I'm a beginner, please help.

[ogi]

Hello,
my name is Ogi, and i love drawing, but i've never been working with programs for creating or editing images(i mean professional programs). Last week i downloaded Gimp2.2 because it's free, but now i'm wondering which is the best choise - Gimp or Photoshop? Which program is more functional Gimp or Photoshop? Everybody says that Photoshop is better program, well i wan't to take advice from someone who work with Gimp, not only with PS or with both programs.
By the way my OS is WIN XP PRO SP2.

[twiggy]

Photoshop is definitely the way to go if you want the better program. GIMP is Photoshop in a more basic form, and Photoshop costs around $600.

[Drolkan]

yeah, twiggys right. PS is the better of the two, but it really come down to what you plan to do. like if its just to mess around and make things as a hobby, GIMP should do just as well. why spend $600 on something you dont kno you will really get into. I would suggest just playing with GIMP for a while and if you feel like getting PS, go and get it. and i am not sure on the price, so dont quote me, but im pretty sure it is around this,... You can get PS elements, which i hear is like 95% the same as PS and it only like $200. so if you want you can just get that for a third of the price. But whick is better, PS. But PS does have its advantages, they have more tuts, brushes, etc. for it. GIMP has its share, but not like PS does, hell, i saw a PS mag a while ago when i went to Barnes&Noble. But it is what you want.

Oh and Welcome Ogi. and there is also a program called Paint Shop Pro which i kno hardly anything about, for the fact i kno nothing of it, but its cheaper then PS as well.

[twiggy]

I had Paint Shop Pro and I didn't like it at all. But I still love using MS Paint as much as GIMP. Haha.

[gigatwo]

GIMP is actually close to the level of functionality that photoshop is on. It can indeed be used on a proffesional level. However, PS is a lot better for commercial printing, and is easier to use. I perfer the GIMP just cause I support open source stuff with a vengance.

When it comes down to it, your skill is what determines your results. I know a gimper who royaly pwns most of the photoshopers at chaos GFX. He actually owns PS (legally) , yet he doesn't really use it.

[drago]

With the exception of photoshop's superior smudging tools, I haven't found anything from photoshop that I've not been able to replicate. While it usually takes longer - particularly for certain effects - it's also more customisable and - in my opnion - it has an easier to use interface.

Photoshop is more expensive - for ostensible reasons - though gimp also functions on other programs beside windows, and is completely free. Besides smudging, the only real downside to gimp is that there aren't as many brushes as photoshop, though some people are making some awesome brushes, courtesy of gimp a la gigatwo.

[XÆRO]

lol....you guys are talking about "paying" for photoshop...
If I really wanted to use photoshop I'd get it for free....but I know GIMP and thats what I'll stick with.

[ogi]

Thank you for all advices, for now I'll continue to use Gimp, because it's free and easyer to use than PS, by the way is it true that the brushes in Gimp are more customisable that PS brushes, for an example i found that there are so many adjustments in Gimp for Clone Stamp Tool - I could't found such thing in PS, if there is a simmilar brush adjustements in PS like these in Gimp, please tell me where I can find them.

[doomed1]

u can obtsin custom brush packs for PS, but i wouldnt pay for it, and if ur thinking about downloading PS illegally, dont. if u do, my finger just may slip on the "delete member" button. its simply below the system of honor we have as GIMP users, as a huge battle was fought over it in a faraway land known as G4.

know, if u really work at it, im sure u can improve to the level of PS and become a master.