This page will deal with a open-source program called GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program).  I have used this for a while to create graphics for my website and recently my UT 3 maps.  While this page will focus mostly on mapping, it will have areas that can be used for your website and general graphic creations.

Some links are Photoshop specific [will have a "PS" before the link]; but contain a lot of information that can be used in GIMP.  While GIMP doesn’t have all off the features in Photoshop, it does contain enough similarities to warrant adding these tutorials.

If you know of any additional sites or specific tutorials, please contact me.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started [Get to know and download GIMP]
• Assets [Extend your GIMP's functionality and get resources to build some textures]
• Texture Information [General Information about different types of textures/maps]
• Specific Tutorials [Tutorials that cover specific techniques]
• Community Sites [Forums & Tutorial Sites}

Getting Started

• You can download the latest stable release [version 2.6.11 for Windows XP SP2 or later] here as well as the user manual.  Here is the FAQ for Windows related questions.
• You can download the latest “beta” release [version 2.7.1] here.  This includes features such as “Single Window Mode”, Grouped Layers, and Dynamic Brushes (as well as other features).  Keep in mind it’s still in Beta and may have some personality issues.
• The official online documentation [user manual] can be found here.
• A glossary of terms used in GIMP as well as texture creation can be found here.
• You can start to learn GIMP by following a few of the beginner tutorials here.

Assets

• Brushes [Brushnet] [Free-Brushes] [Lord of Design] [My Photoshop Brushes]  [Qbrushes]
• Colors [Cloford]
• Fonts [dafont]
• Plug-ins Sites [Gimp Registry] [Techzilo] [Texturize]
• Plug-in Specific
  • File Formats [DDS]
  • Guides [Border] [Center Guides] [Diagonal] [Grid of Guides] [H-Guides] [V-Guides]
  • Map Types [Normal]
  • Patterns [Hex Grid]
• Textures [General Use]
  • [Absolute Background Textures Archive]
  • [CG Textures]
  • [Ford’s Texture Pack]
  • [Graffiti Creator]
  • [Kraden]
  • [KTN Textures]
  • [LeMographics & 3dTextures]
  • [Mayang’s]
  • [Nvidia Transmogrifying Textures Vol. 1]
  • [Plain Textures]
  • [Planit 3D Textures]

Texture Information

• Material Creation Workflow [Using both modeling and texture creating programs]
• [Philipk Bricks] [Philipk Blocks Bricks] [Philipk Concrete] [Philipk Metal] [Philipk Stone Cliff] [Philipk Stone Cracked][Philipk Stone Rough] [Philipk Wood]
• Size Does Count! [Leigh Vanderbyl-PDF]
• Photographs to Normal Maps [KatsBits] [KatsBits]
• Photoshop Tips and Tricks for Texturing Artits [Leigh Vanderbyl-PDF]
• Texturing for Dummies [Leigh Vanderbyl-PDF]
• Textures for Games [KatsBits]
• Texture Photography [Hourences]
• Tips & Tricks [Hourences]

Specific Tutorials

• Ceramic Tile [Gauravnawani]
• Normal Map Creation [PS mAlkAv!An]
• Optimizing Textures for UT 3/UDK [Alphaeridani]
• Seamless Textures [PS Rnel]
• Tileable Marble [Petery.ca]
• Workflow
  • Painting Hard Surface Textures [PS Stefan Morrell]

Community Sites

• Forums [Gimper] [GIMP Talk]
• Tutorials [Gimpology] [GIMP Plus] [GIMP Tutorials.com] [Gimp Tutorials.net] [Pixel 2 Life]