Hi,

 

Just wondering if the Gimp is any good and if any professional designers use it. I work with Photoshop CS at the moment, was thinking to upgrade to CS3 but due to finances it is not possible.

 

So has the Gimp got better features than Photoshop CS and would one recommend it?

 

Thanks for your views in advance.

I love GIMP. It does everything I need it to.

 

Like any tool, it's only as good as the person using it.

^ Excellent reply from Rachael ^. GIMP is fantastic, and I use it exclusively for my graphics. No, it doesn't have every function that photoshop has, but then it is not designed to be a clone of photoshop. GIMP has many features, some of which have counterparts in photoshop, and some of which don't.

What I will say is that it may take you a little longer to find your way around GIMP than photoshop, expecially if you're used to ps, but once you know the package, it's not hard to use. It's a very powerful and flexible tool and I would recommend it to anyone.

Bin that proprietary Adobe trash ( ), and get working on gimp - you won't regret it.

Here, here!!

GIMP is great!!

Check out any of the following links

gimp.org

gimptutorials

gimptutorials.net

pixel2life

 

I have some more but they're on my other computer.

BTW I use Fireworks most of the time but that is only because of what I'm used to.

Since installing Ubuntu, followed by Fedora, I am coming to grips with GIMP (slowly) and love it.

I look forward to the day when I can finally say goodbye to Bill

I look forward to the day when I can finally say goodbye to Bill

Defenistrators Unite! You will never look back. Do it now!

I second that!

ALL of the above

GIMP IS trying to be Photoshop, at least through functionality. They're doing a lot of work to try to bring it in line with PS...let's face it PS sets the bench mark.

GIMP is exceptional. I'm not a graphics designer but it does everything I need for website design. I wouldn't use it on Windows though as I don't think the loose windows works well without workspaces. IIRC there are tools for that though.

Thanks for the replies guys, ill download Gimp today and see what it has to offer.

 

By the sounds of it a Gimp revolution is starting lol..

GIMP certainly gives you a lot of power for something with a price tag of £0.

I have found GIMP to be very useful, try gimpshop if you like the photoshop interface.

Hi,

 

Just wondering if the Gimp is any good and if any professional designers use it. I work with Photoshop CS at the moment, was thinking to upgrade to CS3 but due to finances it is not possible.

 

So has the Gimp got better features than Photoshop CS and would one recommend it?

 

Thanks for your views in advance.

 

From what I have heard GIMP is inferior to Photoshop CS3 Extended, and has a steeper learning curve.

From what I have heard GIMP is inferior to Photoshop CS3 Extended, and has a steeper learning curve.

Don't believe everything you hear, Meshach - you should try it for yourself

GIMP's name still gives me a chuckle!....... aaaa....well its turning out to be a looong day so not suprising really!

 

I have always been an Adobe person, iv got CS2 - would there be any benefit of me stopping using that and use GIMP instead?

So has the Gimp got better features than Photoshop CS and would one recommend it?

 

You can't really compare these two feature for feature, as they each kinda go their own way (despite the same direction).

 

The GIMP is a good piece of software which doesn't cost you a dime a works very well.

 

If you are looking to save money, it's definitely worth a try.

I've tried GIMP and hated it.

 

The question you really need to ask yourself is, do you really need to upgrade?

I've tried GIMP and hated it.

 

The question you really need to ask yourself is, do you really need to upgrade?

 

 

Yup, im too time poor to start learning another program at the moment - CS2 will do me fine for now!

GIMP is NOT better than Photoshop. Sit there, look at the software packages in detail, from code up and if you still want to make a case for GIMP being better than Photoshop, you are deluded lol. People simply insist on singing its praises because it is free whereas Photoshop comes with a price slap. The price slap in my opinion is worth it, because you pay for a better program, that is also the industries leader, standard and benchmark. Why waste your time spending months learning a program that has 40% of another's capablities? Just to have to learn the other program eventually?

 

If you cannot afford Photoshop and do not mind working with an inferior program, GIMP is your thing.

