this is not a tutorial it’s a getting started guide based on GIMP because GIMP is used on most OS’s (Windows, Linux, BSD etc. etc.) personally i use Linux but GIMP is the same on Windows, Linux etc. etc.
to get GIMP for Windows visit GIMP - for Windows[ot]BTW: to run GIMP on Windows you need to install the GTK+ runtime libraries first[/ot]select “Downloads”[ot]don’t forget to download the GTK+ runtime libraries[/ot]
to get GIMP for Mac OS X visit GIMP - for Mac OS X, select “Downloads”
to get GIMP for Linux visit GIMP - for Unix and select the Distro you wish to run GIMP on,
or compile the source code yourself, the binaries are here for any OS
if you use Windows you need to install the GTK+ runtime before you install GIMP
now assuming you have GIMP installed correctly, start GIMP, and you are presented with the GIMP toolbox & the tip of the day, you can close tip of the day[ot]& select show when GIMP starts, if you wish[/ot]you may need to save the file as a .xcf to enable many of GIMP functions[ot]File > Save As, and choose a file name & the location to save it[/ot]also if you are working of a .jpg file you need to add an alpha channel (to allow parts of the image to be transparent)
GIMP Toolbox
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.8c9dc83069.png
the first thing we need to start with is open the file (File > Open) & select the image you wish to open, you should now have a screen that looks similar to this
http://www.freefilehosting.org/public/thumb_4640c482b4f74560418302.png
with GIMP you first select the tool you want to use and set the options for that tool
e.g. click the rectangle select (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/42ab748a30.png)
[ot]each tool has many options[/ot]
rectangle select options
http://www.freefilehosting.org/public/thumb_4640d4de2bee0289981778.png
for most things you do with GIMP start by leaving the options as they are set by default, as you learn more about GIMP you will understand what each option does, if you want a brief description of an option, you can hover your mouse over an option, but remember there are different option available for different tool[ot]so if you select a different tool a different set of options appear[/ot]select the different tools and look at the options available for that tool, & you’ll soon be GIMPing away like a pro[/ot]just select the part of the image you would like with the rectangle select tool when you’ve selected an area click Edit > Copy or Cut, then Edit > Paste as New
your screen should look something like this
http://www.freefilehosting.org/public/thumb_4640c853ed153315198800.png
now select the rubber from the toolbox (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/eb7509cb14.png) and choose the size you want from the options part of the toolbox[ot]i chose circle 19 by clicking the brush type (http://www.imageox.com/graphic/thumbs/48746-brush_styl-th.png) and a menu will appear, allowing you to choose from many different brush styles[/ot]but that way can take a while, so we’ll use rectangle select again to select an area to remove, like this
http://www.freefilehosting.org/public/thumb_4640c5a4cba54424105513.png
try to remember to save you image regularly then if you make any changes you don’t like you can just do File > Revert to go back to the last time you saved your image, after a while your image should soon look like this
http://www.freefilehosting.org/public/thumb_4640c6cb24b4c264424419.png
then you just Edit > Cut or Copy and Edit > Paste as New or Paste Into now create a new image (500 pixels wide & 200 pixels deep & 15kb, HWF’s maximum image size][ot]however yo can have a lager sig pic by using an on-line image host like Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket[/ot]now you can create your own signature pic[ot]but please try to keep images under 52kb as larger images present a problem for dial up users, because large images take a long time for slow connection users to download[/ot]
BTW: then try adding borders, & text[ot]try to create a sig pic related to your username[/ot]
BTW: GIMP stand for GNU Image Manipulation Program
Edit: transparent areas are displayed as a small Grey checker board & when you’ve built up a sig pic you just need to convert the image to a .jpg and verify the file size is less than 15kb (to host it on HWF)[ot]this may not be the official way to do image editing with GIMP, but, it is the way i did it[/ot]
, but apparently it’s confusing[ot]but the jury is still out[/ot] i think it would be easier to change it in a different or larger editor
