If you are in photo editing or photography, you may surely hear about GIMP.
GIMP is a free open-source photo editor app. It has packed with a lot of tools like Photoshop and lets you edit photos the way you do in PS.
For offering Photoshop alike features and tools, Gimp is considered as the best free Ps alternative app.
Hearing about the benefits of using GIMP, you may have decided to install GIMP on your devices to edit photos.
But the issue that stops you- Is Gimp safe to download and use?
In this guide, I have covered everything to get rid of your safety concern about GIMP.
Here what I am going to elaborate:
- GIMP review
- Is GIMP safe to download for Mac and Pc?
- How to download Gimp from GIMP Org?
- Is gimp good for photo editing?
- Do professionals use GIMP?
- Does GIMP cost money?
- And lots more
So, let’s get started right here.
Gimp Review
Gimp is a free photo editing app that can be used as a Photoshop alternative.
This free photo editor has packed with a lot of functions and tools that let you create designs from scratches.
It has equipped with pro editing tools, layer & mask, filters, build-in plugins, and much more.
Using those tools, you can do everything from editing to creating graphic elements.
The user interface of GIMP is similar to Photoshop. If you have used Ps before, you can’t see any difference between the interface of GIMP and PS.
Gimp doesn’t only mimics the interface of Photoshop but also the features of PS.
As a result, you can perform the same editing workflows as you did in Photoshop before.
The best part of GIMP is you can customize its interface according to your workflow.
Besides, you can also customize the keyboard shortcuts. In this way, you can get a Photoshop feel and find GIMP easy to edit photos.
Like Photoshop, Gimp has featured with advanced retouching tools. Using those, you can enhance the look of your portrait removing blemishes and other skin defects.
The perspective correction tool of Gimp performs better. You can fix perspective errors using this tool.
Something GIMP lacks compared to Ps are non-destructive editing and content-aware fill.
Therefore, there is a steep learning curve in GIMP. You should have minimum skills or knowledge in editing to use GIMP.
However, GIMP has an active community to support you if stack in editing. Besides, a lot of tutorials available on the web to learn GIMP.
Bugs are also a frequent problem with GIMP. However, the developers of it constantly fix those bugs to give you a better experience.
I think you don’t care about these minor cons as Gimp lets you do everything for free.
Is gimp safe to download for Mac and Pc?
It is a burning question we find on different forums.
This question comes around your head as GIMP is an open-source photo editor.
Here are two examples:
You can see that both the two users are confused about the safety measure of downloading GIMP on their devices.
The short and precise answer to this question is- Gimp is entirely safe to download on your devices.
However, you need to make sure that you download GIMP from the central source.
In plain words, you should download GIMP from the official page of GIMP.
You can also download Gimp from other websites for free. But some of them are not safe as there may have malware.
It doesn’t mean all of the websites that offer download Gimp from their website are dangerous.
But I highly recommend you to download GIMP from the official page of GIMP.
If you don’t know how to download GIMP, don’t worry.
I have included the step by step process to download Gimp in the next paragraph. So, keep reading.
How to download Gimp from GIMP.Org?
In this chapter, I let you know how to download Gimp following the step by step guide.
So, let’s get to the point directly.
Step 1. Visit on the Gimp official page
To download Gimp, first, go to the official page of GIMP by clicking here.
Step 2. Click on the red button named Download 2.10.20
You can see a reddish button named Download 2.10.20.
Click on the button. It brings you to the download page directly.
Also, you can click on the Download from the top navigation bar to go on the same page.
On that page, you can see that they identify my operating system. I run Microsoft Windows.
If you use Linux or Mac, you can click on the other options.
Step 3. Click on the ‘Download GIMP 2.10.20 directly’ button
From the same page, click on the ‘Download GIMP 2.10.20 directly’ button to start the downloading process.
You can see on the top left-bottom of the screen shows that GIMP is downloading.
It takes only 2-3 minutes to complete the download process if you have a decent internet speed and connection.
Thus it.
After completing the download, double click on the file to install GIMP on your device. Then, start playing with this free Photoshop alternative to unleash your creativity.
Is GIMP good for photo editing?
Yes, Gimp is an excellent software for photo editing.
You can precisely crop & resize, remove background, improve exposure & contrast, and remove blemishes from photos with GIMP.
Let’s see some GIMP tutorials to test whether GIMP is good or not in photo editing.
GIMP Tutorials
In this chapter, you can learn how to crop, remove the background, improve exposure, and much more with GIMP.
Here we go.
How to crop images in GIMP?
First, open an image in GIMP.
Second, select the pen tool from the left toolbar menu. Or you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C to get this tool quickly.
Third, adjust the selection by clicking on the edges of your photo with the mouse and move it in or out.
Also, you can click on the middle of your image frame to choose the cropped area.
Fourth, press the enter button from your keyboard to confirm your selection.
Finally, save the photo by pressing Ctrl + S.
How to remove background from a photo in GIMP?
1st, open a photo and choose the path tool from the toolbar.
2nd, zoom the image and start making paths around the photo.
3rd, when you completed the path creating, make a selection.
To make a selection, right-click on your photo and go to Select > From Path.
4th, inverse the selection pressing Ctrl + I from your keyboard.
Finally, press the delete button to remove the background from photos successfully.
How to adjust exposure in GIMP?
At first, run a photo into GIMP.
Second, go to Colors > Exposure. It shows you the exposure pop up menu.
From there, use the Black level and the Exposure to adjust the level of exposure of your photo.
The black level slider helps you to adjust the darkness of your photo.
When the exposure slider helps to brighten your photos.
Move both sliders from right to left or opposite to adjust the exposure of your photo.
Make sure you check the preview box to see the real-time effect of your photo.
Finally, click on the ok if you are happy with the change.
Do professionals use GIMP?
No, most of the professionals don’t use GIMP.
Most professionals are serious about their business and project. So, they ideally use Photoshop to get the job done.
It doesn’t mean you also need to use Photoshop. Of course, you can if you have the budget.
On the other hand, if you are a newbie and just started your photography business, then I recommend you to use Gimp.
It helps you to save your money.
Forget to include that most of the entry-level professionals switch Photoshop to GIMP for the budget.
So, if you are a starter, then it is better to use GIMP.
Does GIMP cost money?
No, Gimp is entirely free to use.
You don’t need to spend a single buck to use GIMP as it is an open-source photo editor.
However, if you want to donate, you can help GIMP to make it better.
Conclusion
Gimp is quite safe to download for your Mac or PC.
However, make sure you download GIMP from the official website.
Of course, you can download from other sources but it is safe to download this free photo editor from the chief source.
If you don’t know how to download GIMP, then you can follow the below step by step guide.
- Visit on the Gimp official page
- Click on the red button named Download 2.10.20
- Click on the ‘Download GIMP 2.10.20 directly’ button
Gimp is an excellent free photo editor that lets you perform both basic and advanced retouching workflows.
But most of the professionals don’t use GIMP as they are more serious about their profession.
However, as a beginner, you should use GIMP if you are on a budget.
Now, question for you- Are you a beginner or professional? Are you on budget?
Are you going to use GIMP? Do have any questions related to GIMP?
Let me know by leaving a comment below.
