Exercise 1.1. In the Image: Windows menu, open the DOCKABLE DIALOGS menu and build a new dock with the dialogs you think will be useful.

Exercise 1.2. Rearrange the screen layout to better suit your tastes. You can add or remove dockable dialogs, rearrange windows, or even switch to single-window mode. When you’re done, save the layout so that GIMP remembers it next time you launch the program.

Exercise 1.3. If you have a digital camera, load some pictures onto your computer. You might plug the camera into your computer using a USB cable, or you might remove the memory card and insert it into a card reader on your computer. The memory card is seen as a new USB device, so you can find it and your photos with your file manager.

Exercise 1.4. Crop and resize one of your photos. Don’t forget to use the Unsharp Mask filter afterward. When you’re happy with the image, print it out.

Exercise 1.5. Bonus points: If you don’t have a graphics tablet, go buy one! When you have it, connect it to your computer and make sure it’s properly installed. Once GIMP recognizes it, practice signing your name using the different drawing tools.

Exercise 1.6. Pictures used in photo identification cards, like drivers licenses and passports, are notoriously unflattering. Find a good picture of yourself and use it to make a sheet of several ID photos, ready to be printed and cut out.