@unruled:
Gimpshop
[www.gimpshop.com]

spect3r

GIMP is excellent, especially when you consider that it's free. As much as anyone would love to complain about the design of the GUI, or the confusing way in which all of GIMP's tools work, at the end of the day, they DO work. So get used to it, or enjoy spending hundreds of dollars for the "simple" alternative.

foxhaze

Why not do it like Blender? Where you can split and tile windows as much as you want. Tile is so much better than overlapping.

bigngamer

I just downloaded this ~20 minutes ago and I am looking forward to seeing what all of the new changes are. ^__^

If anyone happens to need an alternate download link for this, it can be found here:

Gimp Photo 2.6.0 @ File Hippo

Asian Angel

@actionscripted: Photoshop is all in one window.

GIMP is frigging unusable, even on a duel-display.

Phoshi

@unruled: It's no different than Photoshop, really. You just have your main menu ("File", et al.) attached to one of the floating windows and no containing, "global" window.

That said, I still hate The GIMP's UI. Absolutely atrocious, even if you're familiar with it.

Program flow feels a bit backwards for certain actions, also.

actionscripted

the seperate windows thing has to go. It really does.

unruled

@unruled: For a long time I despised the GIMP interface, but since I've been using another program called DeskPins to set which windows always appear on top, I've really grown to like it. Plus, the concept of keeping your toolbox in the same place and drawing from it to work on separate projects feels pretty intuitive.

hardwired

"GIMP is excellent, especially when you consider that it's free. As much as anyone would love to complain about the design of the GUI, or the confusing way in which all of GIMP's tools work, at the end of the day, they DO work. So get used to it, or enjoy spending hundreds of dollars for the "simple" alternative."

That's not how it works. GPL coders, though they do a lot of hard work, shouldn't expect to be able to deride people because they cannot stomach an interface, all just because "it's free".

I'll tell you what those people are going to do, and it doesn't involved "spending hundreds of dollars". They're going to log onto mininova, go download Photoshop CS3, install it, and continue to promote Photoshop because people would rather risk being busted for piracy than use GIMP, and that is what none of the "get used to the interface, noob" chorus gets. And as long as this keeps up, Adobe will continue to be the product learned by fifteen year olds, and GIMP will continue to be a marginalized shadow of an awesome graphics program that almost was a competitor to Photoshop, were it not for the developer's blinding hatred of an actual usable interface.

jonny290

does Gimp support layers yet? I don't use gimp so I have no clue if this a feature.

gawyn210

@agentgray: it's not that hard to get on macs right now, the X11 interface just sucks to use, especially across multiple windows (if they put it all in one window, it'd probably be fine).

thebigcheese

@Phoshi: It isn't on macs, at least not the versions pre-CS4. I think GIMP follows that mentality.

thebigcheese

"What must-have feature is still missing from the open-source editor?"

An installer for my Mac?

agentgray

I have been very pleased with the past couple of GIMP releases. I have always loved Inkscape, and wished I could use only free tools, but previously GIMP just did not live up to my needs.

Granted, there are some more esoteric features that Photoshop has, but I find GIMP has been more than usable for the (limited) needs I have.

kyre

@Phoshi: am i the only one who prefers GIMP's UI to Photoshops?
Supposed, I started on GIMP first and used that for a couple of years first, then switched to PS.

gymtonic

@mfokp: Thats funny because on my linux machine with a wacom tablet it plays just fine with gimp... unlike most other programs on linux it actually uses the pressure sensitivity of the tablet!

Maybe its a windows issue?

Wire-Less

"What must-have feature is still missing from the open-source editor?"

-Non-destructive layers (curves, color balance, ect).
-Layer groups and subgroups, especially with normal/pass-through blending.
-Layer effects (stroke, drop shadow)

(if these things are in the GIMP let me know, 'till then they're a dealbreaker)

There are probably some niche things like camera raw and cmyk that would totally prevent the GIMP from being used in certain industries.

I know there are plug-ins for some of these things, but photoshop is rock solid.

SamburgerHandwich

@gawyn210: yes dude, as much layers as you want/need

Dangger

@Super_Moose: Agreed! Nicely put.

Dangger

@Asian Angel: Hey angel girl! Guess who? ;-)

Rogue

As a free product, GIMP is amazing (especially with Gimpshop). My biggest issue, however, is that it doesn't play nice with Wacom tablets.

