alternate graphics editor

  • Thread starter Thread starter badgolferman
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badgolferman

My wife wants a grapics editor similar to Adobe Photoshop, etc. I have
searched around, but there are so many I don't have the time to evaluate.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a program that will allow
manipulation of the image and whatever else these programs do? I've been
making her use Irfanview, but she says it isn't enough.
 
My wife wants a grapics editor similar to Adobe Photoshop, etc. I have
searched around, but there are so many I don't have the time to evaluate.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a program that will allow
manipulation of the image and whatever else these programs do? I've been
making her use Irfanview, but she says it isn't enough.
Click to expand...

PhotoPlus

http://www.serif.com/photoplus5/

It's a PhotoShop 5.x clone. It's registerware, but well worth it.

Bob
 
Serif's PhotoPlus 5 is probably the most sophisticated free product
available. GIMP (I believe its open source) also has a strong following and
is free. These are mid level editors, and as such, don't have color
management, and other professional level tools. Though PhotoPlus will allow
you to use Photoshop Plug-ins. You can find them by doing a google search.

If you need more power than this, you will need to go to payware.
 
Pleasing ask you can say a little more detailed, my English level is not
very good, my mother tongue not is English.
 
JunkMonkey said:
Serif's PhotoPlus 5 is probably the most sophisticated free product
available. GIMP (I believe its open source) also has a strong following and
is free. These are mid level editors, and as such, don't have color
management, and other professional level tools. Though PhotoPlus will allow
you to use Photoshop Plug-ins. You can find them by doing a google search.

If you need more power than this, you will need to go to payware.
Click to expand...

Be sure to have a spam dump or they will spam you to death at the
email address you provide them.
 
My wife wants a grapics editor similar to Adobe Photoshop, etc. I have
searched around, but there are so many I don't have the time to evaluate.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a program that will allow
manipulation of the image and whatever else these programs do? I've been
making her use Irfanview, but she says it isn't enough.
Click to expand...

The GIMP
www.gimp.org

* Open Source and free
* Can use PhotoShop plugins etc
* Multi Platform



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FORT Freeware: http://freeware.quantum.2ya.com
Pegasus Mail Support Site: http://pegasus.quantum.2ya.com
DATA Solutions: http://datasolutions.quantum.2ya.com

If you truly want to contact me click the link
http://quantum.2ya.com/email.htm
 
badgolferman said:
My wife wants a grapics editor similar to Adobe Photoshop, etc. I have
searched around, but there are so many I don't have the time to evaluate.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a program that will allow
manipulation of the image and whatever else these programs do? I've been
making her use Irfanview, but she says it isn't enough.
Click to expand...
Babya Photo Workshop has many features and it is freeware:
http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?19000000037114
 
Babya Photo Workshop has many features and it is freeware:
http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?19000000037114
Click to expand...

I tried out Pixia a couple of years ago and it seemed to have a lot of
features. The thing is, does your wife have any Photoshop experience?
I didn't know PSP at the time and now I do though I can't take time to
evaluate this program now but do know that a freeware may or may not
do what the commercial apps do. Only your wife will know and only if
she already has some experience to draw from to compare to the
freewares.

I _do_ know that freeware can do the job any commercial app can do but
do wonder if the exception is graphics. It's taken me over 2 years to
get where I am at now after all the ton of other software (literally
hundreds of apps) I know how to use to varying degrees of competency.
Graphics are different from the usu. beasts.

Pixia is available here:
http://www.ab.wakwak.com/~knight/
I checked and saw nothing there to say that it isn't freeware anymore
but I can't say it still is with 100% certainty. I saw no mention of
paying anywhere, though, for what it's worth.



Another good app was Satori PhotoXL v2.29. Son of Spy still has it on
his site:
http://www.sover.net/~wysiwygx/Graphics2.html

Good luck!
 
My wife wants a grapics editor similar to Adobe Photoshop, etc. I have
searched around, but there are so many I don't have the time to evaluate.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a program that will allow
manipulation of the image and whatever else these programs do? I've been
making her use Irfanview, but she says it isn't enough.
Click to expand...

I'd second others regarding The Gimp! Like Photoshop, there's a significant
learning curve, but there are excellent tutorials online. I have both
Photoshop and The Gimp on my machine at work and prefer The Gimp. For
retouching, I also use it exclusively as my image editor at home. I use
IrfanView for some things, but beyond simple brightness-contrast-gamma,
cropping and resize, I use The Gimp.

The other thing about The Gimp is that there is an excellent e-mail forum
that is one of the best! Actually, I use the Windows version, so am
familiar with the Windows Gimp forum - I'm sure there's a similar Linux
Gimp forum.

The Gimp was ported to Windows from Linux, so exists in both flavors. One
option, if you'd like to sample Linux as well, is to download the ISO for
Knoppix from http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html. This is a
self-contained version of Linux that boots and runs from a CD, and includes
KDE as an interface, and a nice selection of software including The Gimp.

Have your wife go to http://gimp-savvy.com/BOOK/ for "Grokking the Gimp" -
a very nice downloadable, linked manual/tutorial for The Gimp and browse it
for the things she thinks she needs.

Parting word regarding Serif---after some very bad experiences early on
with spam, registration requirements, etc., I vowed I'd never use another
Serif product - no matter how good it is - and I haven't. My opinion!

Optiker
 
fitwell said:
Babya Photo Workshop has many features and it is freeware:
http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?19000000037114
Click to expand...
[snip]
I _do_ know that freeware can do the job any commercial app can do but
do wonder if the exception is graphics. It's taken me over 2 years to
get where I am at now after all the ton of other software (literally
hundreds of apps) I know how to use to varying degrees of competency.
Graphics are different from the usu. beasts.
Click to expand...

Gimp would be the best free program in comparison to
Photoshop. As is noted here, though-
http://manual.gimp.org/manual/GUM/Migrate.html
Gimp has no support for professionals who need prepress
capabilities. Important if you are a professional in the
graphics field or even if running a small business and need
to provided printers with press ready graphics. There's
other important differences listed at the URL I referenced
above.
 
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