Akkana Peck has written a beautiful book on the GNU image manipulation program (GIMP). Aimed at an audience that ranges from novice to expert, the book deals with the latest version of GIMP and presents its features in a coherent and readable manner.

The book comprises 12 chapters, including almost everything a developer would look for. From the definition of GIMP to scripting, the coverage is gradual and interesting. The tool features that the author has described have been tested on GIMP 2.2, except for a few variations between versions 2.2 and 2.4.

For novices, the book provides a very good place to start; basic information on photography and color terminology is very well explained. GIMP’s image properties and context menus are presented with colorful illustrations. The mini-projects will be challenging to all readers, and are worth attempting. Another plus with respect to practice is that there are also technical tips for Macintosh machines.

Chapter 1, on the GIMP environment and theme, provides a good introduction. Chapter 2 is about improving photographs; the author explains various functions like scaling, cropping, and sharpening in a commendable manner. Chapters 3 and 4 are on layers and drawing, respectively. Layers are an important component in graphics and animation, and the concepts are made clear. The drawing chapter is presented with many well-printed illustrations. Chapters 5 and 6 cover selection and touching up. In chapter 7, generic and artistic filters are discussed. Advanced drawing and compositing features are described in the later chapters of the book. Image file types, layers, layer effects, layer tools, and layer operations are also discussed. Developers interested in scripting will get enough introductory information from the book.

This book will be a good addition to any library. It is a must-read for those who use, or are beginning to learn about, open-source software tools, photography manipulation, and graphics and animation.