Tutorial: Introduction to Photo Editing

by Ashley in a balloon; the only way is up.

Hello, here I am doing another tutorial. But it's not about writing! It's about art! :D And it's less confusing (I think) than my writing tutorial! I know how a lot of you guys long to start doing your own covers, or at least try out the graphic artistic world for yourself. Well, this is how you get yourself started.

1. Download GIMP.

Yes, Photoshop is (technically) better than GIMP. But it's free and simpler than Photoshop. You can't go wrong with free! xD

To download GIMP, simply click on "Download GIMP 2.6.8".

(Link to Downloading GIMP- http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ )

2. After you've downloaded it, start up GIMP and open a new file.

It's just like starting up and starting a new file on Word. If you have the GIMP icon on your desktop, then it's easy. Double-click on that. If you don't have it on your desktop, then you'll have to click on the 'Start' menu in the bottom left corner, click on 'All Programs' right above it, click on the 'GIMP' folder and finally click on 'GIMP 2' that shows up after clicking on the folder icon.

To open a new file, just follow the pictures.

You don't need to put this specific pixel count, but this is the pixel count that is exactly the same size as a published KidPub cover. So, if that's what you're interested in doing, I suggest doing this pixel count, to get a feel for it.

3. Explore your 'Toolbox' column.

I'll be honest. The most confusing part about GIMP is the toolbox. So, I'll give you a little run through on what every tool does!

Circle/Square Selection Tool

These tools select a certain area of your image. You can use it to delete parts of your image, copy&paste parts of your image over and over,

To Use: Simply click on it on the Toolbox, click on any part of the image, hold your click until you've shaped the square like you wanted to, and voila!

Free Select Tool

This tool lets you select an area as well, but the selection area more customizable.

To Use: Click each edge of the shape. This will appear like dots and lines, to help you see where you clicked and what shape you're making (shown in the first picture of the Free Select Tool thing). When you're done, click on the first dot you made.

~A Work in Progress- Unfinished and Under Construction~