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PhotoShop vs The Gimp?

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Well the Linux Cult and yes that is the correct term says that GIMP is better then PhotoShop. But they always lie. I have used both. I have used GIMP in Windows, SUSE, Mandrake, Gentoo, Redhat other worthless disgraces Linux distro and the GIMP is hard to use and might have 10% of the features PhotoShop has.

If you want to save some money PhotoShop Elements and PaintShop Pro both are easier and have a much better feature set then GIMP.

Sure the GIMP is good for free but come on Linux Cult stop with the lying. Here is an example of such a lie. The Book Joy of Linux by Michael Hall and Brian Proffitt on page 256 second paragraph drom the bottom said this "The onboard tools for the GIMP rival any found in Adobe's PhotoShop" Now if that isn't a lie then I don't know what one is.

RAW conversion, adjustment layers, healing brush, 16 bit, cymk, lab and thousands of other features PhotoShop has that GIMP doesn't. Sorry for my soap box but I gave Linux an honest try and I am sick of the Lies. There is nothing that beats PhotoShop and there is nothing that beats Windows XP. Using Linux and GIMP is like going back in time 10 years.
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Shawn Grant
 
elwood said:
Has anybody used both, or seen a side by side review? It would be
nice to save $700. They seem quite similar.

Thanks!

--
For clogging information do a search for the' i-950 fix'
Click to expand...
I started out as a PS Elements user and decided to give the GIMP a try (on Windows) after finding that Elements lacked certain tools (such as curves). My decision to try the GIMP was also motivated by the fact that PS CS was a very expensive software package for me to buy!

Looking at GIMP from the perspective of price, it sure is an impressive program. I'm sure that given enough time and patience, a person could do some very good work using GIMP. The problem is, having PS Elements as a basis for comparison, I found it difficult to figure out how to do things with GIMP. I also had the impression that GIMP was fine if your output was the web, but printed output may be another story.

Then I learned through this forum that PS CS could be had for $299 if you already owned Elements. I already had three copies just from ordering various cameras, printers, etc. that came with Elements bundled. Since I was already considering an upgrade to Elements 2.0 for $99, suddenly Photoshop CS was within reach. I downloaded the demo copy and tried it out first, and became convinced that it was the way to go after discovering adjustment layers and the new shadow/highlight tool.

I've also found a wealth of support on the web for PS -- there are many, many people out there using it, so finding support is relatively easy.

I will say that having started with Elements, maybe I was a little biased toward the PS way of doing things . . . but after stepping up to PS CS, I have no regrets about leaving the GIMP behind.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Trev
 
Go Vols said:
Well the Linux Cult and yes that is the correct term says that GIMP
is better then PhotoShop. But they always lie. I have used both. I
have used GIMP in Windows, SUSE, Mandrake, Gentoo, Redhat other
worthless disgraces Linux distro and the GIMP is hard to use and
might have 10% of the features PhotoShop has.
Click to expand...
And apparently we've heard from the Windows cult as well.

The truth is that Photoshop is the top of the line. It's everything from a power tool to a set of hand-crafted chisels. Photoshop is the first choice of professional photographers, design professionals, marketing teams, and web designers all over the world. It has tools that professionals need, although a lot of them are essoteric, and not terribly important to most people.

The Gimp is another fine piece of software. Seems like it's even more difficult to learn than Photoshop ( and that's saying something! ), but it's powerful. It supports 16-bit mode, 12-bit histograms ( all the better to deal with RAW conversions ), icc profiles, and so on.

The Gimp is evolving quickly, and in a few years it might be a strong competitor to Photoshop. Maybe Oppen Office, too. That means another choice for all of us, and lower prices on PSD/MS Office. A win/win situation for both cults ... and for the rest of us.
 
However, what are your needs? Might I recommend PS Elements as a 3rd choice. Although I have used PS since its very inception it does have a rather steep learning curve - hence almost 300 books currently being published along with classes being offered everywhere.

As a serious pro, PS CS would be indespensible. However, 98% of amateurs will not need its tremendous depth and features. Hope this helps.

Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
 
Thanks for this useful information. I guess I will try to buy PS/CS or Elements. If I can get a good deal on CS, might as well go for it.

The reason I am asking is I have a plan to go pro next year. I want to devote some time this fall to learn a good software package. Looks like I will be signing up for PS classes.

Thanks for your time everybody, and those in both camps!

(Personally I like and use Unix, Linux and Windows every day, although Linux gets my vote due to the coolness, openess and price factor. I do, however, draw the line at mainframe. Been there, got the t-shirt, don't want to go back!)
 
