Subsections
Setting up Your Computer to Get the Most from the GIMP
This section describes how to optimize the hardware and software
configuration of your computer to optimize the performance of the
GIMP.
Notes on RAM
The GIMP executable is about 7 Mb; however, depending on the size of
the GIMP data directories (patterns, palettes, brushes, and so on),
the memory footprint can grow another 2-10 Mb. In addition, the
script-fu program that runs concurrently with the GIMP occupies about
2.5 Mb. Thus, the GIMP requires a minimum of about 11.5-19.5 Mb of
RAM.
This is not all, though, because every image loaded into the GIMP also
requires memory. For example, loading an RGB format image will
require at least three times the number of pixels in the image (one
byte per RGB channel and perhaps a byte for the alpha channel) per
layer. Thus, an image with dimensions
pixels
containing three equal-sized layers requires from 2.8 to 3.7 Mb of
memory.
In addition to the memory required to display the image, there is also
the memory required for the undo cache. This is what
allows the GIMP to undo operations to an image being worked on.
The conclusion is that to work comfortably in the GIMP--to be able to
open images, composite, touchup, and apply filters--32 Mb of memory
should be considered a minimum. Of course, the RAM required will be
proportionally more for large images containing multiple layers.
