Author Topic: The GIMP/PhotoFiltre/Paint.net/etc., thoughts... (Read 67,677 times)

Hirudin · « **on:** June 14, 2007, 11:38 AM »

Before I begin, I used the DC search to find instances of "Gimp" in thread subject lines, none were found to my surprise.

Well, I'm swearing off PhotoShop. I hate Adobe and I hate all their programs. Not to mention the planned obsolescence (new model every year even if they've made very little changes), the insane prices~~, or Adobe's fondness of proprietary file formats~~.

I've tried The GIMP before, but I think I dismissed it pretty quickly. At the time the "FauxtoShop" interface was the first (big) nail in it's coffin for me. Well, I'm trying it again. I've made 1 whole image, and I think I'm going to start using it as my primary photo editor.

Anyone know of any other free graphics apps that are actually pretty powerful? For instance, I gave Paint.net an honest try, but it's severely lacking in features ATM.

Are any of y'all using The GIMP exclusively? Any tips for a casual user?

Here's an awesome feature that I don't think I've seen in other programs...

I wonder what other gems it's got...

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #1 on:** June 14, 2007, 12:07 PM »

Quote from: Hirudin on June 14, 2007, 11:38 AM

Well, I'm swearing off PhotoShop. I hate Adobe and I hate all their programs. Not to mention the planned obsolescence (new model every year even if they've made very little changes), the insane prices, or Adobe's fondness of proprietary file formats.

Bit harsh ... yes they do come out with new versions regularly but they generally do include a lot of new features asked for by users and are well written and stable applications aimed squarely at the professional graphics market (hence the price) though they do consumer level versions at competitive prices.

I have used Photoshop 6, 7 and CS2 - I don't upgrade every year but the jump from PS 6 to CS2 is quite large in terms of new features etc. I haven't tried CS3 yet and will probably skip a year.

Proprietary formats ??? As far as I can tell Photoshop supports just about every format out there (both reading and writing). True it uses PSD formats for its own native files - but what format would you suggest that can store all the editing information?

Quote

I've tried The GIMP before, but I think I dismissed it pretty quickly.

That was pretty much my reaction when I tried it on both Windows and Linux. IMHO it makes PS look easy to use.

If you want a freebie why not give PhotFiltre a try.

Hirudin · « **Reply #2 on:** June 14, 2007, 12:31 PM »

You're right about the formats... I was thinking PSD, but I guess they need to make a format that will hold all the special info PS needs... I guess I was thinking about the times I've tried to open PSDs with other programs. I think I'll go strike that comment from the record...

I think I took a look at PhotoFiltre, I thought I saw that it doesn't have layer support, a function I use constantly.
...Later
Oh I see, Version 9 is shareware (a very reasonable €25), version 6 is freeware. The Shareware version has layer functionality...
If the GIMP fails me it'll be at the top of my list.

tomos · « **Reply #3 on:** June 14, 2007, 12:42 PM »

Havent used Gimp at all myself but
there is a version called Gimpshop inspired by interface of you know what

is there even a portable version of the Gimp??
...
Yes http://portableapps.com/apps but its not the GipmShop one ...

zridling · « **Reply #4 on:** June 14, 2007, 01:35 PM »

Carol, check out GIMPShop as a transitional app, because it shares the exact same menus and toolbars as Photoshop. Also, here are some Gimp Tutorials, most of them pretty fundamental tasks.

Grorgy · « **Reply #5 on:** June 14, 2007, 01:37 PM »

A lot of people use paint.net from http://getpaint.net/index2.html which has layers and heaps of plugins written by a fairly active community of users. worth a look and its free

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #6 on:** June 14, 2007, 02:12 PM »

Quote from: zridling on June 14, 2007, 01:35 PM

Carol, check out GIMPShop as a transitional app, because it shares the exact same menus and toolbars as Photoshop. Also, here are some Gimp Tutorials, most of them pretty fundamental tasks.

Well they have tried to make it a bit similar - but it isn't really similar at all. The menus are not the same and even after running the compatible shortcuts links batch file the keyboard shortcuts don't work in the same way.

It was interesting to install and look at (and it does load fast) but I don't think I will keep it on my system.

Hirudin · « **Reply #7 on:** June 14, 2007, 02:39 PM »

Argh... that didn't take long. 1 bad freeze, numerous odd behaviors, and for the frigging love of god: for some reason when you zoom with the mouse it doesn't zoom toward the cursor!

