GIMP: The Free and

Open-Source Image Editor

Alia Elias
Design Application Review
James Madison University
Table of Content

ABOUT GIMP...................................................................................................................................................... 2
COST................................................................................................................................................................... 2
EVALUATION....................................................................................................................................................... 3
MY DESIGN: A LOGO FOR BLUESTONE COMMUNICATIONS..................................................................................5
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................................ 9
 About GIMP

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, which is better known as GIMP, is a downloadable

platform that is available for MacOS (version 10.9 Mavericks or later) and Microsoft Windows.

Additionally, MacOS users can download GIMP via two methods: BitTorrent or direct

download. Although MacOS currently only supports version 2.10.14, the current, most stable

version is GIMP 2.10.20.

With its cross-platform availability and variety of tools, GIMP is an ideal platform for graphic

designers, photographers, illustrators, and more. The software offers features such as photo

retouching, image composition, and image authoring. In addition, it has template background

sizes for business cards, logos, letters, banners, Apple iPhones/iPads, and Samsung Galaxy

phones. With enough creativity, users can create even more with this versatile program.

Cost of GIMP

As of now, GIMP is a free software. According to the GNU Operating System, a free software is

defined as a software that respects users' freedom and community by granting users the freedom

to run, copy, distribute, study and change the software (GNU, 2020). GIMP also abides by the

four essential freedoms of free software that GNU highlights:

 The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.

 The freedom to study how the program works and change it so it does your computing as
you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

 The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.

 The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you
can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source
code is a precondition for this.
Furthermore, users can help improve the software by programming new features, reporting bugs,

writing tutorials and more (Get Involved, 2020). This makes it easy for GIMP users to get

involved with the platform while improving its performance.

Evaluation of GIMP

Considering GIMP is a sophisticated software, professional designers may find it more

functional than everyday users and professionals. For instance, I am an everyday user with

minimal experience in design, so I found the tools to be intimidating without prior knowledge.

With that said, GIMP offers a Tutorials tab on its website where beginners like me can learn how

to use its basic functions (e.g., making circle-shaped images, using layer masks, using the color

Curves tool) (Tutorials, 2020). With the tutorials, there is much more clarity about the tool

functions, and it is easy to get the hang of. For my design, I used the “GIMP Quickies” tutorial to

change the logo I designed to a pixel (px) value.

Figure 1. Creating a New Pixel (px) Image

Overall, GIMP does not have many limitations. Users can export their files as jpeg, png, pcx, gif,

mng, ps, pds, svg, tiff, tga, xpm, and more. With all of these options, users can create animations,

digital paintings, etc. Moreover, GIMP can be used for programming due to its scripting

capabilities supporting languages including Scheme, Python and Perl.

Due to GIMP’s helpful tutorials (as well as a YouTube video by Davies Media Design), I was

able to use the program quite easily. However, I did run into a few problems with the Path tool.

This tool is used to create connecting lines that outline a figure in a particular layer. Since my

designed logo had nine different layers, they were somewhat difficult to keep track of and use

(e.g., fill with a solid color)

Figure 2. Using the Path tool to create a mountain in the background and Creating a New Layer.
Another problem I ran into was a technical issue regarding GIMP interfering with the internet

windows I had open while using the program. For example, when I would click out of the

program to look something up on the internet, I would have to click on the GIMP tab twice to

open it back up. This was a minor issue; however, it did interfere, and it seems like the program

runs better when nothing else is open on your computer. Besides this, I did not have an

accessibility or downloading issues. Fortunately, if any issues arise for users while using GIMP,

there is a Help tab within the program and the tutorials to refer to on GIMP’s website.

My Logo Design: Bluestone Communications

The design I created was a logo for the student-run, campus public relations firm I am a part of

called Bluestone Communications.

Using an application called Coolors, as recommended by Davies Media Design, I created a color

palette that matched Bluestone’s colors: white, dark blue, bright blue, bright pink, and bright

yellow. In addition, I wanted to incorporate the mountainous background that is a central part of

the current logo while making it less sophisticated.

Figure. 3. The color palette I created using the website Coolors, which was recommended

through a YouTube video by Davies Media Design.

In total, I created nine different layers: main circle, the inner circle, the mountain path, the main

logo, the main logo’s border/streak, the three slogan texts (energized, informed, bold), and the

background, which I made transparent. One of the first features I used was the Shrink Selection

in order to create a border with an “inner circle.”

 Figure 4. Creating an Inner Circle layer from the Main Circle using the “Shrink
Selection” feature.

Another feature I frequently used was the Path tool to create figures made out of straight lines.

As the center of my design, I used the Path tool to create a mountain range within the inner circle

of the logo. I made this bright blue to contrast the dark blue background, and I was happy with

how it stood out.

Figure 5. Using the Path tool to create bright blue mountains

within the Inner Circle layer.
An interesting feature I also learned about and used was adding an additional layer to a layer of

text to create a “stroke” for that text. In other words, a border to make the text stand out more.

For my design, the main text read the PR firm’s name, “Bluestone Communications.” I made

Bluestone Communications white and I made the border dark blue to match the circle

background.

Figure 6. Adding a “text stroke” to the “Bluestone Communications” text to create a

darker border.

Additionally, I just used the Text tool to add Bluestone’s slogan “Energized. Informed. Bold.” I

made three different text layers for each of these words, and I made them each bright pink, bright

blue, and bright yellow, respectively. I did not add a stroke layer to these texts, because I wanted

to keep them simple.

 Figure 7. Using the Text Tool to create Bluestone’s slogan:
Energized. Informed. Bold.

As previously mentioned, I used a YouTube video by Davies Media Design called “Easily

Design a Professional Logo in GIMP 2.10” as a guide throughout the process. Considering this

tutorial was given by a professional, I did not expect my design to be as detailed; I did not use all

the features he did, and I simplified it to a beginner-friendly version. For example, I did not add a

“path stroke,” or a border to the mountain path because I was having some technical issues while

doing so. However, I feel as though not including this did not affect my final product. As a

whole, it was easy to use the GIMP design features that I used for this logo design. I do not have

any prior experience creating logos, so I would say this program is useful for both beginners and

professionals.

References for GIMP

https://www.gimp.org

https://www.gimp.org/develop/

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html