More on Gimp 2.6
Now that I’ve used Gimp 2.6 a little here’s my first dislike.
By default all the ‘Utility’ windows, what was the Toolbox, layers and Brushes,Patterns etc dialogues, are on top by default. So any image window that is larger than the gap between them is behind these dialogues ergo you don’t see all of your image. I really hate that!
You can fix it though. Go into Edit->Preferences and then Window Management. In the ‘Hint for the toolbox:’ and ‘Hint for other docks:’ drop downs select ‘Keep Above’ and then OK.
You’ll be told you need to restart Gimp for the changes to take effect and once you do your image window will be the one on top when it’s active.
Now that, I like.
Gimp 2.6 - A Backward Step?
OK, it’s taken me a while to get around to looking at the new Gimp and my first impression was disappointment!
The Toolbox menu has gone and with it the Xtns menu! It took me a little while but I’ve found the inhabitants of the X’d Xtns menu and File menu.
‘Buttons’, ‘Logos’, ‘Patterns’ and ‘Web page themes’ live under ‘Create’ in the File menu in the empty image window that opens on startup. Also in there are what used to exist under the Toolbox File menu ‘Acquire’ entry, namely ’Paste as New’ now ‘From Clipboard’, ‘Scanner/Camera’ and ‘Screen Shot’.
Other entries from the Toolbox menus have been scattered around. Sticking with the File menu ‘Preferences’, ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’ and ‘Units’ are now in the Edit menu of the afore mentioned empty image window. Also in here is the Xtns menu ‘Module Manager’ now just called ‘Modules’.
‘Script Fu’ from the Xtns menu now resides at the bottom of the Filters menu. The last two items from the Xtns menu ‘Plug-in Browser’ and ‘Procedure Browser’ have eloped to the Help menu.
The Dialogs menu that used to exist on image windows has been replaced by the Windows menu and has an added ‘Recently Closed Docks’ entry which is basically a Dialog history.
One major addition to this version is GEGL the Generic Graphical Library which is a programming library under development for image processing applications. It is mainly developed to bring support for images with more than 8 bits per color channel to GIMP. It has been partially implemented in GIMP 2.6.
You can check out the release notes for 2.6 here.
A lot of the changes in 2.6 are in the engine room with the only obvious ones being the change to the user interface, brought about, apparently, by many users complaints.
Personally, I can’t imagine what complaints could have led to this change in the layout. The only obvious advantage is that in Windows it now only takes up one slot on the taskbar and clicking on it will restore all windows and dialogs whereas before you needed to do them individually and Gimp could fill the taskbar all on it’s own.
When I first looked at this latest version I have to admit to having a minor panic attack when I saw the Toolbox menus gone! Checking the release notes confirmed my worst fears, it had been taken away. What I found to be disappointing was that no one had taken the trouble to tell us poor schmucks where all the contents had gone to!
I did quite a bit of searching around forums, user groups etc to see what the story was, nothing! Admittedly it didn’t take too long to find them all again in the new version but to my way of thinking if you are going to change something like that it’s just good user support to document it. Isn’t that a sign of the times? Don’t get me started on that one, a topic for a grump session!
As yet, I believe the latest version of Help is the 2.4 version so you won’t find it in there.
I haven’t yet used this version enough to be able to comment on the other improvements so I’ll have to leave that for another day. One thing I did do though, was to install this version in a seperate location so that I retained my familiar version 2.4(security blanket). I suggest you do the same, at least initially. All your shortcuts, Start menu etc will be overwritten with the new one, just means you have to make a shortcut to the previous version.
Well, that’s my take on it so far. I would be really interested to hear what your thoughts are on it and also your thoughts on my thoughts so, please, feel free to leave a comment.
Who Else Wants Free Open Source Software For Windows?
Free? Can’t be any good then!
Wrong! The quality, availability and range of free open source software for windows is excellent and rivals, if not betters some commercial software.
So what kind of software is available?
Just about anything you can think of. I don’t intend to list all that’s available because it would take pages and you can easily do a standard search in your browser but be prepared for a long list to go through.
A good place to start for Windows is www.opensourcewindows.org. This site doesn’t list everything rather it lists the most popular.
So let’s have a look at some of those.
One of the most popular is Open Office. Which is a big, full featured suite of tools for word processing and spreadsheets. Compatible with and a free replacement for Microsoft Word documents. It also supports the OpenDocument Format and has something that other office suites don’t have, the ability to turn your documents into PDF format.
Best of all, OpenOffice can be downloaded and used entirely free of any licence fees. OpenOffice is released under the LGPL licence. This means you may use it for any purpose - domestic, commercial, educational, public administration. You may instal it on as many computers as you like. You may make copies and give them away to family, friends, students, employees - anyone you like.
OK, we’ve roughly saved $500. Let’s see what else is available.
There are browsers, email clients, FTP clients, media players and so on and on and on.
