GIMP is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It's a powerful, full-featured, professional-grade graphics editor with millions of users worldwide, and it can be intimidating. Even professional users find themselves stumped from time to time.The Book of GIMP is a comprehensive guide to GIMP 2.8 with answers to (nearly) all of your questions about GIMP. The first half of the book covers basics like resizing and cropping images, touching up spots and scratches, and customizing your desktop. Illustrated, step-by-step instructions show you how to build custom textures, animate logos, adjust color balance, work with selections and masks, and create digital illustrations. Every chapter is loaded with examples, illustrations, and detailed explanations that are simple enough for a beginner to understand, but thorough enough to satisfy serious users.The book's second half offers a comprehensive reference to GIMP's many features, including drawing, transformation, and color balance tools, selections, masks, filters, and plug-ins. Tools are described in unparalleled detail, with coverage of every option and parameter. You'll also find coverage of GIMP 2.8's many new features like the new single window interface, layer groups, tool presets, and more.The Book of GIMP will teach you how to:Make old and damaged photos look like new Improve the color balance and composition of images, and remove distortions and noise Create stunning panoramas and digital collages by blending a series of photos Create colorful digital art, layer by layer Work with selections, channels, and masks to edit your images like a pro Make, edit, and export animated GIFs and short digital videos Customize nearly every aspect of your GIMP experienceWritten by computer scientists with extensive experience teaching GIMP, the book covers every topic rigorously, and goes well beyond the basics, delving into advanced topics like building animated brushes and writing custom plug-ins.With clear instructions for beginners as well as encyclopedic coverage for experts, The Book of GIMP is your go-to resource for all things GIMP, regardless of your experience level.