the site looks basic and dated.

guessing that when you update you will be using some form of cms.

run a contest on the new design, once you have decided what elements you want in the site

-Tab it! One tab for news, one tab for tuturials, one tab for...... and one tab for forum.
This site contains so mutch information....somewhere....

I would like to see an 'all in one' site, somewhat like gimpstuff.org but no one uses that one for some reason..i like being able to click on (eg) brushes and patterns and search for what I want to download..tutorials listed by category and maybe tag?..forums are harder because (like someone else said) even if a solution is found it gets buried. I like the Wiki idea for tuts. I guess the forum would be good for general discussions and downloads but as far as actual tutorials, it is difficult to work with. Separate places for text and video tuts (I hate video tutorials, no idea why) are good, like that. I guess I like the setup of Gimpstuff it's just no one uses it and there is very little to find there.

forgot to mention, with the tinychat chatroom, and with the free program manycam, you can also broadcast your actual desktop live..so users could give live tutorials, etc..

i just got gimp recently and this is the best gimp help site i have found..

i think the site's layout can use some change, it's kind of cluttered looking to me..maybe use colored tables around each part of the page (navigation, latest news, latest tutorials, ect.) to make them appear separated from each other..and maybe add a darker colored background to the entire page, personal preference, but this is just nitpicking..

the great community and tutorials here are what keep me coming back..the chat room here is great and full of knowledgable and helpful users..however i think hosting a tinychat chatroom would be nice, as they allow users to broadcast live video and audio, this could help considerably when trying to explain to someone how to do something in gimp..it would be a great way to bring people together..

yes i would like a real forum, there may be other forums, but this would become the greatest gimp forum if you created it :)..and gfx tournaments would be cool..

Here is another thing I have tried:
Open up my background image with Gimp.

Within that image I have gone to ->File->Open as layers->selected the top image-> saved it-> applied the eraser tool to it hoping to see the underneath image where I had erased but all I see is a white mark.

There must be a way to communicate GIMP skills easily.

How come all the video tutorials are on advanced skills, in another language, in another video format? and have to be downloaded rather than seen on Youtube?

This is your page for "Basics":
http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials.php?cat=6

So where are the clear basic instructions for basic skills??

I mean Basics are basics aren't they or has the English language changed?

Lets imagine I want to trim a centimetre off width and height of image. I click "Image" and I click "Tools" but see no explicit labels for tools for this most fundamental of tasks.

Here is an example of what drives me mad:

I read this:
http://docs.gimp.org/2.6/en/gimp-tool-blend.html

then go to my picture->Rclick it->Edit with Gimp->Left click the blend tool->left click an area on the image I want blended->bingo the whole image just goes the same black and white colour of the icon.

I am on Windows XP version by the way.

Most people are going to know that you can do Free basic editing of Jpeg and Gif with a system known as "Paint."

It will slice millimetres off the height and width, reduce or enlarge the picture, add blank millimetres to height and width of picture allowing you to then paste other pictures side by side, allow you to rease bits of the picture and allow you to add text to the picture.

I am on my third day of Gimp for the purposes of
learning to fade an image/picture onto another and learning to blend a picture onto another.

I have been to the tutorial http://www.vislab.uq.edu.au/users/manuals/gimp/gimp2.2.pdf and searched for fade and blend without any full, clear and simple definitions. Here is a question of mine that has gone unanswered for two days here:
http://www.gimpusers.com/forums/gimpusers-about/12423-How-do-I-fade-one-picture-onto-another.html#top

I've searched Google and I still can't find a simple PDF or video telling me how to do something that I should be able to do in two minutes once I know how!!!

Here is something I posted on another forum where I got a partial answer:

This works but I can't move the inserted image from where it positions itself which seems to be in top left hand cnr.:

#1:
* [File -> Open] -> select the background image.
* [File -> Open as Layers] -> select the second image. That should come up as a layer on to of the first image.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This also works but I also can't move the inserted image from where it positions itself which seems to be in top left hand cnr.:

#2:
* Open both as separate images.
* Select and copy part (or all) of one image, and [Edit -> Paste As -> New Layer] to bring it into a new layer on top of the first image.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still haven't found anyway to shave some millimeters of width or height off picture yet using Gimp (although it is easy in "Paint".

Gimps guillotine just seems to be a tool to cut out everything that is not the shape you select

Quite often trying to shave some millimeters off width or height in Gimp reduces the image as a whole.

I am quite frustrated that what I thought would be primary needs of beginners are so hard to
get clear information or videos on.

I do have a couple of YouTube videos to look at but they are very fast moving and don't cover the issues I am looking for exclusively.

That is the key problem. There are bits of information everywhere, but nothing specific, clear and complete.

devvv,
A GFx tournament sounds cool. I think the secret for GFx tutorials (which is the real thing that is going to drive traffic to this site and keep us here) is to make them easy to upload, browse, search and then rate. This means user accounts. A nice forum would truly be needed so collaboration could occur. If you want to get us together then make the hub about tutorials and/or final art. All of your spokes will be people creating and/or commenting on that. Then you have people who really stand out and you reward them as they might get hired for various work.

First thing this site needs is a new layout. The homepage feels cramped upon the first visit. The articles don't seem appealing due to the way they're presented (small picture besides every article can help), and the frequency of updates is very low (which can be solved by adding a prominent "Submit News" icon that sends an email to you). There is a huge amount of room for improvement in gimpusers.com.

I'd kinda like to be able to change my password.

