Image via Wikipedia

Graphic designers are very particular about their software. Adobe Photoshop is a favorite for laying out websites since it can make professional gradients, use layers and has a heap of tools to do just about anything you can think of. It might be a little overkill, but it gets the job done right.

Now, if you’re a graphic designer fresh out of college or are just learning on your own, buying a copy of Photoshop can be a bit too pricey. So you’ll need to look for an alternative. The open source software called the GIMP is very similar to Photoshop – it comes with all the bells and whistles, layers, tools and gradients. But the best part is the “open course” part – meaning free. Completely free. No sign up, no several thousand dollar price tag.

Leaning about GIMP will help you learn how to use it faster. Check out some tutorials and other people’s work with GIMP to see what it can do – it’s very amazing that its free after you see what people make with it.

Go download it and get started right away. All of the tool icons look like Photoshop’s too so learning where everything is won’t take you very long. Make a few sample websites to get the feel for how GIMP works before you go job hunting and locate your most frequently used techniques (gradients, layers etc). Once you’re settled in, you’ll be amazed at what GIMP can do for you.