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Artist's Guide To Gimp Effects

GIMP for photography, special effects, and design

The GIMP, an image editor whose power and ease-of-use rivals that of Adobe Photoshop, is one of the world's most popular free software tools. Artists and designers rely on the GIMP to retouch photographs, composite multiple images, and create artwork from scratch. The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects is a beautiful 4-color book that shows how to harness all of the GIMP's powerful features. Author Michael J. Hammel's extensively illustrated, step-by-step tutorials are perfect for hands-on learning and experimentation.

After a crash course in using the GIMP's interface and core tools (such as brushes, patterns, selections, layers, and masks), readers learn:

* Photographic techniques to create ripped edges or sepia-tones, swap colors, produce motion blurs, even fix rips in an old photograph
* Web and interface design techniques to create patterns, navigation tabs, and fancy buttons and borders
* Type effects to create depth, perspective, and neon- and graffiti-style lettering
* Special effects to simulate clouds, textures, cracks, lighting, and underwater effects
* And much more

The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects is sure to teach readers some new tricks, whether they are new to the GIMP or have been playing with it for years.

The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects:
Creative Techniques for Photographers, Artists, and Designers
by Michael J. Hammel
August 2007, 360 pp., 4-color

Download the sample tutorials (PDF)
Download the extended Table of Contents (PDF)
Sample Chapter (gimp_sample.zip)

About the Author: Michael J. Hammel is an embedded software engineer living in Colorado Springs. He's been involved with the GIMP since version 0.54 and was a contributor to its early development. Hammel wrote a column on the GIMP for Linux Format magazine for three years and is the author of The Artist's Guide to GIMP (Frank Kasper & Associates, 1998) and Essential GIMP for Web Professionals (Prentice Hall PTR, 2001).

Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment---unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. See www.nostarch.com for more information and our complete online catalog. (And most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding that won't snap shut.)

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Reviewed by Fred Showker for the User Group Network News Service. (C) 2007, all rights reserved. Affiliate groups may freely republish this piece so long as they include the tag line: "From the User Group Network News Service at http://www.user-groups.net/ " ... Event dates are subject to change. Some products, programs, or promotions are not available outside the U.S. Prices are estimated retail prices and are listed in U.S. dollars. Product specifications are subject to change. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Power Mac, Velocity Engine, FireWire, AirPort, Safari, Sherlock, QuickTime, iLife, iTunes, iChat, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iCal and Apple Store are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither a recommendation nor an endorsement.

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