GIMP is a capable, no-cost alternative to paid photo editors, and once you understand its layout, editing photos on your Windows PC becomes a repeatable routine. Before you start, make sure you have a working copy installed — see the GIMP download page and the installation guide if you haven't set it up yet. This walkthrough covers the steps most photographers repeat on nearly every image: import, straighten, adjust tone and color, clean up, and export.
Open GIMP and use File > Open to bring in a single photo, or File > Open as Layers if you plan to composite multiple shots. GIMP reads JPG, PNG, TIFF, and most camera raw formats through the built-in raw import (which relies on a plugin called darktable or a similar raw decoder on some Windows setups). If your camera's raw files won't open, export DNG or JPG copies from your camera software first, then bring those into GIMP.
Use the Measure tool to click along a horizontal reference line, such as a horizon, then apply Image > Transform > Arbitrary Rotation with the angle GIMP suggests. Once the photo is level, switch to the Crop tool and drag a rectangle over the area you want to keep. Turn on the rule-of-thirds guide overlay in the tool options to help with composition, and hold Enter to commit the crop.
Open Colors > Levels to fix a photo that looks washed out or too dark. Drag the black and white input sliders to the edges of the histogram data, and nudge the middle gray slider to brighten or darken midtones. For finer control, use Colors > Curves, where you can click points directly on the diagonal line to lift shadows or pull down highlights without affecting the rest of the tonal range.
If a photo has a color cast, try Colors > Auto > White Balance as a starting point, then fine-tune with Colors > Color Balance to shift shadows, midtones, and highlights independently toward warmer or cooler tones. For a stylized look, duplicate the layer, apply a color tint using Colors > Curves on individual red, green, and blue channels, and reduce the layer opacity until the effect feels natural.
High-ISO photos often show grain. Apply Filters > Enhance > Noise Reduction and keep the strength low so you don't lose fine detail. Once noise is under control, sharpen with Filters > Enhance > Sharpen (Unsharp Mask). Start with a modest amount and radius, zoom to 100%, and increase gradually until edges look crisp without visible halos.
The Heal tool blends texture and tone from a sampled area into a target spot, making it ideal for removing blemishes or dust spots. Hold Ctrl and click a clean source area, then paint over the flaw. The Clone tool works similarly but copies pixels exactly, which is useful for rebuilding patterns like brick or fabric. Work on a duplicated layer so you can always undo or reduce the effect later.
For clean subject cutouts, try the Select by Color tool on simple backgrounds, or the Foreground Select tool for more complex scenes — draw a rough outline, then scribble inside the subject to mark it. Once you have a selection, click the Add Layer Mask button and choose "Selection" so the background becomes transparent without permanently deleting pixels. This keeps your edit reversible if you need to adjust the edge later.
Use Image > Scale Image to resize for the web — 1920 pixels on the long edge is a common target for full-size web display, while 2500px or more suits print at typical resolutions. Check that the chain icon next to width and height is linked so proportions stay correct, and set the interpolation to "Cubic" for smoother results.
Choose File > Export As, pick your format from the file extension, and GIMP will show format-specific options. For JPG, a quality setting of 85–92 balances file size and detail. PNG suits graphics or images needing transparency. WebP often produces smaller files than JPG at similar quality and is well supported by modern browsers, making it a good choice if your site or platform accepts it.
For repetitive edits across many images, GIMP's Script-Fu console lets you automate resizing and exporting, though it requires basic scripting. A simpler option for casual use is applying the same manual adjustments to a handful of images side by side, saving each as you go. Reviewing GIMP's broader toolset on the tools overview page can help you spot shortcuts for repetitive tasks.
Yes, in most cases, through a bundled or separate raw decoder. If a specific raw format won't open, exporting a DNG or JPG from your camera's own software is a reliable workaround.
For most retouching, color correction, and export tasks, GIMP covers the same ground as Photoshop, though some advanced content-aware features differ in implementation. Many hobbyists and professionals complete full editing workflows using only GIMP.
This is often due to resizing during export or JPG compression smoothing fine detail. Apply the Unsharp Mask filter after resizing, right before export, to compensate.
Save working files in GIMP's native XCF format, which preserves layers, masks, and adjustment history. Export to JPG, PNG, or WebP only for final sharing or publishing. See the general FAQ for more format-related answers.