"Photoshop" for free

[Gary David Bouton]

Okay, I'm guilty of dissing Photo-Impact, but Gidgit, I've used Photo-Impact, as well as the latest version of Gimp. I make it a point to download demos to see where Photoshop might be ahead or behind, and I further confess that I started image editing with Aldus PhotoStyler, and then Photoshop when it became available in Windows flavor, so the old truth holds with me, too: you tend to stick with the app you started with (mostly to save a new learning curve).

Gimp struck me a truly useful app, one that requires a shorter learning curve than other image editors. To me, and this is just my oipinion and I've written several chapters in other people's books in the past, Photo-Paint for example, has a difficult interface to learn; it does not make the layout "sense" oif other apps.

Here's an example of ponying up concerning my statement about Gimp. Below are two pictures I melded to stop my nephew from ruining the first picture. I did this in Gimp, I have not read the documentation,m and it took about 15 minutes, 5 of them poking around for features.

Why did I just know that you'd contribute to this thread, Klaus?

Your comments about the look of an interface are valid to a certain extent, but hey, Maya, and particluarly SoftImage are butt-ugly, and somehow "true artists" seem to plod along begrudgingly and win academy awards using them.

Glad to see you back after four months.


My Best,

Gare

[dalel]

The primary problem with DA GIMP is that most of the common actions are buried deep in a twitchy menu system. Those menus would make anyone go batty.

Besides being ugly and buggy, DA GIMP just plain sucks because it is slow and a pain to use. Not to mention it crashes a lot.

On a scale of 1-10 Xara X is a 10 for sheer usability, speed and great output. DA GIMP may get a 2 if you can stand to use it long enough to get any output. Otherwise it gets a 1/2.

They sure named it right: DA GIMP hobbles along while all the good apps walk or run.


Why, I’m afraid I can’t explain myself, sir, because I’m not myself, you know...
- Lewis Carroll

[Gary David Bouton]

Dale...

After I qualified my opinion, I took the time to validate my opinions by actually creating and posting some image editing in Gimp, and actually wrote a couple of private eMails to folks in apology for being "hard" and "opinionated", you get right in here and tell everyone that Da Gimp "sucks".

Okay, fine.

I haven't the faintest idea what this forum wants anymore. We debate things instead of discussing them, we post images but I don't see people taking an equal amnount of time to post tutorials, and I feel that a lot of times posts are made for the sheer pleasure of self-recognition, mostly couched in negative material. You know, Ivan resigned from the XARA forum because of the negativity and in-fighting? I think he's a gem and am sorry to see someone go that way. It's mostly an issue of "attitude" here--the PSG is a very positive forum and I don't see why we can't be here, too.

I'd like to ask everyone if we could possibly think twice and post once? Some positive energy in this forum would build upon itself, you know?


My Best,
Gare

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.

[Erik Heyninck]

Hey, Klaus, did you finally buy a mac or so? Just wondering...the way you write about Adobe's "superiority", the construction your of phrases, your arguments...this is really mac talk (I won't write Apple talk because that at least is a kind of communication...). Or do you suffer from a new fit of ego constipation?

I, for one, cannot paint with Talens oil colours. They contain too much oil, and a large quantity of the pigments are replaced by filling agents. I prefer Blockx and Oudt Hollands.
Yet never in my life I've been involved in something as silly as a discussion on which brand of oil paints would be the best. I know a French painter, François Schlesser ( http://imagic21eme.free.fr ), who uses Talens. Looking at his work is sufficient to make all the bigmouths shut up.
What I want to say is that it is high time to become a bit civilised, and stop spitting out opinions that add nothing whatsoever to the conversation on the topic.

When someone has really worked with any app untill he got it in his fingers, and the work of this specialist shows clearly that his work is not up to the stardards set by another specialist using another app, then we may conclude that app a has not the same quality of app b. When Gary posts this image, no one can tell whether it is done in PS, PP, PSP, the Gimp or any other app. All the rest is a waste of time.
Shorthly I will install Linux on a puter. And I am shure that the Gimp will be the first Linux app I'll open. I have seen many fascinating things done with it. And I don't have to invest my money as I can download the latest version of most known Linux distributions from the Internet.

I don't post often anymore at TG. The atmosphere lacks enthusiasm and some kind of friendliness I need to function well. Pity. Sorry to read that Ivan left...

[Earl]

I remember using an early version of GIMP at some point. I think it's kinda cool, for a free app. It's amazing how many free apps there are out there that have quite a few features under their belt. Then you take programs like Photo-Paint and Photoshop that have teams of programmers associated with them, and you wonder what the $(*&$ they spend all their time DOING!

