I'm looking for a good photo editor and I've heard from multiple sources that Gimp is pretty good. Who uses it? And how does it compare to Photoshop? I'd prefer not to photoshop so if Gimp works out pretty well for free, then I'll go that route.

 

GIMP is awesome. Pirating PS has gotten very difficult due to the cloud-based new versions.

 

Pirating Photoshop happened the next day after CC was first released. If you're determined, it's definitely possible to get a DL of an older version. Probably the newer ones too but I haven't looked into them. It's well worth noting that a monthly subscription for *just* the latest version of Photoshop is not all that expensive. Skip a couple of cups of coffee and it's paid-for.



I have used GIMP at the same time I was using Photoshop, I think it was Photoshop 9. I'm on CS5 now, and let me tell you: you can do *most* of the same stuff in GIMP as in Photoshop, but it is worlds easier to use Photoshop once the learning curve is overcome. BOTH have very steep learning curves, which comes with being powerful image editors. But both also have a goal in mind. Photoshop is for making life easier on, and workflow faster for general-purpose graphic artists. GIMP is for people who do web graphics. The way the commands are structured and the way the tools do what they do, it's readily apparent that these programs were NOT written for the same end user.



Photoshop is easier to use and faster for most professionals. GIMP is more than powerful enough for the average user. You may find that even irfanview has enough editing capability for what you need, which would be fortunate. I install irfanview on every computer I can, because it is *the* best image viewer, but it also has some editing capabilities.

 

Just pay the $10 you cheap bastards!

 

^^^ This. I pay for software and music, but don't pay for TV service. So, I can't really talk.

 

My experience mirrors Stocker's exactly.