GIMP is a free photo editor that offers a lot of possibilities. The program even offers features that you otherwise only see in the more expensive, semi-professional photo editors. Since no license key is required, you are completely free to install GIMP on any of your computers.
1. Get GIMP
The necessary software can be found on the Gimp website. GIMP is continuously developing and in addition to a stable version, there are always some so-called 'development versions' available. Those test versions are not very stable and sometimes crash. It is wiser to ignore them and wait patiently for them to mature and become available as a final version. You can get the latest stable version by in the header of the website Download clicking or choosing in the menu on the right Downloads and then on Download GIMP 2.6.11 to click. In this article we assume version 2.6.11.
The GIMP photo editor can be found at www.gimp.org.
2. Install
If you got GIMP, you need to install it first. Here you will be presented with the choice to use GIMP via a click on Install now with all default settings, or to make changes yourself via customize. In this article we make use of the latter possibility. Once the screen Select file associations appears, you can use check marks to indicate which file types should be opened automatically in the GIMP. Would you rather see the cat out of the tree first and wait and see if you want to continue using the program? Then it is wise not to check the boxes for the photo formats whose files you are currently editing with other programs.
3. GIMP Windows
As soon as you start GIMP, two windows will appear. That are the Toolbox and the main window in which your photo will be shown. You'll notice that GIMP works with single windows more often. On the one hand, you may have to get used to it, because you can't move everything in one move. On the other hand, you can place each part in the screen location you want, or park it in a corner if you don't need it temporarily. This is especially nice if you work with two screens.
The GIMP toolbox.
4. Load photo
You can now upload a photo via File / To open in the main window. The photo is displayed in full window. For more comfort when editing, it is wise to always zoom in on the relevant part of the photo. This way you can see the effects of your adjustments better. You can zoom in via Image / Zoom. Behind the option you can see in brackets how far you are currently zoomed in. In this menu you can directly select a specific magnification factor. Since it's often cumbersome to work through the menu while editing a photo, it's a good idea to use keyboard shortcuts. Here's how to zoom in with the + key and zoom out with -. To fit a photo into the window, use Shift+Ctrl+E. View the photo in full size (100% zoom factor) with the 1 on your keyboard.
5. Straighten
In our example, the photo is clearly skewed. This is clearly visible on the wall behind the astronaut. So first we're going to straighten the photo. Choose in the toolbox for To spin (Shift+R hotkey). You can also do that by choosing . in the menu Tools / Transformation / To spin. Click once on the photo and a new window - called To spin - will be opened. Here you can use the slider Corner rotate the photo. Once you are done, click the button To spin to actually adjust the photo. Instead of using the slider, you can also hold down the mouse button and move the cursor over the photo to rotate it.
Rotate the photo by dragging the mouse or by using a slider.
