About the Authors

Joshua Pruitt is an administrator/digital-graphic artist residing in Nashville, Tennessee. He works for a local college and also teaches UNIX there. He is part of a Web design and hosting firm known as Mid-TN Network. He sets up local area networks for small businesses, and he is also Webmaster for the Nashville Linux User’s Group (www.nlug.org). Joshua spends way too much of his spare time with his books and computers, follows the politics of the tech industry soap opera, and will never pass up an opportunity to extol the virtues of Linux and the GIMP. If you don’t believe that, write him at joshua@mid-tn.com.

Ramona Pruitt is a self-taught graphic artist, cutting her first graphic teeth on Windowsbased programs such as Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, and then applying that knowledge to explore the GIMP. Like Joshua, she lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a part of the Web design team at Mid-TN Network, using her computer as a tool for her creative abilities. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, reading, hiking, and spending time with a beautiful new German Shepherd pup. She welcomes email addressed to wildflower@mid-tn.com.

Dedication

We dedicate this book to you, our readers, whether aspiring or accomplished artists. It is our hope that in writing this book, we have provided you with a diverse look at how the GIMP functions, and practical applications for its use.

Acknowledgments

It’s amazing how many people are involved in a project such as this one. We’d like to thank, first and foremost, the two men responsible for the GIMP itself, Peter Mattis and Spencer Kimball. Thanks guys, for creating such a cool and inspiring program. Next we’d like to thank David Fugate, our agent at Waterside Productions, for helping us get the gig. A very special thanks goes to our two favorite editors at Macmillan Publishing, Dustin Sullivan and Tom Dinse, and of course to all the other folks at Macmillan who were involved in bringing the project to completion. Also, many thanks to Zach Beane, for taking on the task of technical editing. And finally, a big thank you to Robert Pruitt, for his support and encouragement throughout, and to Jasari, our favorite lion at the Nashville Zoo, who was kind enough to stand still and be photographed for book illustration purposes.

Tell Us What You Think!

As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator. We value your opinion and want to know what we’re doing right, what we could do better, what areas you’d like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass our way.

As the executive editor for the operating systems team at Macmillan Computer Publishing, I welcome your comments. You can fax, email, or write me directly to let me know what you did or didn’t like about this book—as well as what we can do to make our books stronger.

Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book, and that due to the high volume of mail I receive, I might not be able to reply to every message.

When you write, please be sure to include this book’s title and author as well as your name and phone or fax number. I will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and editors who worked on the book.

Fax: 317.581.4663 Email: opsys@mcp.com

Mail: Executive Editor Operating Systems

Macmillan Computer Publishing 201 West 103rd Street Indianapolis, IN 46290 USA