Though I've been a long time Corel (Photo-Paint) fan, I'm finding myself using Photoshop more for certain tasks. I switch between the two often, and almost interchangably. It frustrates me to no end that one single program can't 'get it all right.'

But then... I could just be picky...

Thanks for posting the link Gary! It's always good to keep an eye on all that's out there...

[Gary David Bouton]

I'd like to apologize for the initial comment I made about Gimp esseentially blowing away Photo-Impact, PSP, and Photo-Paint. I can and have used all these programs to get a feel for their feature set, and truth be known, PaintShop Pro has some pretty neat filters.

The reason I even brought up Gimp was because a friend of mine out in Hollywood told me that enterprises...production houses...are using Gimp because site licenses for 400 seats for Photoshop would kill a budget. My bud also tells me to watch Photoshop 8 closely, to see if we don't get an integrated workflow between video editing and image editing. Seems that a "secret" feature of the Unix version of Gimp (I think) enables you to cut, paste, and edit as a seamless workflow, so if for example, you needed to get rid of a traffic sign in a video, you'd clone it out using Gimp, instead of After Effects.

I'm sorry this thread got so empassioned, and I for one will zip it in the future if someone else wants to diss a post of mine. And by dissing, I mean a poorly-qualified opinion, such as, "Ew, it's ugly, it doesn't match the color of my scarf", or, "Brand X is better. It just is."


My Best,
Gare

[gidgit]

Haha, boyo, how to respond to this...

um... let's see... it's how many votes for said app vs how many against... seems kinda democratic to me... as for the attitude... well, I would venture to say that it is much more tame in here than in the House of Commons ( another democratic type of place hehe )

There is a right way to compare apps, and then there is simply claiming... sure you put up a pic... but... no comparisons were made illustrating results from two or more apps, both for showing the nice results vs the nastier , or demonstrating how said app carries you through the workflow.... in other words, what truly makes this app worthy of such claims... which in them selves thus prompted the debates, as in apposed to further discussing the merits of the app, which as stated, were not provided...

as for the forum comparison... or the retirement of a member or what have ya... well, it's a big free world out there eh... as long as everyone is happy in what they do...

as for posting works for the personal satisfaction... well... don't get me going on this one... what the bejumping jimminies do you think many are here for? To show off talents, to share tips and tricks, to shoot the breaze... whatever the days brings about...

I am going to stop right here

[Gary David Bouton]

Gidget...

This has become a hopelessly entangled morass of ill-will and antagonism. I'm sorry for my contribution to this negativity.

I'm not going to post anything more on this thread, except that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and Gimp is a free image editor that doesn't take too long to download.


Peace,

Gare

[bmh216]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>This has become a hopelessly entangled morass of ill-will and antagonism. I'm sorry for my contribution to this negativity <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Amen, Gary, wow.

I usually lurk here because it used to be a vital, active group that I enjoyed being a part of. Gary pops in here (and for those who may not know, Gary was and is a very talented, impassioned, caring man with alot to offer this group) to show an interesting app he found (I've used the Gimp and it's non-modal windows are not my cup of tea) and he gets this? Maybe his claims were a bit premature, but this man has written books on Photoshop. How many others can stand up and say that? IOW, he knows his image editing apps. Cut him a little slack, guys, let's be civil, huh?

Gary, nice example (your nephew) of the power of the Gimp. I couldn't have pulled it off, but that's a pretty seamless composite.

Gidgit, I'm at a loss for words. You're usually very upbeat and cheerful in your words; in this thread you've spit a bit of venom at an undeserving target.

Brett

I tried the Gimp on another computer (may have been win 98 or ME or XP .,..cant recall). I didn't use it long as there were too many windows (for my liking), too many pop-up things, and my wacom pen wasn't working. It was said on the site ( at that time) that the windows version is generally not kept up to date as much as the other versions of it. All I can say is if someone likes it , that's great but I personally didn't like it much.

Part of my discomfort with the Gimp (at least my memory of the version I tried) was that it didn't have an interface I was happy with. I like a certain interface which PhotoImpact has had for years. Corel also has this (context sensitive settings bar depending on tool currently picked) as does XaraX. More programs are getting this including Photoshop's last version or two and even the new Painter8 will have it's current settings bar improved to be more like this style. Macromedias Mireworks MX also has this.

I'm sure it can do a lot and it's free so if someone uses it , that's great.

If there's a new windows version, I might check it out as I'm alsways trying out as many app demos as I can