Nothing against good engineers, they are vital. But it would really help to be photographers first and engineers second.
 
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Is there something specific that you would like to know about GIMP? I am using it all the time for editing; most things I managed to figure them out myself but on the other hand I am not doing too much editing on the pictures either.
 
Most of my images don't need a whole lot. The most complex needs I have are if the horizon is off, there's vignetting to correct or I want to convert to monochrome.

I can to I do that kind of photo editing in RawTherapee.

Only if something is really needing major work do I actually fire up GIMP and honestly, I'm far more likely to go take another image first if that's at all possible. GIMP is easily as good a toolbox as Photoshop but honestly, it's overkill 99% of the time.
 
brusby said:
I see the problem. It seems to have been made by engineers, not photographers. Way too cryptic and complex. Nothing against good engineers, they are vital. But it would really help to be photographers first and engineers second.
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What you say is true. But I have never seen yet a simple, easy photo editor. If there is an editor or platform you have been using for years it is easy and simple. Were I to pick it up it would be a thicket of confusion. All of these beasts have steep learning curves. And that sure encourages me to cross over to the other side of the street when I see one on the sidewalk before me. It's almost "Avoid At All Costs" but not quite. ;o)

Some cameras can crank out JPG's which consistently need little or no editing and some cannot. That is a function of the chops of the folks who code for the camera manufacturers. Manufacturers do strive to improve their software and will trumpet a new version of whatever it is they have been using. But we have on this board a man who knows image control and manipulation who can professionally attest to some pretty shoddy stuff cloaked in big bucks. In cases like these and editor is pretty precious. I suppose it is like knowing how to row a boat. You may not need it often but when you do nothing else will do.
 
boojum said:
What you say is true. But I have never seen yet a simple, easy photo editor. If there is an editor or platform you have been using for years it is easy and simple. Were I to pick it up it would be a thicket of confusion. All of these beasts have steep learning curves. And that sure encourages me to cross over to the other side of the street when I see one on the sidewalk before me. It's almost "Avoid At All Costs" but not quite. ;o)

Some cameras can crank out JPG's which consistently need little or no editing and some cannot. That is a function of the chops of the folks who code for the camera manufacturers. Manufacturers do strive to improve their software and will trumpet a new version of whatever it is they have been using. But we have on this board a man who knows image control and manipulation who can professionally attest to some pretty shoddy stuff cloaked in big bucks. In cases like these and editor is pretty precious. I suppose it is like knowing how to row a boat. You may not need it often but when you do nothing else will do.
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The problem is that cameras and humans just "see" differently.
 
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boojum said:
What you say is true. But I have never seen yet a simple, easy photo editor. If there is an editor or platform you have been using for years it is easy and simple. Were I to pick it up it would be a thicket of confusion. All of these beasts have steep learning curves. And that sure encourages me to cross over to the other side of the street when I see one on the sidewalk before me. It's almost "Avoid At All Costs" but not quite. ;o)
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You have hit the nail on the head @boojum. I am not a great Photoshop user but at least I had the basics down. I really wish I were like some of you where my photos do not need any editing but I am certainly not there. Every now and again I find an image that is really good but I know it can be better, sometimes a lot better. I know what I want to do, but I don't always know how to convince GIMP to do it. :)

I have started trying to teach myself how to use GIMP because I am pretty sure that the program has the ability to do what I need. But I have been reverting back to my old Paintshop Pro program whenever I hit a speed bump, which is way too often. This is really not helping because I am not really learning to use GIMP. I am only learning shortcuts to get around my problems.

I have finally reached the frustration point where I have decided it is time to bite the bullet. It is time to just sit down, spend a few weeks, and actually learn how to get around in GIMP like I did with Photoshop. I need a good tutorial, and probably a good book, that will help teach me the techniques as well as the language.

