Photoshop Alternative

For those of you who do not want to spend $600 on photoshop, use gimp for $0. It's developed under linux but there's also a windows versions. Their website is

http://www.gimp.org

I've use photoshop at work because our company has a site license, and gimp has all the functions that I've ever used in photoshop. I'm sure there are photoshop experts reading this that will let me know what I'm missing, but so far I've been able to do all the adjustments I want to do with gimp.

Herb

[Edited on 5-5-2002 by herbko]

I have a mac. What are my alternatives? Just like many others I want to have some money left for diving and not spend all on one piece of software. And I heard the learning curve is pretty steep on Photoshop. Any suggestions?

The basics of PS are not that difficult. If I didn't use it I would get PS elements which gives you 90% of PS at a fraction of the cost. PS products were designed for Macs originally so you should have no problem.

Thanks Davephdv. I had a look at the Adobe website and PS Elements seems to be what I need. I don't want to spend hours fiddling with pics.

on the topic of linux and the Gimp, raw files from the 5050 and many other models/mfrs can be converted to ppm files with : "dcraw *orf " using David Coffin's utility, found at

http://www2.primushost.com/%7Edcoffin/powershot/

which handles a slew of mfrs and models (or as a plugin for the Gimp) ImageMagick is no slouch either

other 5050/linux links

http://www.schubart.net/c3040zoom/linux-usb.html

http://gphoto.sourceforge.net/

http://www.netspace.net.au/~bmiller/linux/c5050.html

http://www.geocities.com/piccolbo/dplinux.html

Sounds like some are already convinced, but in case others reading this aren't, I'm submitting this post. I'm currently working on an online course about using Adobe Photoshop & Elements to adjust and manuipulate your digital underwater images which will be available soon.

Here are a couple more good reasons to stick with Adobe...

* Adobe Photoshop has been around since before 1990 when Version 1.0 was first released. Adobe has done an excellent job of keeping up with technology and continually offering a state-of-the-art product. We're confident that both Adobe and Photoshop be around for a while. So if you learn the techniques today using Photoshop, hopefully you'll be able to carry that knowledge with you for many years to come.

* At around $600, Photoshop is expensive for the first time buyer, but Adobe also makes a "lite" version called Adobe Photoshop Elements (formerly Photoshop Limited Edition), that is sometimes bundled with some digital cameras. If it is not included with the digital camera or scanner you purchased, you can buy it from the Adobe web site for only $99. Most of the tools in Elements are identical to Photoshop, making this software a great stepping stone for those who really get into digital image processing whether choosing to use the Elements version, or eventually upgrading to the full version of Photoshop. Most of what we will be showing you in our course using Photoshop can also be accomplished using Elements.

* Adobe offers 30 day trials on both Photoshop and Elements available for download from the Adobe web site.

* Photoshop is the best selling pixel editing program on the planet and has become the standard in many industries. Anybody who is doing serious digital image processing is going to be using Photoshop. For those who want to take their learning even one step further, there are many schools, and even online courses that offer training in Photoshop.

* We have looked at many different lower cost programs and have found that you can spend less money (or none), but will not have most the tools you need to accomplish the tasks you'll want to do. We believe your time is valuable and want to steer you in the right direction to get the best results in as little time as possible.

I have seen "digital imaging professionals" working in the field who recommend other applications. I don't agree with them for the reasons listed. But I certainly would be interested to hear if anyone has comments on other programs they have used and what their experience was.

Make sure you get Photoshop Elements 2.

It has been available at Sam's Club and Costco for $79 less a $30 rebate and I have seen references to it on Amazon for a further reduction of $30 from Amazon. It's almost being given away.

by the way, the Gimp can be downloaded from here:

http://www.gimp.org/the_gimp.html

and ImageMagick from here:

http://www.imagemagick.org/

A few notes on PSE2...

I've been trying to decide what app to get for a Mac, and was about to go with the full PS7 until I was turned on to this book: The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 2. There's a site where you can check out more on the book, but the basic concept is that you can achieve 99% of the "missing" tools in PSE2 using the methods outlined in the book. For example, the "curves" tool is usually touted as not being in PSE2, but according to the book (and some tools/plugins that come on the CD) that power is there, you just have to unlock it with a slightly different approach.

I flipped through the book in my local bookstore, and liked what I saw (I just haven't gotten around to ordering from amazon). It's written by a guy who knows what he's talking about (has used PS from the first version, uses both apps in his "normal" job of graphics designer) and seems to be pretty readable.

Anyhow, check it out, decide for yourself.

As to the pricing on PSE2, the really low offers I've seen (like on Amazon) are usually based on $30 rebates that are "upgrade or crossover" rebates - you have to show proof of ownership for competing products etc. Otherwise I think the best price I've seen is around $70.

Also, if you decide that you don't like the limited version, and want to go whole hog, Adobe offers an upgrade price on PS7 (may be only direct from their site) that deducts the price of PSE2.