Yes, the acronym GNU contains the acronym itself, making it a so-called recursive acronym, which is the kind of joke that some programmers absolutely love, apparently. GIMP is an acronym that stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and GNU itself is an acronym that stands for GNU’s Not Unix. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at GIMP – the powerful image editor with an unusual name. I’ve spent countless hours testing and comparing different editing programs so that you don’t have to (although it’s certainly a great way to learn if you’re an autodidact like me!). Over the years, I’ve worked with every industry-standard graphics program and experimented with almost every other image editor available, both in the free open-source world and in the world of proprietary paid apps. I’ve been interested in the digital arts for over 20 years and have worked in the field for almost as long, and it’s been quite a ride as technology advances. How does GIMP compare to professional image editing software available for sale today? Can it hold its own in a professional environment? Is it easy to learn? I’ll answer all of these questions and more in this in-depth review of GIMP, but first I should introduce myself quickly.įor those of you who haven’t read any of my other articles here, my name is Thomas Boldt, and I’m the writer and image editing expert on the TGT team. Launched at the very start of 1996, it’s one of the oldest open-source image editors still under active development, and it’s still free and open source today.

Whenever anyone asks for a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP is always the first program that people talk about.

Gimp open source photo editor