One of my favourites and one that I use a lot is Gimp. Full name, GNU Image Manipulation Program. It’s a lot more than a mere manipulation program however. Gimp, in fact rivals Photoshop and it’s uses extend to graphics creation, photo enhancement, special effects, drawing, the list goes on covering just about any graphics operation you can think of.
One big plus with Gimp is the ability to open Photoshop PSD files along with it’s layer information enabling you to edit them quite freely.
I first came across Gimp on the odd occasions that I happened on a Linux system and assumed it was just the Linux version of Windows Paint accessory. Boy, was I wrong!
Whilst it will be fairly easy to start using the Open Office suite Gimp presents a whole new learning curve. It is after all a fairly specialist program. Fortunately the internet is full of tutorials of varying degrees and quality covering the different aspects of using Gimp.
Unfortunately because there are so many it can take hours if not days sorting out the wheat from the chaff and really getting what you need to know to get started.
Being a frequent user of Gimp I have put together a series of 12 video tutorials on getting started with Gimp. You can find them here.
Whilst some of these are aimed at creating a salespage the majority cover the basics of working with Gimp to get you off to a flying start. As well as basic techniques there are advanced techniques covered, such as creating reflections and shadows.
We’ve now just saved ourselves a minimum $700.
Whilst there are many more open source free applications out there to be reviewed I will have to finish here and cover more of them in other posts, so keep an eye out for those.
It really is worth investigating the open source software available. apart from really specialised programs you can almost certainly find all the software you will ever need for free.
God bless those programmers who give of their time and talent to create these excellent free applications.
Blog Posts and Videos - Bee in my Bonnet!
Not so long ago people were complaining about how they got too much email and how it distracted them from getting on with the things they needed to do.
Join a few lists, as we all must do and you inevitably get bombarded with lotsa emails.
Some of the people who were complaining about the scourge of email are now guilty of, as are others, of making the situation worse.
You may now receive an email referring you to their latest blog post which is at least a 500 word article, about 5 emails, or worse, referred to a video which is usually 15 to 18 minutes long!
Some blog posts are worth the reading and provide useful information, such as this one from Frank Haywood but you need to know the author or you could waste a few emails worth of time.
It woudn’t be so bad if the videos actually provided valuable content, which they all claim to do but very few deliver. They’re usually filled with 17 minutes of waffle, fluff and BS to get to the sales message at the end.
A sales message which could have been delivered in the email in about half a dozen lines without all the crap.
Video, in particular has been touted as the latest and greatest and it is when it’s used to impart real information, like tutorials, a quick product demonstration on a sales page or even a short, to the point sales video.
As you probably know I produce videos myself but I like to think they provide useful, valuable content on how to get up to speed with Gimp.
Just in case there is the slimmest chance that those responsible for these time wasting productions might see this, hey guys, you’re ruining video and annoying your lists, well, some of us anyway!
9 times out of 10 now, if I’m told there’s a video to watch I delete the email. They have to do a pretty good job in the email to get me to look at it.
Because of that I’ve missed out in the last couple of weeks of the opportunity to throw $1497, $1997 and $1997 at the latest big boys offerings! Tut tut, boo hoo!
They’ll say that’s my loss, is it? I wonder how many copies of that stuff will actually work for the buyers who get it? It would be interesting if it was at all possible to find out.
Anyway, got that off my chest, grumpy old bugger signing off!
Things Don’t Come Easy
Unless you’re one of those rare lucky souls that just seem to have everything fall in their lap. Like winning the lottery, picking the right horse, shares or whatever. Then most things in life require considerable effort to get.
Years ago I came across a quotation which really struck a chord with me. You know, one of those light bulb moments. I’m not going to dribble on, it speaks for itself, so here it is.
RISK
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental,
To reach out for another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing true self,
To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss,
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To live is to risk dying,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure,
But risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he has forfeited freedom.
Only a person who risks - is truly free.
Author unknown
Building a business on the internet requires effort, stepping out of your comfort zone, for things to change something has to change. Always do what you’ve always done and you’ll always have what you’ve always had.
I love these little sayings they’re what get me going and keep me going. Commit to doing, don’t just buy stuff, use it. Take a risk, after all success is only getting up one more time than you fall down.
To quote Nike©……………………Just Do It!
Graphics Videos
To quote ’someone’ famous I’ve done it again! Neglected my blog that is! What with the problem with my neck and shoulder and other stuff, namely life, the time has just flown by. The problem with my neck and shoulder is improving though, thanks for asking.
So, to get back to where I should be the Graphics Videos site is all set up now with the affiliate program in place. The affiliates page at the site will give you all the information you need to start promoting the videos.
Gimp really should be promoted strongly and I intend to do just that. It is a fantastic program for the price! OK, it can’t do absolutely everything that Photoshop can do but it comes pretty bloody close. AND at the price is a million times better value!