I figured some of you have run into the same problems so I was hoping to pick your brains and find a good tutorial and or book that had helped you cut through the haze. @raydm6 I will go back to the GIMP tutorials and try going through them again. It certainly won't hurt. They are useful when you run into a specific problem. They are more like an instruction manual but they are not really designed to be a learning guide. And @p.giannakis , I will certainly keep your name close, you may yet regret that offer. :D I don't really have anything specific to ask right now but I am very confident that I will once I get back into this again.
 
Yeah, it seems I am not the only one who sees image editing as the ugly side of shooting. And then there is the awful result that when done the light does not look right. There is a local photographer who is adept at editing but not so adept at restraint. The result is some weird looking postcards. That is my judgement. Most folk like them a lot. Maybe I am overly sensitive to the light "matching" throughout the image.

And, yes, as @brusby points out, our minds patch the image we see in life so that somehow it looks OK while the camera is not quite as adept. Some are more adept than others. I try to slide by with SOOC. I got caught out on a few recently. ;o)
 
Pioneer said:
You have hit the nail on the head @boojum. I am not a great Photoshop user but at least I had the basics down. I really wish I were like some of you where my photos do not need any editing but I am certainly not there. Every now and again I find an image that is really good but I know it can be better, sometimes a lot better. I know what I want to do, but I don't always know how to convince GIMP to do it. :)

I have started trying to teach myself how to use GIMP because I am pretty sure that the program has the ability to do what I need. But I have been reverting back to my old Paintshop Pro program whenever I hit a speed bump, which is way too often. This is really not helping because I am not really learning to use GIMP. I am only learning shortcuts to get around my problems.

I have finally reached the frustration point where I have decided it is time to bite the bullet. It is time to just sit down, spend a few weeks, and actually learn how to get around in GIMP like I did with Photoshop. I need a good tutorial, and probably a good book, that will help teach me the techniques as well as the language.

I figured some of you have run into the same problems so I was hoping to pick your brains and find a good tutorial and or book that had helped you cut through the haze. @raydm6 I will go back to the GIMP tutorials and try going through them again. It certainly won't hurt. They are useful when you run into a specific problem. They are more like an instruction manual but they are not really designed to be a learning guide. And @p.giannakis , I will certainly keep your name close, you may yet regret that offer. :D I don't really have anything specific to ask right now but I am very confident that I will once I get back into this again.
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boojum said:
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Thanks @boojum . I have been looking very closely at the Ultimate GIMP 2.10 Guide on Youtube. Unless something else rears its' head I will probably start this tutorial next week. It also has a book available on Amazon so there is a reference I can use once I am finished with the course.

Please don't assume I am recommending this one tutorial over others; I am not. I will be able to give my real opinion once I am actually using the course. There are a number of others I have found during my search that may be as good or better, but this one does look reasonably complete, has a reference book associated with it, and is working with the most recent distribution.

Thank you everyone. There have been several suggestions made here that I will also keep in mind as I make my way through this process. For me learning a new editing program and process is big undertaking. I'm an old-timer and am not naturally comfortable with our new digital assistants. I started my journey years ago with the darkroom and a small, 35mm enlarger and that is still what I am most used to. But using Photoshop has taught me there is value in these new tools and I do want to take advantage them.

So, as they say, here goes nothing! :D
 
Being as I'm a SOOC shooter for the most part, I've been relying on a program that came pre-loaded on my computer when I bought it.
So far it's worked ok and when I ask it to do something 'exotic', it'll ask me to upgrade to the full version. So far I've resisted doing that.
It's called PhotoDirector 8 by Cyberlink. For the basics it works pretty nicely IMO. You might take a look at it.
 
AlwaysOnAuto said:
Being as I'm a SOOC shooter for the most part, I've been relying on a program that came pre-loaded on my computer when I bought it.
So far it's worked ok and when I ask it to do something 'exotic', it'll ask me to upgrade to the full version. So far I've resisted doing that.
It's called PhotoDirector 8 by Cyberlink. For the basics it works pretty nicely IMO. You might take a look at it.
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Thanks. I'll do that.

