Joined on 04-05-2008
TechSoup Member
Any ideas for something cheaper than Photoshop to create great foto and font graphics for bulitins?
Thanks
Check out
this Idealware article; it lists a number of free or low-cost alternatives.
Joined on 11-11-2008
TechSoup Member
I used Irfanview a lot. It's a free program. I use it mostly for cropping and resizing. It has batch support too, so you can do a lot of pictures at the same time.
Joined on 06-09-2003
Davenport, Iowa USA
I'm not a heavy graphics user, (the easiest software for photos I ever found were the early versions of Microsoft Picture It) but have been quite satisfied with GIMP for the couple of projects I've done with it. I also find other single purpose tools like
picture resizer
in the Free and Open Source world
Dave
Joined on 01-20-2006
TechSoup Member
If you are looking for a free photo editor, Paint.Net is a great Photoshop replacement.
Paint.Net
Like Dave mentioned,
GIMP is worth checking out. A lot of people like using this free software over Photoshop. I've never used it myself, but many people swear by it.
Yann
Joined on 07-20-2005
Hartford, CT
I so swear by GIMP, being a former Photoshop user.
Joined on 03-01-2006
TechSoup Member
My firm endorses GIMP, both on Linux and Microsoft, as well! It's a VERY powerful product and price is unbeatable!
For organizations that have dumped Microsoft and gone to Linux, GIMP reduces software and Operating Systems costs even further. GIMP files and programs are also cross-platform compatible, so hybrid Linux/Microsoft (or Novell) can share data files as well…
You can’t go wrong with GIMP!
If you are looking for a free photo editor, Paint.Net is a great Photoshop replacement.
Yup - I also use Paint.Net for most of my image work. It's a great program.
The Gimp is arguably more powerful (depending on what you are doing) although some Windows users will find the program difficult to navigate and a bit clunky. This is because Gimp developers do not support Windows - Jernej Simoncic has done a great job providing a Windows port of the Gimp, however it lacks in areas like automatic multiple screen support and compliance with Windows interface guideliness. It still works on Windows, but isn't as 'user friendly' as programs designed specifically for the Windows environment.
My suggestion - give them both a try (they are both free!)
Joined on 07-20-2005
Hartford, CT
I agree, GIMP isn't for the casual user. If you're a photoshop pro, you might find it handy.
Joined on 05-13-2004
TechSoup Member
I've heard you can do quite a bit with picnik.com.
Joined on 02-13-2007
TechSoup Member
It's not free like gimp, but Corel's Paint Shop Pro is excellent.
I have a photography and creative services business. For all creative work I use Photoshop.
I also work parttime for a church which has no PS license. For all my graphics work at the church I use PSP. Quite frankly, for the advanced fundamental requirements PSP compares very well with PS.
You can easily find PSP for $50.
Joined on 12-02-2003
TechSoup Member
I've taught GIMP on windows in a high school for 2 years. It is a bit hard to learn on the first 3 days but then it gets fun, easy and powerful. A lot of people want Photoshop and only really need a converter utility, and if so Graphic converter on the mac is great. Someone mentioned "Irfanview" for windows and I agree there is no better utility for free. Written by a guy in Europe named "Irfan" All of the above are free and accept donations. download from gimp.org or download.com
Joined on 09-25-2001
TechSoup Member
I have been using PhotoScape recently. Although I use it mainly for resizing/cropping, it comes with a whole host of tools and features like a batch editor, color picker, animated gif creator, RAW converter, image splitter and screen capture.
I also tried GIMP (on Windows Vista) several months ago and preferred PhotoScape in terms of ease of use and compatability.
Joined on 04-09-2007
TechSoup Member
I really like Photoshop.com. Sure it's not as powerful as a full version but it's good enough for most of the basic needs. And it's free & web-based.