Looks like PhotoFiltre is next...

tomos · « **Reply #8 on:** June 14, 2007, 02:45 PM »

Quote from: Hirudin on June 14, 2007, 02:39 PM

Argh... that didn't take long. 1 bad freeze, numerous odd behaviors, and for the frigging love of god: for some reason when you zoom with the mouse it doesn't zoom toward the cursor!

Looks like PhotoFiltre is next...

you're using vista arent you? maybe it's not ready yet ...

PS which version did you try?

zridling · « **Reply #9 on:** June 14, 2007, 02:54 PM »

Me likey Photofiltre. But it's for simple needs. There really isn't a Photoshop equal, although many have tried.

Darwin · « **Reply #10 on:** June 14, 2007, 03:14 PM »

There truly is no Photoshop equal, but how many people REALLY need Photoshop, let alone its equal? I barely scratch the surface of PhotoFiltre and PaintShop Pro in terms of utilizing their features sets and doubt that most casual home user's do either. PaintShop Pro is overkill for me, Photoshop even more so. Not that I'm suggesting that everyone here is a casual user (I'm the Perry Como of digital photography software use, so may be "beyond" casual... Anyone who grew up in NA during the early to mid 70's will get the reference... or not, it's one of those days).

Hirudin · « **Reply #11 on:** June 14, 2007, 03:15 PM »

Quote from: tomos on June 14, 2007, 02:45 PM

you're using vista arent you? maybe it's not ready yet ...

PS which version did you try?

Yup, Vista (64 bit). That possibility goes through my mind with every program I use that doesn't work. As I recall it didn't say it was vista compatible anywhere, but I figured I'd give it a shot...

I was using The GIMP 2.2.15 and GTK+ 2.10.11. I think I would have just lived with the weird behavior if it would zoom like I expect. Maybe version 2.4..?

zridling · « **Reply #12 on:** June 14, 2007, 03:35 PM »

Darwin nails it — if you're not a pro or a graphics wiz, Photoshop is a serious luxury in your case. And Vista x64 is a mixed bag. Most programs work fine, but a LOT of my old XP programs have something a little wrong with them. Often, the problem starts right with installation. And the apps I want to be 64-bit aren't written yet — file managers and text editors, specifically.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #13 on:** June 14, 2007, 03:59 PM »

Quote from: tomos on June 14, 2007, 02:45 PM

Quote from: Hirudin on June 14, 2007, 02:39 PM
Argh... that didn't take long. 1 bad freeze, numerous odd behaviors, and for the frigging love of god: for some reason when you zoom with the mouse it doesn't zoom toward the cursor!

Looks like PhotoFiltre is next...
you're using vista arent you? maybe it's not ready yet ...

PS which version did you try?

I am using XP and the three times I ran GIMPshop it crashed! Doesn't look like a Vista issue.

If you don't want PhotoShop then Paintshop Pro is a good alternative.

If you want something dead simple to fix red-eye etc. howabout ACDSee Editor ?

Hirudin · « **Reply #14 on:** June 14, 2007, 04:37 PM »

Yeah, I might end up with PSP... I've used it quite a bit, I do like the UI!

PhotoFiltre is pretty cool so far! There's a couple aspects of it I do not find intuitive (like the reversed zoom), and at least one thing I haven't been able to figure out (alpha channel in the background). But for €25 (which I think is about... $34) it seems like a pretty great program! Next thing you're going to tell me is it's got a lifetime license... (I couldn't find how they handle upgrade pricing, do any of you know?)

Darwin · « **Reply #15 on:** June 14, 2007, 06:12 PM »

Yeah, Photofiltre is a great alternative, if your needs aren't "Pro". For now, the author is selling lifetime licences. I reviewed it here. I slam PaintShop Pro in my review, and still have issues with it's slowness, but it works well and I still find myself using it more than I thought I would.

Jimdoria · « **Reply #16 on:** June 14, 2007, 09:28 PM »

I've never been able to get Gimpshop to run either. GIMP by itself runs fine though.

I've tried to make GIMP my primary image editor, but I keep falling back to my old copy of Paint Shop Pro 7 just because it starts up so quickly and I know it so well. However GIMP has the one tool from Photoshop that I really love and that PSP7 lacks, which is the ability to paint on the mask layer.

GIMP has a little bit of that "all over the place" feel you get from OS apps sometimes. Like, effects are in two different menus based on whether they are binary filters or scripts. As a user, do I care how the effect works "behind the scenes"? No. But OS software is designed by techies for techies (what do you mean you're not a programmer?

) and so the usability is not up to what you'd get from a commercial app like Photoshop. I still often find myself hunting through the GIMP menus for the function I want.

