Editing programs pro's and con's

[Lavandula]

What is your favourite photo editing program and why? and what is the pro's and con's of it?

 

- what is best in general?

- what is best for novices?

 

Discuss away!

Edited October 26, 2020 by Lavandula

[Hayl3y]

GIMP is free.

 

Photoshop is my favourite because I use it at work as well, and it's the first one I used. There's a simpler version called photoshop elements. It has less options but it's a good start I'd say ?

 

I like to be able to create different layers and have a lot of options, but I'm sure there are many others.

[StarRisk]

Gimp? I just started like 10 days ago haha

[Arie]

I have been using Photoshop for 20 years. Now i have a legal paid copy, but before it was a bootleg on. I have no shame since owning it was over 1k$. 

 

If Photoshop is your thing and paying the 9/14$ a month isn't, https://pixlr.com/editor/ is a great back up that has a lot of the same elements as Photoshop, if GIMP isn't your thing. (as it isn't for me.)

[Liitha]

I think it comes down what your trained in, I wouldn't know where.to start in photoshop as I used gimp a decade and half

 

Gimp is as I understood when I was told of it made as a freeware due to people being annoyed at the high cost of photoshop

 

However menu and all obviously built differently so as not get in issue with copyright I presume

 

I have in the past cooperated making dual tutorials on stuff where someone knew how example to make an eye...they did tutorial and once I saw progress step by step I could make the replicate tutorial for gimp with where those filters, effects etc lay or what they were called

 

But changing a tool for an alternate if it works is going to be a hazle for most...I am still learning gimp, it gets updated for free so I think it can come down to what you started using in many cases..

 

Which is why it's good we got all kind of people around to help others and new people based on what's available too them

 

I am not sure how it's in phoshop but I do know I hated gimp the first week but it was a different time back then and I didn't have much support. Got someone who helped me got started...and after that I just took off running...and is still at it. So the startup threshold is there if you haven't used anything like it before

Edited October 26, 2020 by Liitha

[Liitha]

oh i got another one, sims, well for me sims3 specific is what i find best because thats where i got the most extra slidermods and such

 

see work programs can be anywhere you can create, i created scenic white tower stuff in sims and i work on making and dressing up figures there. its totally doable take a picture to show off - i used to do that for warders and even made several friends there in their AS make up to show off...

 

there are also posemods you can get to stick your figures in certain poses while you take pics.

 

sims obviously cost money so a con, but there is a lot of free mods especially for 2 and 3 so thats a pro, its a con that 2 no longer have suport. its a pro that when your tired of editing and creating you can play with your art/creations ?

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Liitha

[Hayl3y]

OMG @Liitha

I never thought of using sims material ?

 

 

You are a genius!

[Liitha]

1 hour ago, Hayl3y said:

OMG @Liitha

I never thought of using sims material ?

 

 

You are a genius!

 

the world is full of options around us, we just need to start thinking outside the box to be able to spot them, i look forward to seeing what else all everyone though of using

 

but this why i did the office pack sig first, not everyone has access to computers they controll themself so stuff like photoshop and gimp may not be options. that shouldnt stop you though just means you got to look at what tools you have at hand and how to utilize them

[Nargbert]

I grew up as a kid playing with Photoshop and Corel Draw when they were still in their early years.  I have used GIMP too when needed, but photoshop has been my main program.  I would say, if you can afford the month to month version, do it.  I think I have photoshop/lightroom and a few Adobe products for $10 a month.  Mainly, there are lots of custom tools out there built for photoshop, lots of tutorials and how to do a number of crazy things, and it is the standard.  This is all based on me being a photography person.  For those that do actual artwork, I know there are many other software packages out there that do a better job of simulating different mediums, brushes, etc.  But photoshop is still a basic standard package I believe.    

 

As for what is best for novices... tough question.  MS Paint?  To use either photoshop or GIMP you are going to have to quickly transition from novice to knowing at least a little to truly get any use out of them.  If you don't understand the basics of layers and masking, you are going to struggle.  So, MS PAINT!  FREE!  EASY TO USE!  EVEN A CAVEMAN COULD DO IT!  

[StarRisk]

i am 100% noob at this stuff. like a ten day old babe, and @Liitha's tutorials have helped me along nicely. I use MS Paint for everything else, including sizing, still haha Thanks @Nargbert.

[Liitha]

why do you use that when you can preset size in gimp or scale much more accurately in gimp? did i not cover that in my tutorial cause i thougth i did.

[Nargbert]

I will say @StarRisk, if you are learning how to use GIMP, dive in fully.  If you transition between gimp and paint, you are doing yourself a disservice.  Resizing in gimp should be really straight forward and it should give you many more options to make it look better.  Just google gimp resize image, or gimp resize canvas.  Or if Lii has a tutorial here, use that sucker.  

 

Paint is easy, it will give you passable results to start.  However it is a VERY limited tool and it is fairly straight forward to do the same stuff in GIMP or photoshop.  It should all be basic button or menu clicks.  If you want to get into the blending, masking, and neat transitions people use on their siggys, well, that is where some intermediate skills come in to play.  If you can get comfortable with layers and masks... many cool effects you will see are just creative ways to apply those concepts!  

 

Your GOOGLE FU skills are your friend!

[JamesBrown]

I use Gimp because of the free factor. But I struggle with it. Probably just my laziness. I use it for two things:

 

1. Take the photos that I make of my paintings, and 'square the corners'--trying to straighten the image into a perfect square or rectangle.

 

2. Remove backgrounds. 

 

It feels like those ought to be easy with a couple of clicks, but somehow I end up making fifty layers, and it still doesn't look right. 

[Lavandula]

Well I tried gimp for very first time yesterday, trying out lii,s instructions, and yes lots of layers, (not 50 though lol) but I found it easy peasy. Only thing difficult was choosing a font and style for the letters..

[Liitha]

10 hours ago, JamesBrown said:

I use Gimp because of the free factor. But I struggle with it. Probably just my laziness. I use it for two things:

 

1. Take the photos that I make of my paintings, and 'square the corners'--trying to straighten the image into a perfect square or rectangle.

 

2. Remove backgrounds. 

 

It feels like those ought to be easy with a couple of clicks, but somehow I end up making fifty layers, and it still doesn't look right. 

Sounds like it should be, not sure what you are doing... sounds like material for a tutorial...if you can send me a pic in original format and after you got wanted result, i can make sure I properly understand what to do.. And will make a tutorial

 

Also gimp too has tutorials, brushes, program add ons filters, and so on and forth...you got to know the lingo and understand the program to know what to search for

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Liitha

[LilyElizabeth]

I used to use Paint Shop Pro 7, and I could do anything with that program, but it won't work on the newer computers. I bought the newer version (sure what number) but it's mostly for photo editing, not graphics. I'm really disappointed. If I had the time, I'd learn GIMP.

[meilinguan]

I like affinity photo software. It combines raw editing and image editing in one program. Also they don't use a subscription price model. It's plain old buy to use software. And it's comparable cheap, not free, but a very good price for its features.
 I have a small XP-Pen drawing pad and it can do pretty much everthing for photo editing in affinity photo I need. Its great for a beginner, but even a pro can make a good use of it.

[VooDooNut]

GIMP is fantastic! GIMP is free! Other editing programs are too expensive for me. 

[Liitha]

@VooDooNutyes free is good, especially when developed by people who seem to know what they are doing ? and keep developing it

 

havent heard of the affinity one, you thougth of putting up a tutorial in usage of it @meilinguan?