The Gimp is a graphics processing program similar in function to Photoshop and PaintShop. The big difference is that it's free, the others cost big bucks. But don't think free means limited. On the contrary this product can read multiple formats, has filters, textures and color effects to burn and can even handle layers. The latest version, V2.2, is excellent and a huge improvement over its predecessors. The interface is better, drop and drag now works between most applications and there are many more previews. It's a big step forward though it's fair to say the product is still less than intuitive to use. Note you need the 6.9 MB GTK Runtime Environment 2.4.14 or later installed (see second link below) before you install The Gimp. That's just another complication in a complex install procedure that confounds beginners and can even confuse experienced users. If The Gimp just doesn't do it for you then do yourself a favor and check out Paint.net. It's an amazingly sophisticated piece of work from computer science students at Washington State University that's just about as powerful as The Gimp but a lot easier to use and install. It is however only for Windows 2000 and you'll need Microsoft's bulky .NET framework installed on your PC.
