Art progs

Odian

probably on the wrong board,feel free to move it but wot (free) programmes would you recomend for scanning,changing,manipulating pics?


Thxs

Odian

Oeneus

I wouldn't recommend any free ones. Most of them suck! I would aim for the best.

Photoshop 6. Check the buy and sell or something and you might get it for about €40. The retail price is about €300, but well worth it.

There is also the cheaper, but still good, cut down version called "Photoshop Elements". retail €90.

strat

ive been using Paint Shop Pro from version 3 and its at ver 7 now - very comperhensive package imo

sceptre

Any of those progs are good

Photoshop is the king of graphics packages. Expensive as mentioned if you get it new - get it second -hand at a good price and you're on to a winner (you'll be needing a good book if ou're starting from scratch though)

At the more affordable level, PaintShopPro is better than Photoshop Elements imho. I've been using that (as well as Photoshop) off and on since version 3 (not an expert, don't know how to use everything in PS or PSP)

Amazon.co.uk have a special on PSP for the last while - £37 sterling (it's usually over twice the price)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005U2EP/ref=ed_ec_h_cs_10_2/026-8157315-9725217

Worth stumping up for. For what its worth, PSP will handle any Photoshop filters you come across.

Photoshop Elements is a cut down version of Photoshop6. It is a bit more user-friendly, interface-wise. It doesn't have the power of PSP though. PSP is at a silly low price considering it isn't all that far behind Phtooshop in terms of features.

If you want something for nothing, have a look at the cover discs on the magazines that give good software - PCPlus comes to mind. As this involves spending up to a tenner anyway - I'd just cough up for PaintShopPro - a purchase you will not regret.

Just to add - if you feel like comparing the packages before giving out hard cash, you can get demos from the two companies:

PSP: from www.jasc.com 30-day demo, all functions enabled (look under "Free Downloads", "Evaluation Software" (31 megs)

Photoshop: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/tryreg.html (41 megs, won't let you save, print or export)

Photoshop Elements: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopel/demoreg.html (53 megs, 30 day expiry)


My opinion - have a look at the demos if you're up to downloading that amount of data. If you're paying for your online time, just buy PSP and save the money you'd pay on trying the packages out. I really doubt anyone is going to post later and say that PSP is anything less than brilliant

Typedef

www.gimp.org

Oeneus

If I had £37 sterling I'd just buy a secondhand Photoshop 6. And anyway...books not needed. It's quick, easy and fun to learn the basic stuff that you were asking about.

Over the years you will be more interested in doing more complex things in Photoshop. And once you've found out how, it's easy.

I've been using Photoshop for 5 years now. Back then I started with Photoshop 3(which came on a series of floppies:)), and then every release afterwards up to 6.01.

And I have never bought any books. Except the occasional issue of Computer Arts Magazine.

Here's my latest work.