Photo Editors

johnmcdnl

I'm trying to find a good free photo editor - I know it probably won't be as good as photoshop but I'm not able to afford to buy photoshop so I have to stick with a free one...

Any suggestions from anyone... I've been using Picasa up til now because it's just simple to use and does the basics pretty well so... I've heard a lot about GIMP and also have seen that photoscape gets pretty good reviews...

does anyone have any tips for me

Thanks:)

oshead

My suggestion. Download and install GIMP to try it for yourself.

Tallon

Definitely get gimp, learn to use it and it will ease the transition should you want to upgrade to Photoshop

jtang

gimp isn't bad if you have never used photoshop before. you should try it first before deciding, you could probably get a trial of photoshop to see which one you like.

vectra

http://paint.net/
Doesnt look too bad either

johnmcdnl

I've used the trials of photoshop first but there was just so much that I didn't know where to start of with... That's why I went to picasa because it just had all the basic little things that have to be done...

Going for the next step now so.. Downloading GIMP right now so...

*eadaoin

I hope you find GIMP is good for what you need

If you go to youtube and search for GIMP or Photoshop tutorials you'll find loads of helpful videos. I've learned a lot that way, I find it easier to watch someone doing stuff on screen rather than reading a book.

hbr

johnmcdnl wrote: »

does anyone have any tips for me

Thanks:)

Gimp. Don't be put off by the price tag. It really is a very capable
program.

vectra

*eadaoin wrote: »

If you go to youtube and search for GIMP or Photoshop tutorials you'll find loads of helpful videos. I've learned a lot that way, I find it easier to watch someone doing stuff on screen rather than reading a book.

Agreed.
One picture is worth a thousand words

youllneverknow

paint.net is sweet i always use to use it when i messed around with photos i had taked of friends came in handy. i find picasa alot easier to use and does the job at hand even tho it doesnt remove cetain things you dont want in the picture its still good.

johnmcdnl

hbr wrote: »

Gimp. Don't be put off by the price tag. It really is a very capable
program.

trust me mate - if it says FREE i'll make it work better than photoshop

think I'll have a play around with it and see what it can do :cool:

ellieswellies

I like analogcolor a lot, nothing too fancy but it's fun to mess with different colours. I somehow managed to download the demo for free.
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.pentacom.jp/pentacom/toycamera_analogcolor/%23buy&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8

AnCatDubh

Gimp (but you've already settled on that) - plus meetthegimp.org for tutorials

hbr

johnmcdnl wrote: »

trust me mate - if it says FREE i'll make it work better than photoshop

In the case of free software "free" doesn't refer to the price. Free means
free access to the source code and freedom to modify and redistribute
the program. Happily Gimp is also free as in free beer.

think I'll have a play around with it and see what it can do :cool:

It will take a while to learn how to use it, but it will be well worth the
effort.

stcstc

one thing to be aware of, gimp only works in 8 bit at the moment

which when your doing B&W is not great, you should ideally work in 16bit for B&W

corkandproud

Photoscape question - anyone know how to change the file properties (specifically the copyright and caption info)?

retoos

Hey John,

Get where you’re coming from, Photoshop’s great, but yeah, the price can be a deal-breaker.

GIMP is a solid choice if you’re willing to accept a slight learning curve. It’s super powerful once you get the hang of it. Photoscape is great too, especially for quick edits and batch processing. Another one you might want to try is Paint.NET, it's lightweight, free, and way easier to pick up than GIMP if you just need basic adjustments and effects.

Also worth checking out is Photopea (https://www.photopea.com/), which runs in your browser and resembles Photoshop in terms of appearance and functionality.

Hope that helps a bit!

GBX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123571503#Comment_123571503

Hopefully John figured out a solution back in 2010 …

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123571503#Comment_123571503

That's very helpful. I have photoshop CS5. When I upgraded my camera, CS5 didn't recognise it as my version of photshop too old (2011). Would Photopea solve this problem for me?

retoos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123573990#Comment_123573990

Yeah, Photopea should work just fine in your case. It supports newer RAW formats and opens PSD files too, so it’s a solid workaround if CS5 isn’t cutting it with your newer camera. Worth giving it a try, no install needed, just runs in the browser.

CelticRambler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123573990#Comment_123573990

Can't comment on Photopea as I've never used it (absolutely detest in-browser software) ; but if you're looking for a great value alternative to Photoshop, I'd highly recommend Affinity Photo. It's a one-off payment for an indefinite license with continuous upgrades, and has almost exactly the same functionality as Photoshop.

They're probably due to have a sale about now, too.

retoos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123582880#Comment_123582880

I agree with Affinity Photo; I've been using it for a while now, and it feels like a full Photoshop replacement. Way better deal than the subscription model, too. Photopea works in a pinch for quick edits, but yeah, browser-based tools aren’t for everyone.