Open Source Alt. to photoshop/illustrator

[HwaRang777]

do you guys know where I can get an open-source program that's like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop?
See I just got Flash and I want to learn how to use it for videos and games, and a friend of mine suggested that I get illustrator. Because I wanted a second opinion, another friend of mine suggested photoshop.
Now here's the problem: b/c I have a mac it can cost 500 for illus. and 100+ for photo. and I don't have any money!
Now I was just wondering if you guys know any alternatives for illustrator or photoshop whether it's open-source or not. A third friend of mine (yes, I know, I am very popular with people) suggested something called acd2 and it only costs 9 and he says it's better than photoshop. So please give me your suggestions (if you do have any)

[Slater]

to say that a program is better than Photoshop is a pretty steep assumption. Photoshop really is the best program out there, it's just more complex than most people care for.

Also, neither Photoshop or Illustrator are open source.

[LorentzForce]

GIMP is the answer.

[shooraijin]

Aren't you a student? If you go to any college bookstore and show them your student ID, most of them will have the Adobe Creative Suite for purchase for around $300 (or Photoshop on its own for about $250, but the CS is the better deal).

GIMP does work very well, but Photoshop is the standard if you intend to work in graphic arts.

[HwaRang777]

Well here's the thing:

1) I'm a high-school senior!!! I'm pretty sure that high school students don't get discounts (I wish it is true but it is not)

2) I'm making flash cartoons and/or games. It really isn't for any college program (yet), so I can deal with something that is a bit lower quality than Adobe

Even though I want to make the best looking flash animation/movie I know that it will take me experience and patience for me to get really good, but if I can eliminate some of that time by getting some kind of program like Illustrator and or Photoshop, so be it.
By the way, what do you recommend/think about graphic tablets for macs? another friend of mine suggests, like one of those graphic tablets. He says I can get one that's about 3x4 for about 100 dollars (and of course it comes with it's own software.

[blkmage]

Photoshop and Illustrator are both made by Adobe. They're different programs for different uses though. Photoshop is for editting bitmap or raster images, like photos and most graphics. Illustrator is for creating vector images, which are more like drawings (on the computer).

The main difference between vector and raster images is that raster images cannot be scaled without sacrificing quality. This is because raster images are made up of pixels. Each pixel has its own colour and an image is the result of lots of pixels being put together. Instead, vector images are made up of lines that are mathematically defined. Objects in vectors have information such as thickness, colour, and length. They can be scaled to any size because they are not tied to a grid of pixels.

The GIMP is the alternative to Photoshop.
Inkscape is the alternative to Illustrator.
There is no open source alternative for Flash. Flash is a vector drawing program though.

[shooraijin]

> I'm a high-school senior!!! I'm pretty sure that high school students don't get discounts (I wish it is true but it is not)

Depends on the company. Some will offer discounts to school seniors as well as college students -- some won't, but many will. I think Adobe does, though I'm not 100% certain of that.

[TheMelodyMaker]

Inkscape is the alternative to Illustrator.

I've never heard of this Inkscape, but it sounds like something I might be interested in looking at. Where can one find it for download?

[Edit: Found it. ^_^ http://www.inkscape.org/ ]

[blkmage]

I've been using Inkscape a lot more recently, mostly because of the limitations of photocopiers.

[HwaRang777]

what about graphic tablets? Do you guys think that they're any good. A friend of mine said that I could get one that's 3 X 4 for $100

[shooraijin]

I like mine. I have a Wacom Graphire, and it does pretty well. It's just the little one.

[MyrrhLynn]

I think Wacom Tablets (and tablets in general) are finally starting to come down in price. I saw one for sale for less then $100 in a Best Buy flyer just a few weeks ago. I'm thinking about getting one too! They are just so cool!

[glitch1501]

i just found a link that has a list of opensource projects that are free alternatives for adobe/macromedia software, most of them are linux though

http://vinterstille.dk/free-alternatives-to-macromedia-and-adobe-software

[HwaRang777]

ok, let's make this thread alive again

I decided I want to buy a graphic tablet, but are there any other brands than Wacom that are good? I found some that are mac compatible and under $100, but I want one that is bigger than 4x5, do you guys know of any solutions?

[shooraijin]

TBH, I can't think of any. I'm sure there are some, but why *not* buy a Wacom?

[HwaRang777]

cuz the only one they could have that's around 100 dollars is the 4x5 ones, but I want one that's bigger

[MyrrhLynn]

cuz the only one they could have that's around 100 dollars is the 4x5 ones, but I want one that's bigger

That's the size mine is and it's actually bigger then you'd think. I've never thought of it as too small, but then again I like to really zoom in on stuff when I'm working on it so maybe that makes a difference. I really don't know of any other reputable companies that make graphic tablets.