open source photo editing software?

Tiewas

Tiewas

Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
1,130
Is there any good open source photoshop type programs out there? IM just getting tired of the one that came with my computer, and I dont have the bank to buy photoshop. Ive worked with photoshop before in high school, and I really liked it.

So any suggestions?
 
Google's Picasa is fairly simple, yet lacks a lot of features you may be looking for , but what do you have to lose? It is free.:D

James
 
Irfanview is a full-featured freeware photo editing program. I haven't really explored much of its capabilities, but it's done what I've wanted it to do.
 
Gimp is a full-function graphics editor comparable to Photoshop. I had it some time back, but found the interface (and the tutorial) to be extremely clunky.
I understand they have just recently improved all this, making it much more user-friendly.
 
GIMP has a steeper learning curve than Irfanview. For simple editing tasks, Irfanview would be my choice, for enhancements or more complicated edits, GIMP is more capable.
 
I just read a few days ago that Photoshop is going to be available on the web and will be free, if that helps.
 
I've used Irfanview, Photoshop, GIMP, and others.

Gimp is a full-function graphics editor comparable to Photoshop. I had it some time back, but found the interface (and the tutorial) to be extremely clunky.
Click to expand...
I can't decide who has the worse user interface, GIMP or Adobe.

Paint.net looks promising. Downloading now...
http://www.getpaint.net/
 
Ive been messing around with gimp for an hour or so. It seems to be pretty capable. Once you figure out how to use the tools and where they are, its smooth sailing. Overall I like it. As mwerner said it is, a bit clunky, however once you get used to it, it works fine.

Photoshop is soon to be free eh? I hope it will work with windows ME, and isnt too large a download. I hate 56k!
 
Tiewas said:
Ive been messing around with gimp for an hour or so. It seems to be pretty capable. Once you figure out how to use the tools and where they are, its smooth sailing. Overall I like it. As mwerner said it is, a bit clunky, however once you get used to it, it works fine.
Photoshop is soon to be free eh? I hope it will work with windows ME, and isnt too large a download. I hate 56k!
Click to expand...

The GIMP, Paint.NET and Pixia all seem highly regarded with a number of followers.

However as you are finding out - it isn't that they lack any capabilities/features - it's that they are mostly pretty clunky to use - and that includes the de-facto industry standard PhotoShop - yes, PhotoShop is capable of doing a lot, and more - but it does not have a reputation of being easy to use.

Of course the user interface is always a matter of personal taste - but Adobe has tried to produce a simpler and easier to use PhotoShop in the form of PhotoShop Elements - and to their credit it is quite a bit easier to use - and contains just about all the essential features of PhotoShop - enough that a lot of review recommend Elements for intermediate to advanced users. But Elements still costs about $75-100.

With an equally good reputation is PaintShop Pro - but it is not known for being easy to use.

I have both these on my PC - but my own choice to use is (Ulead) PhotoImpact 8 (an older version, it is currently on v.12) - to me this is really quick to use and it does a lot of things by visual comparison which I like. I process a lot of photos - about 3,600/year which get posted on the web - that's about 10 per day every single day of the year..... please click on the links in my sig. So I do not have time to waste or work with any software that's even a bit "tedious" or clunky.

Using Froogle.com I found PhotoImpact 8 (version I use) for as low as < $16 shipped.

You can also kind of see it "in action" in this thread -

Sticky: Image Editing Tutorial

--
Vincent
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2006
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2005
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2004
http://clik.to/UnknownVincent
 
Photoshop is soon to be free eh? I hope it will work with windows ME, and isnt too large a download. I hate 56k!
Click to expand...
Many companies give away older or low-end versions of their software. They want everyone to be familiar with their product names and know how to use them. Adobe has been giving away various versions of their PhotoShop software for some time. I'm pretty sure one of the printers I bought came with Photoshop LE. And wife was given Photoshop Elements, Adobe GoLive, and Adobe Live Motion at a teacher workshop.

Also, these older versions can be found for sale cheap. And the newer high-dollar versions aren't going to run well on a Windows Me computer anyway.

--------------
There was another photo editing program I've used. It was part of a free office suite called ProSuite 602. I have no idea if they're still around, if it's still free, or if it still contains a photo editor.
Update: http://www.software602.com/products/pcs/
I see they're still in business, but the 'free' version is now only a 30-day trial.
 
I have to say that don't do much photo editing, I've been using The Gimp for a while (since I went to Ubuntu Linux last February) and I find it quite usable. When I was a Windows user I liked Photofiltre which I find easy to use though the free version does not support layers.

Luis
 
How do you like Ubuntu? I ordered it a couple of weeks ago so it should be here within a month. A guy I met on irc says its the best thing since sliced bread. It looks pretty cool, and the features seem to be pretty good.
 
How do you like Ubuntu?...
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I have come to like Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular, I started with Ubuntu 6.06 and now have Ubuntu 7.04. I have a double boot setup with Windows XP (which I rarely use any more other than for updating virus and spyware software and running a weekly scan).

Luis
 
I just got ubuntu 7.04 in the mail today. Ive been trying to install it for a while, so far no go. I got an error, and learned how to fix it. Now i get to the desk top and another error comes up, I exit the error message, and the screen goes brown. So I dont know whats up with it. Ive a feeling my computer just cant handle it. But, I will try again tomorrow.
 
Most Linux distros have a test copy that runs from a bootable CD. That way you can test your hardware compatibility before attempting to install to a hard drive.

Good Luck,
-Bob
 
...Ubuntu 7.04...so far no go...
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Check that you have the proper version for the machine (x86, 64bit, etc.).

If you have 256 MB or more ram then, as Bob W mentions, try running from the live CD first, also you may want to check the integrity of the CD (there should be an option in the boot menu).

If you have less than 256 MB of ram you should use the "alternate installer CD".

I had trouble with an older machine and found through a Google search that others had the same problem: the install hangs at a certain point. What solved it for me then was to install Ubuntu 6.10 (I used the alternate installer) and then do an upgrade with the Ubuntu 7.04 alternate installer CD.

If you have a CD burner it may be easier to download and burn the CD rather than order by mail (it takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours in my 512 Kbps connection).

You may find help at the Ubuntu forums and Ubuntu Wiki.

Luis
 
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