Questions on Imaging Software

[Moose]

I Know a bunch of you use the Photo Shop software. My ? is how much different is it than the Gimp freeware you can get online? Also if anyone is familiar with Gimp are there any frames I can use to put on my images? I really don't have the money to purchase the Photoshop and I'm not sure I would use it that much but I really like to frame and mat my images. Does any one make a stand alone framing and matting software for Vista? I posted earlier and Steve mentioned the plugin he uses does that plug into Gimp also and if it does how do I do it? I need a new camera also and can not afford both items at this time. If I need to purchase Photosop to run the plugin what is the oldest version I can purchase to make the plugin work?

Thanks for the info and the great pictures guys keep up the good work.

Moose

[Dbl]

Moose,

Have you visited http://www.gimp.org/? I think most of what you want to know is in all the documentation. I don't know if there is a plug-in for frames, you can look through some of the add-ons and see if it contains one. I think Gimp has many of the features found in Photoshop.

There are other software programs out there that should work as well that are low cost or free. Picasa is a free Google download, Photoshop Elements is under $60 and if you use one of the older versions even cheaper than that. I am fairly sure Photoshop Elements can take a framing plug-in, I haven't used the program in a while so I don't recall.

There are stand alone framing programs out there as well, I believe jonny uses one? A quick google search should yield some examples. I hope that gives you some of the information you were looking for.

[Moose]

Thanks DLP for the info I'm going to google the framing Software and see what I get. If Photoshop is laid out the same as Gimp I'm going to keep using Gimp. I like the way It's set up but I am having trouble downloading the Help Files which would be very useful .

Moose

[JohnK]

Photoshop is laid out nothing like GIMP (which seems to be designed around the hardest possible way to do everything). You can't beat GIMPs price, but it's certainly no Photoshop.

Since you're using Windows and don't have any money take a look at Paint.NET http://www.getpaint.net/ it's free, someone on their forum might have a framing plugin. It doesn't do quite as much as GIMP but it's a lot easier to use.

Paint Shop Pro runs around $90 and has many mats/frames included, if you can afford that you might want to go that route. There is a free trial of PSP.

[MN Shutterbug]

Actually, you can get Paintshop Pro X on hsolist for $35 including shipping. I have that one and it does many of the things that Photoshop and Elements does. One thing it has that Elements doesn't, is curves, besides frames. There have been a couple times I couldn't get my photo quite the way I wanted it, with the levels adjustments in Elements, so I opened the photo is Paintshop and used the curves to obtain what I was looking for. Elements and Paintshop are both decent programs, and the price is right.

[yakfisher]

I use Elements 5.0 and it does have color curves that can be adjusted. Elements 6.0 came out a couple months ago and I would think you could get a good deal on 5.0. I'm not sure though if it will work with Vista, it does work with XP though. Good luck in your search.

[MN Shutterbug]

My version of Elements is older, much older, so it doesn't have curves. I'm glad to see they've added it. I think my version is #1.

[Moose]

John, I will agree that GIMP is as hard to use as they could possibly manage to make it. I will try getpaint.org and see what it's like. Maybe I'll also download the trail version of Paintshop Pro X and see what it has to offer. Thanks for all the options guys.