Does GIMP scripting interest you, but scare you to death at the same time? Well, if it does, this tutorial is for you! In this tutorial, I show you a simple, but fun way to script. I call it "Mad Libs" style because, just like the Mad Libs game, you fill in the appropriate blanks and, instead of funny story at the end, you get a fully-functional script that works just the way you want it to. No scripting knowledge is required. In fact, I show you line-by-line what to change.

The script we create allows you to change many of GIMP's defaults with a single click. The defaults include changing the foreground/background colors, the font, the brush, the pattern, and gradient. So, if you have a favorite setup you like to use for sig making, you can get to it with the click of a button. If you have a favorite setup you like for your larger pieces, you can set one up for that. If you just want to easily get all the "Normal" defaults back with the click of a button, set one up for that too. You can have as many as you want.

Click on the Download link to the left to download a zip file. In the zip file you will see an html file, an Images folder, and the template script (MyDefaults.scm). Copy and paste (or drag and drop) all of the zip file contents to the same location on your harddrive. Then, double-click the html file to open the tutorial. The Image folder contains all of the images for the tutorial. As long as the images folder and html file are in the same location, you'll be able to see the images in your web browser.

Have fun "Mad Lib" Scripting.

Let me know if you have any questions or run into any snags.

Art