Gimp is one of the small yet powerful free tools that many rely on either to create bitmaps (raster) or in photo manipulation; many consider Gimp as a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

Learning Gimp can help you in many ways, you can use it in any creative project you’re working on that requires creating bitmaps, and you can also use it in editing photos that you need either for work (e.g. presentation, website, games, etc.) or to share with your friends. The aim of this article is to present and compare between various free online outlets that beginners can rely on to start learning Gimp.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Gimp) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Start Learning Gimp for Free from Scratch

Gimped Tutorials

Gimped Tutorials is the first free outlet where beginners can start learning Gimp through video tutorial. This is a YouTube channel that has well-organized and structured tutorials for Gimp that covers beginners, intermediate and advanced topics.

Structure: The beginner’s tutorial is divided into 7 lessons; each lesson covers certain topics in Gimp.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. Well-organized for beginners.
3. Some intermediate and advanced topics in Gimp are covered in the channel.
4. Good audio and video quality.

Cons

1. The tutorial covers an old version of Gimp, though that might not be a problem for beginners.

Verdict: This should be the start for anyone who’s willing to learn Gimp.

Engine 001

Engine 001 is the second free source that beginners can rely on to start learning Gimp, these tutorials are text only, you don’t need to register to have access to the tutorial.

Structure: The tutorial is divided into 9 sections; each section covers certain topics in Gimp.

Interface: The interface is very simple as seen below; the tutorials are listed under each other, you click on the topic you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to it.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. Well-organized for beginners.

Cons

1. It only covers the very basics of Gimp.
2. It’s a text only tutorial.

Verdict: The tutorial is suitable for those who wants to get a general idea about Gimp.

Gimp.org

Gimp.org is the official website for Gimp and it’s a big collection of tutorials. The tutorials are text based and you don’t need to register to have access to them.

Structure: The tutorial is divided into three categories (Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced); each category is divided into a group of sessions that covers many topics in Gimp. The tutorial is more of “learn by doing” than a training.

Interface: The interface is simple, you click on the tutorial you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to its window.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.

Cons

1. It’s available as text only.

Verdict: There are better outlets that you can start from as a beginner.

Bottom Line

The recipe to start learning Gimp

1. Any beginner should start from the YouTube channel Gimped Tutorials.
2. For those who prefer books; the free book “Grokking the GIMP” is your way to go.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in Gimp.