Also, the documentation is just sub-par. I want to punch my screen every time I see that "Eek! A help is missing!" message (which is all the time!) To me, it's like I can hear the developers saying "it is so humorous to us that you can't figure this out, you clueless noob" in some vaguely Scandinavian accent.

But rants aside, I like GIMP overall, and it has really progressed recently. If you haven't looked at it in a year or so, definitely check it out - it's grown up quite nicely. It is a decent competitor for Photoshop for certain things, such as web graphics and hobby photo editing. It's not really capable of professional work though, due to lack of stuff like color calibration tools and its lack of support for CMYK color.

f0dder · « **Reply #17 on:** June 14, 2007, 11:01 PM »

I like PaintShop Pro a lot, but not after JASC sold it to that company which shall not be named here. paint.NET is pretty cute for simple stuff, it runs pretty well and all, and certainly beats mspaint

.

GIMP... confuses me. Just like photoshop. Both are probably pretty smart when you're into it, but when you're not - eek.

Sevaral years ago, I used micrografx picture publisher (iirc) - it was pretty nice in the sense that you could turn your selections into "objects", instead of having to muck around with layers, and you could "paint" your selections (easier than dealing with alpha channels). And it was very very lightweight.

elpresi · « **Reply #18 on:** June 14, 2007, 11:28 PM »

Hi, for photo work (not graphics or advanced brushwork retouching!) I find Lightzone very easy to use (bit pricy but free on linux):
http://www.lightcrafts.com/products/index.html

Besides the oviously nice gui, the nice thing about it is that every tool you apply is automatically put on its own layer and you can adjust its settings at any time (as in a PS adjustment layer) or simply remove it; thus there is no Undo/Redo and the editing is 100% non-destructive.
It is a java application so not the speediest but the workflow advantage makes up for it imho.

linux:
http://www-old.lightcrafts.com/linux/

Hirudin · « **Reply #19 on:** June 15, 2007, 01:24 AM »

Quote from: elpresi on June 14, 2007, 11:28 PM

Hi, for photo work (not graphics or advanced brushwork retouching!) I find Lightzone very easy to use
...

That looks very cool! Downloading now...
... Why do these sites insist on making you register to download their demo??? So annoying!

@f0dder - Why mustn't they be named? The buyout (or whatever it was) didn't thrill me either BTW.

...Later

Should I be worried???
...Even later
Oh, Install4j isn't a typo... that's actually the name of the installer.

elpresi · « **Reply #20 on:** June 15, 2007, 02:06 AM »

maybe 4j=for java?

Darwin · « **Reply #21 on:** June 15, 2007, 03:21 AM »

I still have PSP 9 installed alongside XI. Both do everything that I need, but 9 feels more robust and professional somehow. Probably something stupid like the toolbar icons and the colour scheme that do it for me, I don't know...

Perry Mowbray · « **Reply #22 on:** June 15, 2007, 04:22 AM »

Quote from: f0dder on June 14, 2007, 11:01 PM

Sevaral years ago, I used micrografx picture publisher (iirc) - it was pretty nice in the sense that you could turn your selections into "objects", instead of having to muck around with layers, and you could "paint" your selections (easier than dealing with alpha channels). And it was very very lightweight.

Ulead PhotoImpact uses this graphics model as well, and I find in many cases it's much easier to use.

I also use GIMP, but still feel that I'm on the learning curve (I think it keeps throwing me off

)

Hirudin · « **Reply #23 on:** June 15, 2007, 06:22 AM »

Lightzone is interesting, but I think I need brushes to feel comfortable in a graphics program.

Whoa, PSP has changed! If y'all haven't seen it yet, here's what you're greeted with after install...

I bet you can get the full version on eBay for... oh, $40 or so.

f0dder · « **Reply #24 on:** June 15, 2007, 09:55 AM »

Quote from: Hirudin on June 15, 2007, 01:24 AM

@f0dder - Why mustn't they be named? The buyout (or whatever it was) didn't thrill me either BTW.

Well, just like some people ususally don't wanna name satan, I don't feel too comfortable about typing or saying "Corel" :p

Also, I think the new PSP GUI sucks bigtime. Big-bigtime. Corel basically ruined everything that was great about it - like not having to install it, but being able to carry it on an USB disk.

Quote from: Perry Mowbray on June 15, 2007, 04:22 AM

Ulead PhotoImpact uses this graphics model as well, and I find in many cases it's much easier to use.

I'll check that out, thanks for the tip!