I love the idea of contests, along with a showcase gallery of winning entries. That would give us a sense of community and create friendships among members. I see so much talent on the internet and continually find myself in awe of what people can do with GIMP.

If not a forum, what else could there be? I mean, outside of a member GFX contest gallery, what could get us members together? Perhaps a members gallery that you can showcase members and their talents each month? GIMPer of the Month Gallery?

It would be really cool to get to know everyone in the GIMP community and learn interesting things about them. Certainly those who have no interest in sharing about themselves wouldn't be forced to do so, but on the other hand it would open the door for those who are interested. Just a thought.

thanks for all the suggestions! i appreciate every single comment on this topic ;)

reading all the comments here as well as on our german site it seems that there is a general wish for a specific show-your-gimp-images-gallery and for a resources section. secondary there is the wish for a "real" forum on gimpusers.com. I'm not sure about this because there are lots of other forums already out there?!

is it hard for you guys that some of the screenshot-images are in german language instead of english?

what I'm also thinking of is a kind of a system that helps users to make some kind of gfx tournaments or so. would you be interested in something like that... contests or something?

I'm also looking for something that gets users together. something else than a forum. ideas?

BlenderArtists.org
BlenderNation.com

More beginner Tutorials

* Upgrade the forum software
* Upgrade the website theme
* Reward via praise those who post tutorials.

There should be video tutorials, this website should be better organized, add flash and javascript to the website to spice things up. There should be a plugin section, more tutorials, different versions of the GIMP (as in x64)and a chatroom.

I like the site and find the tutorials very useful. I tend to agree with most of the comments made so far. I think removing or updating some of the tutorials for older versions of gimp would be a good idea. for example in the basics section there is a tutorial for whats new in gimp 2.45. I don't think thats required anymore.

A space for video tutorial..images explain better then words

And if you like contributions make clear how to submit news, tutorial and what else

I have have found GIMP hugely helpful just as it is. I tend to only use the Manual because I'm learning basics.So can't add any suggestions to an already excellent site!

I've tried GIMP several times and I think that finally I get the layers thing. As a programmer, I looked at GIMP for a rare image touchup and found the tutorials lacking. This time around, the tutorials are better, but not all of them. Keeping track of the current version in the tutorials is also lacking. But, having said all of that, I now like and use GIMP a lot more and thinking in layers helps. So, please make sure that when a new version comes out, that the tutorials are working.

I'll be more interested in the fancier stuff as a grown into a GIMPER. Just remember that the first rule of rocket science is Keep It Simple.

And thanks for all your hard work and the very nice GIMP tool. Hooray!

Gimp is a fantastic tool. Palettes, Plugins, Patterns, Gradients, and more.

I think what the envato.com network does is something gimpusers can adopt albeit in a non-commercial way - eg: they have tutorial networks for say psd/etc. as well as marketplaces where assets are solidly sold.

I also think gimpusers.com will differentiate their site if they can simplify design related tasks - for example - anybody who's online these days knows about wordpress and running a blog of some sort - how many of them design their own graphic assets themselves? - I estimate a petty fraction. Reason: as there are many useful designs out there already. Consequence - Zero Personalization. SAD.

This is just one observation that comes to my mind. For developers gimp has scriptfu, how many creatives use it ? Again a fraction in my estimation. I hope these observations change, I hope gimpusers.com provides this change!

@gsvolt

I like to use my printer for saving articles so I could access info and other while I work. Is print page allowable?

please reorganized the whole site, and make it work right(currently the whole site is to the "left"... i myself feel confused with some many buttons and no order! It's needs some color. (i know you said no visual comments, but that the weak point in this site) and put a nice forum!

Plain Vanilla please. Name at the top. Users work directly below. Index to one side. No water marks or other extraneous ... items under the information. Article taking up 70% of the space.

This site is *TOO BUSY*.
I love the gimp community but the junk at the top bar makes me leave quickly every time.

The ideal site:
1. Takes questions from the users
2. Finds an answer
3. Writes up a clear and well-written article about this.
4. Rinse and repeat.

Forums are INEFFICIENT... it's a bunch of people who don't have a clue shooting in the dark ... and when someone does find a solution, there's another 50 people asking the same question because it's buried in 10,000 other threads of people shooting in the dark.

Ideal site? Start picking out the answers to the questions in your forums and put it into a wiki!

In good spirit, love to you all.

As mentioned before, I think it would be very cool if this site had a similar structure to Blendernation. However, such a site is always a hassle to maintain...

I would like to see more for the beginner. there always things that all of us can learn from others. I would like to see more tutorials on the many facets of Gimp from people who use it for there own purposes. I am a big fan of Gimp and wish I knew much more. Thanks for the great site and allowing us to give our two cents.

I'd like to see a mix of several things, including some of things Jose mentioned (GIMP usage in the industry). A semi-gallery for artists to display their finished works (not like DeviantArt, more like taking submissions and letting the users vote on the best one). Implement taking tutorial requests from users and allow those willing to join the tutorial brigade, make them. The big thing is, there is so much talent out there, it would be nice to give the new GIMP users, like myself, more exposure to how more experienced users benefit from it.

This are some changes:
1. Change current design. Make it looks like more closer look to GIMP.ORG (dark background etc.)
2.Add sections like Plugins, Brushes etc..
3. Current forum is very basic level. Use PHPBB or like this forum software and customize theme to match site.

That what I think now.. Will post more..

I think gimpusers is really cool the way it is, but I think it can grab some ideas from blendernation like posting examples of GIMP usage in the industry, works from GIMPers. Keep the great work guys, gimpusers is already a really great community site!!