best picture manipulation program???

[Duende]

I\'m the oddball..

I use Micrographx Picture Publisher 7.0 and it\'s easy to use and I\'m happy with the results. And I picked it up cheap at one of those computer expo\'s where they sell off older software real cheap. (I, too, am on a really tight budget, this program\'s probably really out of date since I got it a few years ago, but hey, it works).

Well, whatever program you decide on, don\'t be afraid to just open up a practice pic and start playing around with the toolbars and options, just to see what they do, and use the help and tutorials that come with it as well.

Good Luck!

 

[minimaker]

Hey Duende,

don\'t worry, you\'re not the only one. I\'m doing most of my work on Picture Publisher 8.

Stumpkiller, you could try the GIMP. It was designed for Linux but also exists for Windows. Like the Linux version it\'s free to use and from what I heard (haven\'t had the time to really explore it) quite capable. Here is a link: http://www2.arnes.si/~sopjsimo/gimp/stable.htmlgimp/ You can also sometimes find it included with magazines.

Bye, Ming-Hua

 

[Valander]

Originally posted by stumpkiller
money is an object, my husband often objects to my spending it but time isn\'t, so I can wait a bit and save... Which one works with windows xp? does it matter? is one better with quality prints?

Thanks!

Well, if money is an object (one that you don\'t have much of), then you may want to seriously look at the GIMP. The Gnu Image Manipulation Program. This puppy\'s open-source and free, so it\'s hard to get cheaper. It is very comparable to PhotoShop (having used both, while a master at neither, I feel ok in saying this).

Plus, you can get it for just about every operating system around: Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS X, and I think there might even be a version for Amiga still floating around... lol

You can find more here: http://www.gimp.org

EDIT: Do\'h! Didn\'t see Ming-Hua\'s response already pointing you towards the GIMP. Consider this a \"seconding\" of his recommendation!

 

[Gypsy]

Originally posted by finn17
cs is about $600, elements is about $60

Come on, who\'s buying that for $600?! Companies and firms are supposed to but I don\'t think they expect the average Jane and John Doe to pay that much money.
Nah, I\'m sure they want the program to spread.

 

[finn17]

You are right....

Originally posted by Gypsy
Come on, who\'s buying that for $600?!

There are lot of \'cracked\' versions doing the rounds. EBay is full of them....
But I do know some normal (wealthy, but normal) people who have spent that sort of dosh. The fact that it is so easily crackeable adds support to the collusion theory and lets face it...who talks about anything else? Image editting = Photoshop

I wouldn\'t put my neck on the block though by publicly suggesting that some one breaks the law by stealing IP That\'s up to the individual conscience:flip:

 

[supervike]

can\'t students get those programs for much much cheaper?

Maybe that is a route to check.

 

[frenchkid]

Originally posted by supervike
can\'t students get those programs for much much cheaper?

Maybe that is a route to check.

I know microsoft do that with their program ( microsoft office) that I bought a will back for 99,90 euros ( don\'t you just love marketing ) when it should cost a lot more. I think I saw a student version of phtoshop lying around.
ANd for my photo editing I use phtoshop, well actually I try to use photoshop. Got it from my uncle who works in publicity so didn\'t have to pay for that one Good luck with you pictures !!

 

[minimaker]

Origineel geplaatst door Valander
Do\'h! Didn\'t see Ming-Hua\'s response already pointing you towards the GIMP.

Looking at your avatar I\'m not a bit surprised you\'d think of GIMP.
Now, since most here seen unfamiliar with the program and I have not yet played enough with it, can you perhaps explain what differences you\'d find between photoshop and GIMP?

Another program that is/was often used is paintshop pro. It\'s cheaper than photoshop but does accept the filters.

By the way, all programs mentioned are pretty extensive image manipulation/drawing programs. There are also simpler programs dedicated to be used on photographs. Like the non-freeware version of cam2pc below.

And while we are recommending programs, here are two handy freeware programs for use with digital camera\'s:
-cam2pc: this is just a program to download pics from your camera and sort them on your computer. In my case I found this program to work better than the one I got with the camera. http://www.nabocorp.com/cam2pc/
-Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery: if you ever have a problem with the memory card you can try to recover the photos with this program. http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital_image_recovery.htm

 

[finn17]

I still maintain.....

99% of people on CMON will not use 99% of something like Photoshop CS, unless they intend to cheat. If they have the skill to do that....they will probably not be painting toy soldiers anyway.

Spend a fortune if you want....buy dodgy software if you want...but basically all you need is a simple image editor, a camera with macro facility, decent lighting and a decent background.

Most people seem to forget the last two..:flip:

 

[supervike]

what were those last two?

Originally posted by finn17
Most people seem to forget the last two..:flip:

Don\'t ruin my pipe dream....I just know that once I buy Photoshop, all my \"6\" minis instantly become 9\'s....lollol

Maybe I should just save my money and buy something I really want.....like more minislol

 

[stumpkiller]

Thanks a lot for the advice, shooting mini\'s is only a fraction of what I want to do. You gave me a lot to think about, and I will check out gimp and would love an opportunity to try photoshop too... not rushing into this one. :innocent: I\'m not into cheating on coolmini, I want honest opinions of my stuff, not my computer skills.

 

[minimaker]

Origineel geplaatst door stumpkiller
Thanks a lot for the advice, shooting mini\'s is only a fraction of what I want to do.

If you want to see examples what programs like GIMP and photoshop can be used for, there is a British magazine called \"computer arts\" that shows a lot of examples. It also comes with a cd and there is a good chance a photoshop demo will be on it. Another nice magazine is \"digit\" but this goes more into 3d stuff.

Anyway, have fun!