Don’t get me wrong I’m not anti Photoshop, I use it and I really like it but when you’re starting out or on a tight budget Gimp is a lifesaver. {I still probably use Gimp more though!}
The only problem with it and Photoshop, as with all comprehensive software, is that they have a steep learning curve. That was the inspiration for my Gimp videos, a quick kick start to find your way around and start doing meaningful stuff with it.
Sure, there are lots of Gimp tutorials on the net and tons of them are excellent. It can take time to find the ones you need though and a lot of them are written and not video. Video just makes it so much easier to see what’s going on and to follow.
That’s why I created the set that I did, they really get you going with Gimp fast. They only scrape the surface though as Gimp’s capabilities are huge. For that reason I will be releasing more sets in the near future covering more advanced aspects of Gimp.
It’s amazing how many people have never heard of Gimp. I was at my dentist the other day he’s a keen computer buff but he’d never heard of it! I believe that Gimp is still one of the best kept secrets of computing and as such there must be an untapped audience out there.
So, if you’d like to spread the word and promote the videos for 50% commission head over to the Graphics Videos affiliate’s page and sign up, we can both make some money and raise the profile of Gimp.
When Can A Virus Be Your Best Friend?
What is a virus? The word comes from latin where it meant slime or poisonous liquid!
I feel sick already!
We know it as a sickness where people are concerned or a really annoying and sometimes worse, disruption of computers that spreads like wildfire.
It’s that aspect of a virus that’s been turned to good use, the viral aspect, the ability to spread like wildfire. I’m sure you’ve of heard of the viral nature of ebooks and other products on the internet but it hasn’t always been that easy to get started. Well now it is!
Mike Filsaime and Rod Beckwith have designed a free programme around that concept called Butterfly Reports and I have a free report, One Into A Million, that you can download right now.
So, the answer to the question is ‘when it’s a free report from Butterfly Reports’.
Sign up below and get it for free.
Subscribe Here
I hate spam as much as you do and I will never give your email address to anyone…ever!
Gimp Videos Nickel Sale Ends
That’s it the Nickel Sale is over.
The Graphics Videos at gimpvideos.com are now at their normal price of $27. This still represents great value at only $2.25 per video.
I know from comments I’ve received and read on various forums that a lot of people get Gimp, it’s free after all but then struggle to get started with it.
That was the reason behind these videos. There are a lot of excellent free tutorials on the net for Gimp but it takes time to search them out and a lot are written which isn’t always as easy to follow as being shown.
The set of 12 will get you off to a flying start with Gimp. First off, where everything is and then into a lot of the really nice effects that you can produce with it. Reflections and shadows amongst others.
They don’t and can’t show you everything. The range of Gimp’s capabilities is huge and will be cause for more videos in the future. What the videos will do is take you from beginner/novice to a skilled graphics creator/manipulator in a short space of time.
Anyone interested in becoming an affiliate, I will be launching an affiliate program shortly I just need to get it all set up. In the meantime if you wanted to promote the videos get whoever you introduce to put your details, preferably paypal email, in the additional comments box when they sign up and I’ll pay 50% commission.
Not the best way to run affiliates I know but I also know that some of you were quite keen to promote these videos and I always like to help people out. And it’s good for me too!
I’m also toying with the idea of a resell rights package so stay tuned.
Blog Neglect
This is really disgusting! If this blog was a child I’d be in serious trouble with the law, or ‘lure’ as Clouseau would say!
I have seriously neglected it. I do have an excuse, naturally. A couple of weeks ago I appear to have trapped or as the doctors put it compromised a nerve in my right shoulder.
I got this wild picture in my mind of the nerve being caught on camera by a private detective in a compromising position with my shoulder blade! Anyway, whatever it is, it bloody hurts! So, I’ve been restricted in what I can do in total let alone on the computer. I am becoming quite good at left hand mousing though! One hand typing ain’t so good.
One quick announcement. I’m taking the Graphics Videos nickel sale down at 3pm GMT on Sunday 29th June at which time it will revert to it’s normal price of $27. So, four more days to grab a bargain. You can still get this great set of how to get started in graphics videos for under $10 at the time of writing.
I think it will be a while before I get back to regular posts. As I have to wait almost four weeks to see a specialist I’ve decided to give a chiropractor a go. Now opinion on chiropracty sees to be heatedly divided so I would be really interested to hear people’s opinions/experiences on the subject.
So, please if you have an opinion/experience post it here. Thanks.
Graphics Videos Back On Line
Wow! What a catastrophe. The Planet data centre suffered an electrical explosion that took out three walls and set the place alight! Luckily no one was hurt. You can found out more about the whole saga below.
http://forums.theplanet.com/index.php?showtopic=90185&st=0
Considering the extent of the damage they have done a remarkable job to get it back up and running.
So, gimpvideos.com is back and running, all up to date.
The nickel sale is still on, still with the opportunity to grab a set of how to graphics videos at a bargain price. Still under $10 at the moment.
Nothing else to read here so go have a look…………go on. Graphics Videos
