Well... let's get started...
first of all, we need to get familiarized with the GUI (that's the thing most users complain about), so, we have...
1. Tools window
2. Tool Options window
3. Layers, channels and paths window
Their names are self explanatory , but for the third one we may explain some things:
the tools window has the main tools, but not all of them.... for more advanced stuff (like coloring and the like), you may access them by right clicking in the workspace
The tool options window changes for EVERY tools you use... it is convenient to keep it open, as it will allow you to fine tune the parameters for what you want to do, and it is always good for you to customize your graphics
I will talk about layers, but not channels and paths until later..... and another thing... ALWAYS keep these 3 windows open.... never close them, as they are th ones you'll work most with.
and advanced thing: think of layers as a pack of transparencies..... if you write in a transparency in the back, it will be "covered" by the frontmost ones..... you may have as many layers as you want, but you at least should have one (the bottom one)..... my sugestion is: always keep the bottom one transparent, it wil save you a lot of trouble later
, I'll explain you in the next part
__________________
Made with the GIMP