I bought a D70 instead of photoshop (well I couldn't afford both). So I use gimp on anything I need to process.

Gimp is an interesting piece of software. The first time I used it, I was using Mandrake, and it literally took me 20 minutes to find how to save (right click the image - ah there it is). Gimp 2 on Windows is significantly easier to use (than Gimp1 on Mandrake) IMO. For starters, you get a File menu so you are in familiar territory.

Some of the more basic functions are harder to find and use (red eye / resize / rotate). You also need to get a grasp of the different types of Copies and pastes. Adjusting the levels works like a treat (although clicking auto can often have some interesting side effects, your picture might turn green or red or blue). Automatic colour enhance is practically useless if you don't want your photos to look like they should have been in some sci-fi movie.

Once you get your head around the way it works, you can do most things. Yesterday I processed an image of my sisters engagement party with the background in sepia, and my sister and her partner and the cake in full colour. Curves etc are in the menu but I haven't really played around with them too much.

Someone really needs to put together a guide "How to do stuff that you can do with Photoshop in gimp". They would make a lot of money.
 
Adam Gardner said:
Someone really needs to put together a guide "How to do stuff that
you can do with Photoshop in gimp". They would make a lot of money.
Click to expand...
I would love to see that document! Still, it sounds like I will go to the PS class at least.

--
For clogging information do a search for the' i-950 fix'
 
elwood said:
I would love to see that document! Still, it sounds like I will go
to the PS class at least.
Click to expand...
If you can afford PS, get that. Anything you learn in the PS class will help you in whatever program you end up using. They all have similar concepts (layers etc) and similar functions. I do not understand why PS is still 4 times the price of windows though.
 
Can you please provide more information John. What can this product do? Who is it geared towards (a MS Photo Editor or Photoshop market)? Does it support layers etc.
 
PhotoShop cost 4 times more then Windows because it is a product (software a product not speach what a concept) targeted towards professional web designers, graphic designers and photographers. It is targeted towards those that are using it to make money. Most people who by PhotoShop need it for thier work and they will make the money back in just a few jobs. The expense is a drop in the bucket. Adobe knows the product is used professionally to make money so they want to make a little of that pie. That is a morral American business way.

Look at most other products targeted towards professionals. Canon mkII, commercial lawn mowers which can run $20,000 or more, farm tractors and construction equimpment.

Shawn Grant
 
I am a software developer. I know all about the cost of commercial (ie money making / saving) software, it's what I do for a crust. The actual price itself is dictated by a simple supply demand model. If the demand drops due to increased (or cheaper) competition, the price will follow. That is exactly why the D70 and 300D are so cheap. A prosumer market emmerged made up of people who wanted the SLR experience but didn't need the bells and whistles of a $5000 camera.

Software is different to other industries (lawn mowers / cameras etc). It has a negligable cost per unit. It would cost Adobe under $10 per shrink wrapped box to make each photoshop CD and manual. It is the development of the software that requires the investment.

I am not forecasting doom and gloom for photoshop, there will always be a bunch of people who think you need to pay lots of money for good software. But the majority of D70 owners are not professionals (ie do not make their income from photography, but many take better photos than some of the professionals I have seen).

With the 300D, D70 and other similar cameras, a new market has openned for people willing to spend say $200 on image processing software, people who want to have basic access to curves, white balance, levels, layers and masks. If Adobe doesn't cater for these people, someone else will.
 
I guess I'm a member of the Linux Cult since that's the operating system I've chosen to use for the past few years. I have Photoshop 7 and GIMP 2.1 installed at the moment, and Photoshop is without question a superior product, especially for print work. Photography is just a hobby for me, though; I'm not an expert at image editing. I tend to use GIMP more because it happens to integrate better with my desktop, and can do everything I need. That's is not to say that I'm a complete newbie with very minimal needs, I just don't need the additional power Photoshop offers very often. The GIMP developers seem to be picking up the pace, but will probably never catch up to Photoshop. So, if you need features that only Photoshop has, then buy it. If not, GIMP might save you enough money to buy some new gear, and shooting is where the real fun is.

Oh, and as a member of the cult, I'm required to ask if any of you have any children that I can brainwash into using Linux. We like to get 'em young so they think crappy Linux is their only option.
 
Dyslexic said:
Oh, and as a member of the cult, I'm required to ask if any of you
have any children that I can brainwash into using Linux. We like
to get 'em young so they think crappy Linux is their only option.
Click to expand...
I asked my 3 year old if she wanted to learn PERL, but she said no. I will try again when she is 4!

--
For clogging information do a search for the' i-950 fix'
 
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