Test Driving Linux

Getting to Know the GIMP

The GIMP is not the only image editing program on Linux, but it is the best known. Though it's not as full-featured as Adobe Photoshop, the GIMP should be able to handle the image editing chores of most non-professional users. Using the GIMP, you can resize, crop, color-correct, and combine images, fix blemishes, and perform hundreds of other tasks.

Timeless instruction

Move comes with version 1.2 of the GIMP, which is actually quite dated. Though the current version 2.2 looks different, what I write here still applies.

To launch the GIMP, go to K Menu → View, modify, and create graphics → Edit images and photos, or simply click its icon on the kicker (it looks like a cartoon dog with a big nose). Alternately, you can right-click on an image file and choose Open With → The GIMP. When the program launches for the first time, it will ask you several configuration questions. Unless you have reason to do otherwise, just accept the defaults by clicking Continue on each screen.

Managing memory

If your USB key is smaller than 64 MB, pay attention to the third configuration screen. This screen asks you how large a Tile Cache Size you want, which determines how much hard disk space (or USB key space) the GIMP reserves to hold its image data. The setting defaults to 32 MB, and you should adjust it depending upon how much space is actually available on your USB key.

The GIMP displays several small windows when it opens, including an image window if you opened it by right-clicking ...