Does anyone use 'Gimp' for photo editing?

[eggchaser1987]

I am a bit new to photo editing and want to give it a go but don't want to pay for PhotoShop until I know I am going to get the use out of it.

I have heard of a free program called Gimp. Does anyone use this and is it worth giving a go to get the best out of a photo?

Obviously I will need to take a photo worth editing first but after that is it worth trying to get the finishing touches via Gimp?

Oh and before anyone sais anything, yes I know downloading a free Gimp could be a bit suspect!

[davepoth]

It's certainly worth a go. It's not as good as Photoshop in most respects, but the price can't be argued with.

The workflow in GIMP is different to Photoshop so there might be a bit of an issue with transferring skills, but if it is just for home use rather than anything professional, it may well fit the bill.

[shed driver]

There's also the Serif Photoplus free download. Not as capable as GIMP or PS, but the workflow (IMHO) is a little easier than GIMP and more akin to PS.

http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/

SD.

[andy-xr]

Personal opinion, it's awful. I know what it's supposed to be, but if you've ever used Photoshop then flick into GIMP, yes, some of the tools are there, but it's not at all easy or intuitive. It could be that I'm too used to Photoshop, it could be that Adobe spent so long getting a workspace that was fairly intuitive, I dont know.

For basic things like colour correction or crops I tend to use Lightroom which also acts as a catalogue. It's fairly powerful in terms of what it can do, but I usually just use the tools as a starting point to then take into Photoshop if I want to do any more serious editing.

For bits and sts, Irfanview doesnt do a bad job of colour, exposure, gamma and general contrast etc

[CountZero23]

Paint.Net is also worth a look, use it for my basic requirements and is very stripped down and easy to use. Free also.

http://www.getpaint.net/

[noell35]

I've got gimp but to be honest I rarely use it as it just seems a bit complicated. I find faststone useful for any editing I do, it is also free.

[Ovaltine]

andy-xr said:

Personal opinion, it's awful.

Yep, like something from the Ark. Better off with something like Elements or the other suggestions if just having a play about.

[eggchaser1987]

Thanks for the advice. I will have a look at others and give them a go and see how I can get on.

Thanks all.

[steveatesh]

eggchaser1987 said:

Thanks for the advice. I will have a look at others and give them a go and see how I can get on.

Thanks all.

If you are using Windows then also have a look at Paintshop Pro X7 from Corel. It's a very capable program and there's not much that Photoshop can do that PSP can't.

In addition there is a significant online user base for tutorials etc, and I've never been stuck copying a photoshop tutorial once I've identified the relevant tool names.

You get 30 days free trial, and you can pick it up for around £ 50 , an absolute bargain.

[rdjohn]

I was only ever a very basic Photoshop user, but I found that transferring and using free Gimp software fairly straightforward.

[eggchaser1987]

steveatesh said:

If you are using Windows then also have a look at Paintshop Pro X7 from Corel. It's a very capable program and there's not much that Photoshop can do that PSP can't.

In addition there is a significant online user base for tutorials etc, and I've never been stuck copying a photoshop tutorial once I've identified the relevant tool names.

You get 30 days free trial, and you can pick it up for around £ 50 , an absolute bargain.

Thanks Steve. Yes I am using windows and don't think I will use anything else really, not a hardened fan its just what's easy to get hold of on a affordable laptop, so that is definitely worth a look as well.

Thanks again 😃

[wombleh]

I like it, loads of features and very powerful. Tried elements and found it very limited in comparison. Quite like the full ps but bit pricy for me. I use it for editing along with lightroom.

[otolith]

I like it, but I've been using it for years. It's not the friendliest thing to get started with, but it's powerful and free.

[Morbid]

DxO optics is another option depending on what you want to do PP wise. Version 8 is available free until the end of Feb

http://sharewareonsale.com/s/dxo-optics-pro-elite-...

I use PS but have tried this and it's quite good, but workflow seems a bit clunky. Noise reduction is good and it does a decent job with auto settings when using raw files.

[eggchaser1987]

Morbid said:

DxO optics is another option depending on what you want to do PP wise. Version 8 is available free until the end of Feb

http://sharewareonsale.com/s/dxo-optics-pro-elite-...

I use PS but have tried this and it's quite good, but workflow seems a bit clunky. Noise reduction is good and it does a decent job with auto settings when using raw files.

Thanks for that. I will download that tomorrow and give it a go.

[_dobbo_]

I used gimp for years, but when I could no longer process RAW files for my new camera I bit the bullet and signed up to the Adobe CS cloud photographer's bundle.

Gets you lightroom and photoshop for about £8 a month, that can be used on two computers, really hard to argue with at that price.

Honestly, I had forgotten how far superior photoshop is to gimp - I couldn't go back now.

[DeuxCentCinq]

Free trial of Photoshop and Lightroom, then monthly subscription?

[noell35]

_dobbo_ said:

I used gimp for years, but when I could no longer process RAW files for my new camera I bit the bullet and signed up to the Adobe CS cloud photographer's bundle.

Gets you lightroom and photoshop for about £8 a month, that can be used on two computers, really hard to argue with at that price.

Honestly, I had forgotten how far superior photoshop is to gimp - I couldn't go back now.

Do you have to sign up for a year or can you just get one month at a time?

[Rosscow]

_dobbo_ said:

I used gimp for years, but when I could no longer process RAW files for my new camera I bit the bullet and signed up to the Adobe CS cloud photographer's bundle.

Gets you lightroom and photoshop for about £8 a month, that can be used on two computers, really hard to argue with at that price.

Honestly, I had forgotten how far superior photoshop is to gimp - I couldn't go back now.

This annoys me - in the US it's $9.99, which is about £6.50 in our money.

Why do we have to pay £2.50 a month more?