GIMP is NOT better than Photoshop. Sit there, look at the software packages in detail, from code up and if you still want to make a case for GIMP being better than Photoshop, you are deluded lol. People simply insist on singing its praises because it is free whereas Photoshop comes with a price slap. The price slap in my opinion is worth it, because you pay for a better program, that is also the industries leader, standard and benchmark. Why waste your time spending months learning a program that has 40% of another's capablities? Just to have to learn the other program eventually?

 

If you cannot afford Photoshop and do not mind working with an inferior program, GIMP is your thing.

 

Correct. I've tried GIMP... Ech.. Maybe it's just because I've used photoshop and like it so much.

i use photoshop 7 not sure the later versions actually improve on this there seems to be a real tendency to create bloatware at adobe

Whenever you're exchanging artwork with design agencies, you'll find they provide (and demand) PSDs. Now I know that Gimp (and Paint Shop Pro) can do limited conversion to/from PSD, but it's pretty buggy.

 

So, if you're a web design pro, you simply have to have Photoshop. And that probably means CS3. But there's nothing to stop you installing Gimp/Gimpshop and Irfanview as well, for those few little tricks that they do better.

 

Notice I didn't say I'm happy about this situation - but I didn't make the world, I just try to live in it.

So, if you're a web design pro, you simply have to have Photoshop.

Nonsense.

 

I am a web design pro, and I do not have photoshop.

 

If you're a print design pro, you probably should have photoshop, but there are other packages out there.

 

Why does nobody want to admit that it is ability that counts, not software? It's like saying that a professional guitarist simply must have a Gibson Les Paul. It's crap. Sorry.

GIMP is NOT better than Photoshop. Sit there, look at the software packages in detail, from code up and if you still want to make a case for GIMP being better than Photoshop, you are deluded lol. People simply insist on singing its praises because it is free whereas Photoshop comes with a price slap. The price slap in my opinion is worth it, because you pay for a better program, that is also the industries leader, standard and benchmark. Why waste your time spending months learning a program that has 40% of another's capablities? Just to have to learn the other program eventually?

 

If you cannot afford Photoshop and do not mind working with an inferior program, GIMP is your thing.

 

Is this post an attempt to start a flamewar?

 

I wish people just learned the expression 'in my opinion' and used it, instead of putting their personal views across as some ultimately superior truth.

 

Besides, I'd say using relative expressions like better or worse out of context (i.e. 'for what' and 'under which circumstances' etc.) doesn't really work. In such a diverse market, the GIMP may well be entirely sufficient for the purposes of some pro designers, even if it had mere 40% of features of Photoshop (any particular stats study to reference here?) or were, indeed, a 'worse' program (whatever that means), in cases where the designer doesn't need the remaining 60% of features or is, in fact, perfectly happy to use some workaround in the GIMP instead of a dedicated function in Photoshop, if it means saving an overhead of several hundred £££ to them.

 

IMO, it all depends on the context..

^ Well said, MrB, and with diplomacy, too.

 

Apologies for the agitated tone of my previous post on this thread. It just upsets me to hear folks speak that way, but I should keep a better handle on it...

Hey folks. Read this thread a few times over the last couple of months. Know I'm a bit late lol but yesterday I got GIMP.

 

I have found it a bit confusing as the shortcuts I think are based on the ctrl- windows type and on my mac it's cmd-

 

LOL Spent ages not knowing why it wasn't responding.

 

Anyway, I have a bit to learn but it really is good (says me beginner). I used http://gimp.lisanet.de/Website/Download.html to download from which came as a GIMP package, so saving some jiggling about (can't tell you more cos I didn't) with bits 'n bobs which I had read about and was stressing me out.

 

The only thing for me is that you have to update x11 on your mac, and they have to run together which is a bit wierd.

 

All said, I have had a play with trial versions of IRIS (crashed loads), graphic converter (good but more basic) and photoshop (just didn't get it lol although it was the first I tried - so may bits to it!).....so far I think I DO prefer GIMP.

 

Hope this helps someone else in my position