Photo editing is GIMP’s bread and butter – it’s what the program was made for after all! GIMP is described first and foremost as a free photo editor – helping you improve the color, sharpness, lighting, etc. of your photos with myriad tools and features that are all beginner friendly. In this video tutorial list, I provide what I think are the best GIMP photo editing tutorials for photographers.
1. 10 Step Process for Photo Editing in GIMP
What better way to start off this list of GIMP photo editing tutorials than to provide an easy 10-step process for editing your photos from start to finish? This tutorial shows you my process for editing photos, using the best and most commonly used tools and filters in GIMP to get the job done right. Make your photos look more professional with these steps!
2. GIMP vs. Photoshop: A Complete Comparison
Ever wonder how GIMP stacks up to the Photoshop juggernaut? In this tutorial, which is a great starter for those of you switching from Adobe, I provide a direct side-by-side comparison between these two extremely popular photo editors.
3. GIMP’s New Non-Destructive Crop Tool
Recently the GIMP team introduced a “non-destructive” feature to its crop tool, allowing you to crop an image and still retain the original pixels that have been cropped out. This allow you to use your canvas like a frame, or restore your original image at any time if you decide you want to undo your crop. This tutorial covers the new non-destructive feature, as well as some basics that will help beginners with using the crop tool for the firs time in photo editing.
4. 5 Tips for Sharper Photos in GIMP
Looking to make your photos more crisp, more in-focus, or just sharper in general? In this GIMP tutorial, I provide my top 5 tips for sharper photos during your photo editing process.
5. GIMP 2.10 Advanced Color Correction with the Levels Tool
The Levels Tool is a great, advanced tool for fixing the brightness-contrast as well as the color balance of your image. In this tutorial, I explain how to use the levels tool for beginners, walking you through editing the “value” channel as well as all three “color” channels of your image (red, green, and blue). The final result is an image with a much better color balance!
6. How to Use the Curves Tool in GIMP
The curves tool is a heavily versatile tool that allows you to adjust the tone of your image, as well as the general color balance. In this tutorial, I show you how to start from scratch with the curves tool to make your photos have more balanced lighting and more natural looking color (or to achieve whatever look you’re going for).
7. GIMP 2.10 Tutorial: Shadows-Highlights Feature
Under the Color Menu in GIMP is a tool that allows you to adjust the Shadows and Highlights of your image. This feature provides a better balance in your image’s lighting, and can also recover details “lurking in the shadows” or overblown highlights of a photo. Keep in mind, though, that there is only so much data that can be recovered with a JPEG, since JPEGs are a compressed file format!
8. GIMP 2.10 Color Temperature Tool In-Depth Overview
Knowing how to properly use the Color Temperature feature in GIMP can help you produce a pleasing warmth in the right photographs, or cool down photos that look too hot. I explain how color temperature works in image editing and how this tool can be applied to achieve the right look for your images.
9. How to Easily Denoise Photos in GIMP
Having camera noise is a common problem when taking photos – especially in low-light situations. There are different types of noise, including color noise and luminance noise, that can make your photo look grainy or low-quality. In this tutorial, I show you how to reduce noise in your images, also known as “denoise,” using readily available features in GIMP.
10. How to Correct Lens Distortion in GIMP
All lenses create some kind of “lens distortion,” while some lens and camera combinations create more distortion than others. Too much distortion created by a lens can give your photos that “fish-eye” look, which can be unwelcome when not done on purpose. This tutorial shows you how to use a built-in filter in GIMP for correcting lens distortion.
11. GIMP vs. Photoshop: 5 Step Photo Editing Compared
Time for another GIMP vs. Photoshop comparison! This time, I show you the differences between the two programs when it comes to a simple 5-step photo editing process. This is a quick and easy editing process beginner photographers can use to quickly create professional looking photo edits. You’ll also see how GIMP stacks up against Photoshop with the most commonly used tools and features for photo editing.
12. GIMP Heal Tool Tutorial (In-Depth)
One of my favorite tools in GIMP when it comes to photo editing and photo manipulation is the Heal Tool. This powerful tool combines characteristics of the Clone Tool with an intelligent algorithm to produce seamless spot removal on pretty much any imperfection in an image. I show you how to properly use the heal tool with this tutorial, while also going through the various settings for getting the results you want.