That is actually why I have Paintshop, it came with the computer. That aaannd...my wife absolutely HATES Photoshop and refused to have anything to do with it. To be completely honest, I could probably survive with Paintshop for most tasks myself, but...let us just say I am not yet ready to eat crow!!!

The things we do for love! :D
 
I'm rotating over to Affinity Photo 2 after years of giving Adobe money. It's a PS clone and not too hard to get along with. Imports and exports PSD files. $70, once. I don't use raw files so I can't comment on that aspect.
 
There is a reason that a team designs software and that it is not left to the coders. Yeah, the coders can convert all those ideas into actual actions. But too often how they do it looks like a damned kludge. The other thing they are not good at is writing the documentation. Coding is fun. Getting the code to solve a problem is fun. Making it part of an easily usable consumer goods package and writing the documentation? That just plain sucks. LMAO
 
boojum said:
What you say is true. But I have never seen yet a simple, easy photo editor. If there is an editor or platform you have been using for years it is easy and simple. Were I to pick it up it would be a thicket of confusion. All of these beasts have steep learning curves. And that sure encourages me to cross over to the other side of the street when I see one on the sidewalk before me. It's almost "Avoid At All Costs" but not quite. ;o)

Some cameras can crank out JPG's which consistently need little or no editing and some cannot. That is a function of the chops of the folks who code for the camera manufacturers. Manufacturers do strive to improve their software and will trumpet a new version of whatever it is they have been using. But we have on this board a man who knows image control and manipulation who can professionally attest to some pretty shoddy stuff cloaked in big bucks. In cases like these and editor is pretty precious. I suppose it is like knowing how to row a boat. You may not need it often but when you do nothing else will do.
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A brief aside, as usual for me.

Some truly good points in this thread. I've been pondering a move from the now obsolete PP software I've used for 12 years, over to GIMP. So I'm learning a lot here.

Like boojum, my needs are not exactly complex or complicated. I find my Nikons give me 90%+ of the quality I want from JPEGs and now and then RAW when I'm out photographing personally valuable images or for publishing.

As for my Fujis, well, too bad. Realistically they do what I'm trying to achieve maybe 50%-60% of the time but often less. I wish I had known this when I decided to move over to Fuji, mostly for weight considerations, but I did and now I'm stuck there for the time being while I decide how to resolve all this. And spending far too much time staring at my laptop, trying to bring those darn colors back to what I (or my few remaining book clients) can make good use of.

With Nikon the actual photographing is simpler, with fewer in-camera options available - for a brief time with my Fujis I was greatly taken with the film simulations, but now I never use those. The Nikons always give me what I want.

With the Fujis I'm disappointed with the color shifts I seem to so routinely get - I photograph mostly architectural subjects = old buildings, in daylight, so seemingly nothing too difficult - and the unreliable exposure range I get from the same shoot same position same setting. Whether it's due to me or the cameras, the jury is still out on, but I suspect the gear, as these annoying results never occurs with my Nikons.

As a side matter to this discussion, what is complicated with destructive versus non-destructive images in any PP software? It may be that I'm basically a novice with PP software, but a long time ago I figured out a simple system that serves me well. I download my original images into sub-folders in a dated and captioned folder and I then save those as Originals JPEG (or RAW) - [caption]. I then copy the lot into the main folder and retitle them = today's date, 2025_01_26_1A and so on). I then work on the A images and not the originals. Usually I make a smaller image of the best As for web use or to send as sample images to publishers. These I caption in more detail, time/place/situation. So the above mentioned A image for today becomes 2025_01_26_1A becak drivers Gubeng Rail Station. This also makes it easier for me to search for the relevant images if I'm lucky enough to sell some.

All this may seem like kindergarten stuff but in everything I do I strive for the easiest/laziest/simplest way to get the best quality. It also guarantees that my originals will be saved for posterity (or to be deleted and the hard disk recycled to the dump by my executor at a I hope distant future time) without being interfered with.

To finish all this, I'm interested in GiMP and I will be following this thread much like the savvy cat that ate cheese to peer down the mouse hole.
 
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