One of the things that's always bothered my about Photoshop (it bothers me less now than it did years ago) is how resource hungry it is. It's a resource COW, and that's the cross you bear to have the abilities it provides.
Obviously I love the things you can do with it, and I've always bought the proper (licensed) versions and upgrades throughout the years. I haven't actually tried photoshop lite (Elements) but have experimented with a few other photo and paint programs.
Does anybody have personal experience with a non-photoshop application that's not as resource hungry, and that you'd care to recommend? Also - is Gimp really as great as it's touted? I'm thinking about installing it, still undecided.
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
I can`t really answer your question. I have a powerful computer so Photoshop runs perfectly here...I can open about 25-30 10megapixel photos in it before it starts to slow down a bit.
I used Gimp about 10 years ago and it was already very good those days...I guess it is amazing now. You should probably try "Gimpshop", which is similar to Photoshop.
Have you tried any other programmes like Corel Draw, Ulead, etc?
-Hal-
Posted by Ben Del Amitri (Member # 2724) on :
My system is also powerful, and as I say, the drain is not nearly as bad as it was during the days of Windows 98 and Mac OS 7.5 (I use both systems); but I'd still like a lightweight alternative program for some of my everyday chores.
I've tried the Ulead products, but have never cared too much for them. Not sure whether or not to try Gimp or Gimpshop, but it's my understanding that Gimpshop's interface pretty much mirrors photoshop and that would reduce the learning curve.
Posted by nusuth (Member # 7372) on :
i use PS occasionally and have been a user since windows 3.0.. yeah i'm that old lol.. and i still use it but i do understand what you are saying. it's like taking your monster truck down the street to he local grocery store when you can hope in your 1996 honda civic. they both do the job, but one is just overkill.
anyway, i do also use paint shop pro 7 ATM too and its lite weight and simple to use and has alot of great features.
Posted by Ben Del Amitri (Member # 2724) on :
quote:Originally posted by nusuth: i use PS occasionally and have been a user since windows 3.0.. yeah i'm that old lol.. and i still use it but i do understand what you are saying. it's like taking your monster truck down the street to he local grocery store when you can hope in your 1996 honda civic. they both do the job, but one is just overkill.
anyway, i do also use paint shop pro 7 ATM too and its lite weight and simple to use and has alot of great features.
That is a perfect analogy, it is exactly what I'm talking about. I've also been using Photoshop since the "good old days" of Windows 95 and Mac "system 7" and then OS 7.6, etc. (I've always run both).
I agree, PSP 7 and all JASC products before it offered a lot of flexibility for a fraction of the effort (and price!).
Posted by Patrick (Member # 1169) on :
I have also been using Photoshop since version 3.0, when I was in high school on a Mac using OS 7.5 as well. I am running a PC with a 4mhz processor, not even a duel core or anything in Windows XP. I sometimes open 100 images from a CD that are 7 megapixels and although it runs slower, it is nothing horrible. Hell, I even have Trillian, iTunes and sometimes Explorer and Outlook open as well.
I guess I prefer Photoshop and don't mess with the other because that is what I was taught doing graphic design and I find it easy and for what I need to do for Soles of Silk, there isn't anything it won't do. I probably wouldn't need other programs unless I was doing 3D work and such.
As for smaller programs that will do the trick, I can't really recommend anything because I haven't tried it. If you are simply looking for something to resize an image, perhaps brighten/darken it and then resave it, I am sure there are quite a few cheaper alternatives. You might want to try a trial version of Elements. Since it is an Adobe product, you might find things in the same places as Photoshop.
Patrick
Posted by sotiny (Member # 25607) on :
i have heard gimpshop is very good... and from reliable sources. i have been given a copy but havn't been able to try it yet. i use the very basics of corel draw and digimax which came with my camera. that is crap. or it is me... but i say give gimpshop a try. it does sound like a good alternative and it is free... yay!
Posted by RPM (Member # 2895) on :
i'm going to get back to you when i get to my desktop. that is where i do my work.
i do use photo element very heavily. my bro uses photoshop very heavily as well as sigma's version of that program.. don't know it's name though. he's gotten great results and it's not resource intense. he handles 10MB pics with more ease than I do in photoelement.
he uses gimp and has been pushing me for years to do so.. i've not gotten to it yet, i was just trying to learn one software first.
the others that i use are for quick and dirty edits to email samples or post here. nothing impressive enough for me to memorise the names.. i know i've used photosuit (don't recall which version). not too resource intense, but degrades the quality of the pic a bit more than I care for, hence why only for quick and dirty edits that quality isn't an issue for me.
so, i'll get back to you.
RPM
p.s. real qood question. now that i'm getting more serious with photography, i am going to build a better system so that i can handle more larger pics faster (not that it's too slow) but, my platform is over 8 years old.. it's getting slow by default of it's age.
Posted by feetluvr (Member # 1570) on :
I don't do any "high end" photo manipulation work, but have used various programs for re-sizing, compressing, etc for the web. I have used Gimp, it's very nice.
Some companies, like Serif Software, (freeserifsoftware.com) now offer their earlier-version products free, trying to entice you to upgrade to their current products.
Posted by Ben Del Amitri (Member # 2724) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: I can`t really answer your question. I have a powerful computer so Photoshop runs perfectly here...I can open about 25-30 10megapixel photos in it before it starts to slow down a bit.
I used Gimp about 10 years ago and it was already very good those days...I guess it is amazing now. You should probably try "Gimpshop", which is similar to Photoshop.
Have you tried any other programmes like Corel Draw, Ulead, etc?
-Hal-
I tried gimpshop and was quite surprised by the level of realistic emulation to photoshop ... in terms of interface, etc. Less of a learning curve for people who use photoshop and I'm growing to like it.
Posted by soles&toes (Member # 29104) on :
Anyone here heard of Paint.NET? It's a free program that you can get from
You can download plugins that add extra features, like feathering, inverting, 3D Rendering, all sorts of effects, try it out, I find it so easy and simple and it runs well on my system Posted by Andy-Laa (Member # 31511) on :
I can't be the only one who laughed at "Gimp" can I? XD
I use Paintshop Pro anyway...
Posted by Toetapper (Member # 6473) on :
A friend of mine, who works in advertising, has recommended Picassa to me (free from Mozilla Firefox). I've down loaded it but haven't figured out how to use it yet.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)