13. 5 Step Next-Level Skin Retouching in GIMP
Whether you want to create smoother or more vibrant skin for your subject, or want to remove acne or other blemishes from one’s complexion, this tutorial will show you all the tools you need to perform professional-level skin retouching in GIMP.
14. Simple Dodge & Burn in GIMP 2.10
Dodging and Burning are common photo editing techniques that harken back to the darkroom days. In this GIMP video tutorial, I show you what the dodge and burn tools are used for as well as the best settings for getting the best results from your photos.
15. How to Erase and Replace An Image Background in GIMP
Have a background behind your subject you’d like to get rid of? I show you a tried-and-true technique for removing unsightly or otherwise unwanted backgrounds behind your models in your photo, and replacing them with more professional and appealing backgrounds.
16. Out of Gamut Defined and How to Fix It
Next up on this list of GIMP photo editing tutorials is a video that covers a more technical subject – Color Gamuts. I define what it means for colors to be “out of gamut” in your images, plus show you how to fix these problem colors before performing actions like printing on your photographs.
17. Edit Photos MORE ACCURATELY in GIMP | Image Precision Explained (8-bit / 16-bit / 32-bit)
Next up is yet another technical tutorial – this time covering the subject of image precision and why it’s important when editing your photos. I define what “bit-depth” means relative to GIMP and image editing, and talk about which bit-depth is best for you and your computer. I also talk about the benefits of using certain bit-depths, including the differences between low bit-depth images (8-bit) and high bit-depth images (32-bit).
18. Resolution vs. Image Size Explained (GIMP Tutorial)
A common question I get about image editing in GIMP is: “What is the difference between image resolution and image size?” I explain the differences between these two concepts, and why it is relevant to your everyday photo editing.
19. Golden Hour Photography and Photo Editing Tips with GIMP
Ah yes, the “Golden Hour.” That glorious time of day when the sun reflects off the horizon onto the sky and ground below with a perfect golden hue, illuminating everything perfectly across the landscape. In this tutorial, I cover my favorite tips for getting the most out of your photographs during the golden hour, including how to best edit your golden hour photos with GIMP.
20. GIMP 2.10 Black and White Photo Editing Tutorial
In this GIMP tutorial, I show you how to edit full color photos to make them black and white. I also show you the best tools, features, and techniques for bringing out the most contrast in black and white photos. The final results will be beyond simply desaturating the colors in your photos!
21. How to Edit Indoor Flash Photography in GIMP
Taking portrait photos with a flash? In this tutorial, I show you the best way to approach editing an image that was taken using an external flash for a more balanced and pleasing result. From color correcting, to balancing the exposure of the image, you’ll learn everything you need to know to produce a professional looking photo in a dimly-lit environment supplemented with a flash.
22. 5 Steps to Fix Flyaway Hairs in GIMP
It is common to go outside for a photoshoot, only to have it be a really windy day that blows your model’s hair all over the place! In this tutorial, I show you how to fix “flyaway” hairs using built-in tools in GIMP, helping to tame windy or messy hair that may have shown up on your subject in your photo.
23. Easy Exposure Blending Trick with GIMP
Exposure bracketing is when you set your camera to take multiple photos at the same location using different exposure levels. This allows you to “blend” the photos together during the editing process to bring out the best qualities in the various tones and exposures in a dynamically lit scene. This GIMP tutorial covers the best approach for combining photos together in an exposure bracketed image.
24. GIMP 2.10 Tutorial: How to Add a Border to Images
This GIMP video tutorial covers the 3 best methods for adding a border to your images. Whether you need to add a border within the original boundary of your image, or add additional measurements to your existing photo, the techniques in this tutorial cover everything you need to know. You can use these borders for print or the web.
25. How to Prepare Photos for Print in GIMP 2.10
Now that you’ve learned how to properly edit your photos, apply retouching or manipulation, and add any other necessary elements to your images (such as a border), it’s time to now learn how to properly prepare your image for print! Printing an image is a lot different than displaying them for the web. I explain why in this tutorial, and how to make sure you are getting the most accurate representation of your colors on your computer screen before sending your photos to the printer.
That’s it for this list! You can check out more GIMP video tutorials, GIMP help articles, or GIMP premium courses and classes on my website.
