First, open Gimp. Next, when you go to open a PDF using Gimp, you need to decide whether to open its pages as separate images or as a group of layers, which are portions of a single image.

With the Film Grain layer selected in the Layers dialog, bring up the Scatter HSV filter by right-clicking in the image window and selecting Filters→Noise→Scatter HSV from the pop-up context menus.

In the Layers pane we need to right-click on the layer we have coloured blue and select ‘Add Layer Mask’, stick with the default settings and choose a small, soft-edged Paintbrush.

Launch GIMP and open the image that you want to make semi-transparent. Press "Ctrl-L" to display the Layers toolbox at the right of the GIMP window.

It may not be as "professional," but GIMP still has a few aces over Photoshop. Here are some things that make GIMP stand out.

Layer features GIMP 3 will finally support layer groups where you can select multiple layers together and apply multiple effects and transformations on them with a single click.

GIMP has matured into a truly incredible photo-editing program. If you’re coming by way of Photoshop, however, use these tips to ease the transition.

Fortunately, with GIMP 3, there'll be auto-expanding layers, which means GIMP will automatically adjust layer dimensions according to the latest changes.

5 powerful GIMP features I use nearly every day for easy, free photo editing If you didn't think this Photoshop alternative could get any better, wait until you try these tools.