GIMP is a free desktop image editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. It can handle everyday Photoshop tasks such as cropping photographs, adjusting brightness and combining images with text. This guide creates a captioned photo for a website or social post. The instructions follow the official GIMP 3.2 manual and download information reviewed on October 13, 2026. They are a documented workflow, rather than a claim that AltStack installed and tested every operating-system edition. Start with a photo you own and keep its original file.

1. Check the price and choose the right job

The download from gimp.org is free, with no subscription required for the workflow below. The project licenses GIMP under GPL-3.0-or-later and permits commercial use. Optional donations, training, fonts and third-party resources are separate purchases; you do not need them to begin.

Choose GIMP when your task is editing pixels: a photograph, a web banner or a small image composition. A logo that must remain sharp at every size may suit a vector editor better. Do not assume an elaborate Photoshop document will reproduce every effect in another application. Try an ordinary image first, then check representative client files before moving your entire workflow.

2. Download and install the official desktop version

Open the official Downloads page and choose your operating system. On Windows, download the current installer and follow its setup prompts. On macOS, select Apple Silicon or Intel to match your Mac, open the downloaded DMG and follow its installation instructions. Launch the installed application from your applications list.

For Linux, the page links supported AppImage, Flatpak and Snap options. Follow the instructions for the package you choose; the current AppImage has a stated distribution requirement, so check that before downloading. Prefer the stable release for this exercise. Avoid a similarly named download advertisement or unofficial repackager. If the operating system blocks installation, verify the source and supported version instead of disabling protection.

3. Open a photo and create an editable project

Make a working folder containing a copy of your photo. In GIMP, choose File > Open and select that copy. The image appears on the canvas, with its contents represented in the Layers panel. If a color-profile dialog appears, read its choices before proceeding; keep color handling consistent when comparing exports.

Choose File > Save As and name the project, for example mountain-post.xcf. XCF is GIMP's editable format. It preserves layers and other project information that an ordinary JPEG cannot. Save here before doing more work, and save again after meaningful changes. Keep the photograph and XCF as separate files so an export cannot accidentally become your only remaining copy.

4. Keep a reference layer before editing

Select the photo layer, then use Layer > Duplicate Layers. Work on the duplicate and keep the original layer underneath as a reference. Give the layers understandable names by editing their names in the Layers panel. Toggle a layer's visibility when you want to compare versions.

A duplicate helps with changes to that layer, but it is not a backup for the entire project. Image-wide operations, such as scaling the complete image, can affect both layers. Keep the source photograph outside GIMP as well. Before applying an adjustment, confirm which layer is selected. This simple habit prevents a frequent beginner mistake: changing a hidden reference while wondering why the visible photo has not improved.

5. Crop around the subject

Choose Tools > Transform Tools > Crop. Drag a rectangle around the portion of the photograph you want to keep. Move its center to reposition it and adjust its edges to change the framing. Press Enter, or click inside the rectangle, to apply the crop.

Inspect the Crop tool's options before confirming. Selected layers only limits the crop to the chosen layers. The GIMP 3.2 manual also documents Delete cropped pixels as the setting that adjusts the canvas to the cropped area; leave it unchecked when preserving cropped material matters, or enable it on your working copy when you need that canvas adjustment. Check the final boundaries rather than assuming every crop option behaves identically.

6. Make a restrained brightness adjustment

Select the working photo layer and choose Colors > Brightness-Contrast. Start with a small brightness change if the subject is too dark. Adjust contrast cautiously, watching the brightest and darkest areas. Accept the adjustment only when the image reads better at a normal viewing size.

A useful check is whether you can still see detail in a white shirt, pale sky or dark hair. Raising every control can make an image look dramatic while destroying those details. If the result is worse, undo the change or return to the reference. Correct exposure cannot recreate information missing from the original photograph. For this first project, aim for readable and natural rather than trying to repair every flaw.

7. Resize for the place you will publish

Check the image requirements of your destination, then choose Image > Scale Image. Use pixels for a screen image and keep the chain between Width and Height linked. Enter the required width; the proportional height updates with it. Apply the scale and inspect the result.

For a practice export, a width around 1600 pixels is a reasonable starting point, not a universal platform requirement. Scaling down can reduce file size. Scaling a tiny photograph upward does not create genuine new detail. Image > Scale Image changes the whole composition; it differs from scaling a single layer. Finish the crop before choosing final dimensions, and keep a larger original project if you expect to need another size later.

8. Add a short caption on its own layer

Choose Tools > Text, click an uncluttered part of the photo and type a short caption. Use the Text tool options to choose an installed font, its size and its color. GIMP creates a separate text layer, so you can return to the wording without repainting the photograph.

Leave space between the caption and the image edges. Select a color that stays readable against the background, and check the image at the smaller size people will actually see. A long sentence that looks comfortable at full zoom can become unreadable in a feed. Reopen the text layer with the Text tool to correct a spelling mistake. Save the XCF after the caption is positioned.

9. Export a JPEG or PNG without losing the project

Choose File > Export As and use a new filename ending in .jpg for a photograph or .png when you need transparency or crisp flat graphics. GIMP selects the output format from the extension. Complete the format's export dialog. For JPEG, begin with its default quality and inspect the output before reducing quality to meet a file-size limit.

Keep saving edits to the XCF. Exporting creates a delivery file; it does not replace the layered project. Repeatedly editing and recompressing the same JPEG can degrade it, so produce revised exports from the XCF. Open the exported file in another image viewer and confirm its crop, caption, dimensions and appearance before uploading it.

10. Check privacy and troubleshoot common mistakes

GIMP's privacy policy says the software does not collect personal data, but remote files, added plug-ins and the files themselves need separate consideration. Review export metadata settings before publishing a personal photograph. A picture can contain information such as camera details or a location even when the visible image looks harmless.

If an edit affects the wrong area, check the selected layer and any active selection. If the crop leaves an unexpected boundary, revisit its options. If saving offers only XCF, use Export As for JPEG or PNG. Large files and many layers use more memory; reduce unnecessary work on a copy. Keep important originals and projects backed up separately from the working folder.

Official instructions and sources

Official downloads and supported systemsOfficial pricing, commercial use and GPL license FAQGIMP 3.2 saving and exportingDuplicate Layers commandCrop tool optionsBrightness and contrast adjustmentScale Image commandText tool instructionsJPEG export and compressionOfficial privacy policy and metadata caveats

Original AltStack guide by Sushil Kumar Sah. Installation steps follow provider documentation; they do not imply testing on every supported device.