GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source raster graphics editor that provides professional-grade image editing capabilities rivaling commercial software like Adobe Photoshop. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, GIMP has evolved over 25 years into a powerful tool used by photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and artists worldwide.
The software offers a comprehensive set of painting and retouching tools including brushes, pencils, airbrush, clone tool, healing tool, and perspective correction. The layer-based editing system supports multiple blend modes, layer masks, and layer groups for complex compositions. GIMP handles popular formats including JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PSD, and its native XCF format which preserves all editing information.
Advanced selection tools include free select, scissors select, foreground select, and paths tool for precise selections. The color management system supports ICC profiles for accurate color reproduction. GIMP includes comprehensive color adjustment tools like curves, levels, hue-saturation, and color balance.
The extensibility through Python-Fu, Script-Fu, and plugins allows users to automate tasks and add new features. Popular plugins provide additional functionality like raw image development, batch processing, and specialized filters. GIMP supports pressure-sensitive tablets for natural painting workflows.
GIMP's text tool handles multiple fonts, sizes, and text effects. The path tool creates vector elements within raster images. With screen capture, screenshot annotation, and web graphic optimization features, GIMP serves diverse creative and practical image editing needs entirely free of charge.