Gimp

[smartyetstupud]

Hey... I was just wondering if anyone here uses GIMP and, if so, what are your opinions on it?

[The Liar XIII]

Yeah. I use GIMP. A lot.
And I absolutely love it. All the little dealies and nick-nacks that are wrapped up into that one little program, and for free!? Amazing!

I'm still trying to figure out all the features, but though, I love it. And using PSD sites make it much sweeter.

So, GIMP? Loves it.

BTW, My banner is one of my various creations with GIMP.

[Midori]

Yeah. The GIMP is much easier to use than I expected. And quite powerful. The only real issues are that it doesn't support Adjustment Layers, or HDR or CMYK color support (though CMYK conversion should really be done by the printer).

[blkmage]

It's pretty good for most users, except for the bad UI. I used it for a while. Unless you're doing tons of print design and need stuff like colour profiles, the GIMP will serve just as well as Photoshop. Unless, of course, you don't want to learn to navigate the UI.

[Midori]

The UI isn't necessarily bad, it's just different from Photoshop. I first started out using the GIMP, and then when I used Photoshop I had a lot of difficulty figuring it out because I was used to the GIMP. It's like the difference between the Windows and Mac UIs. Neither is definitely better in itself, but it can be confusing to switch between them. Which is why people get into "holy wars" over their operating systems.

Alternatively, if you're used to Photoshop and don't want to spend time getting used to something new, you can check out a modification somebody made called GIMPshop, which changes the GIMP UI to be more like Photoshop.

[blkmage]

It's generally acknowledged by both the contributors and user community that there are some serious usability problems with The GIMP. It's consistently brought up as the posterchild of OSS projects with poor UI design and a lack of usability considerations. To their credit, they've been taking some steps to fix those problems. They have a UI redesign team that's been asking for input from the community. In fact, one of the profs at my school is running a research project that collects usage data from a modified version of The GIMP called ingimp (http://www.ingimp.org) so the data can be used for usability improvements.

[Warrior4Christ]

I've used it, but haven't explored that many features yet. It's good.

[smartyetstupud]

Thanks all! I'm having a bit of difficulty with the interface, but then again... I'm just starting to learn it. In fact... my first creation with GIMP is my sig below. What'dya think?

[Robin Firedrake]

Any links for downloading gimp?

[Midori]

http://www.gimp.org/unix/
http://www.gimp.org/windows/
http://www.gimp.org/macintosh/

...depending on your OS.

[Kaligraphic]

*edit* beaten to the punch */edit*

[Robin Firedrake]

Thank you! I just downloaded it and though it is confusing I like it... I'm gonna see what I can get out of it.


Edit: I'm having trouble uploading my images to da interwebz. Anyone know how to convert an .xcf file to a .jpg or something similar?

[Whitefang]

Thank you! I just downloaded it and though it is confusing I like it... I'm gonna see what I can get out of it.


Edit: I'm having trouble uploading my images to da interwebz. Anyone know how to convert an .xcf file to a .jpg or something similar?

You should be able to save the image in gimp as a .jpg or .png. I usually go with photoshop but yeah, I've used gimp before and I know you can do .png. I suspect you can just go to File -> Save As, or when you save a previously unsaved image it should ask you what file extension you want to save it as in the pop up box that follows. (There should be a dropdown box.)

[Robin Firedrake]

Thanks! I figured it out and I'm ready to start uploading some screenshots of games onto the interwebz.

[ST. Attidude]

I know its already been said, but I'll say it to (try to) improve the program's credibility...

It's awesome! so many filters and instruments to choose from and its fairly simple to layer on images.

Definitely worth your time and memory.

[GeneD]

I use the GIMP, basically because I cannot afford Photoshop or any similar programs. I also don't need it in a professional capacity, using it mainly for making wallpapers, so it's fine for me. I've never used any other program so I don't really have anything to compare the GIMP to. The only thing that I would like to see improved is the amount of tutorials or Photoshop tuts "translated" for GIMP users.

[MangArtist]

I like anything that's better than MS Paint. XP But yeah I use GIMP and I likes it!