From what I understand, it's the window handler behind GIMP that is the cause, and not GIMP itself. Until that issue is fixed (Is it fixed yet? I haven't been keeping up on it), I will continue to squeeze all the value I can out of my copy of Photoshop.

mfokp

I don't mind the interface and free is great, right?

Go Gimp go!

Rogue

umm fyi jonny290, i was 15 when i started learning the GIMP. very good program, the interface is fine. some people complain about adobe's interface... but it needs cmyk support.

eagledrc

@gawyn210: Yes, Gimp has supported layers for a long time.

wunch

quit complaining about the user interface already! It's not bad and I prefer it to photoshop.

Plus it's free, so pipe down.

Super_Moose

@the_boffin:

(This is only in GIMP 2.6)

And look in my screenshot! One window in task list!

the_boffin

What is everyone talking about?

The Gui has been already pretty much changed to an SDI (single document interface) like Photoshop.

Just make the main window full screen (maximize it) resize the toolbox etc and it is done. Here is a screenshot of what it looks like.

Click Here

Can you please update the post Lifehacker, as I don't believe everyone realises what has been done in the release, a long awaited SDI.

the_boffin

@Rogue: O__O

Woohoo! ^__^ Welcome to Life Hacker! ^__^

Asian Angel

@jonny290: "And as long as this keeps up, Adobe will continue to be the product learned by fifteen year olds"

This is exactly right. Any business will eat the cost of photoshop when that is what everyone is proficient in. In fact, I think Adobe doesn't mind the pirating for exactly this reason. 99% of photoshop pirates are doing it for personal use. Why would Adobe care when it gives them market share in the commercial realm.

SamburgerHandwich

An 'expermiental build' of Gimp.app for Mac OS X users has been released at here.

bleh.fu

@the_boffin: Great screenshot! ^__^

Asian Angel

The changes in 2.6 are welcome to many long-time users and, most likely, anyone held back from adopting the free editor because of technical restrictions.

That is unless they want CYMK support. That will keep it from having professional acceptance.

I tried Gimp, the UI was just atrocious. And the program, unstable.

I still use an old copy of PSP, does 99% of what I need and it's quick, and doesn't have a UI that lacks any common widgets or functionality with the operating system.

johnsmith1234

I wish "GIMP" didn't have a name that makes me have to explain myself every time I say it.

rhoderickj

@unruled: I like the seperate windows thing, I dont see much of a difference it still has everything organized and accesible and I only see the options when I need to see them (and this makes it intutive)

metalmarious

I love GIMP and Scribus and Inkscape. And PDFCreator too.

Inskcape can now edit PDFs. Wahoo!

And what is better they have portable versions and they are cross platform b/c I'm a Linux guy stuck at work on a Windows machine.

Lots of great tutorials out there too.

joeaverage

All that stuff, and CMYK, are the reasons for the switch to GEGL. Most, if not all, will be implemented by 3.0, if not 2.8.

WilletteEchidna

@unruled: I think an option of whether you want seperate windows or not would be better. On linux, you don't need it all on one window, because you just run it on a seperate workspace.

christophski

Can anyone provide a quick comparison of GIMP to Paint.net if they have used both? I use Paint.net and it's OK but I would like a better alternative.

tcatnat

I've had GIMP on my computer for a while, I never really used it. I just checked before I saw this post, out of curiousity... v 2.2!
I use Photoshop now. I like the single window interface a bit more, because I don't have to worry about all my tools disappearing to the background, they're just on a palette in the same window.

Senethior459

I have used both for a while but I started out on PS and tried to adjust. I really do not mind either but any upgrade for GIMP is great because I love me some open source. Might make me have to stop pirating PS down the line :-P

CaptainHowdy

@Super_Moose: .word.

metalmarious

@jonny290: Yeah...GIMP isn't a commercial favourite because its interface is different from Photoshop's...

GPL coders don't expect to be able to deride because the program's free. They deride them because IT'S OPEN SOURCE! Just change whatever you don't like and stop whining! Oh wait; someone already linked to Gimp Shop... A large percentage of computer users DO enjoy the GIMP interface, and if you don't like it, you're fully allowed to go in a change it up, or find someone who's capable of doing so and stealing their work.

If you don't like Firefox's interface, you can change it. If you don't like Ubuntu's interface, you can change it. If you don't like OOo's interface, you can change it. Are you seeing a pattern? If it's open source, you can change it to suit your needs, so complaining about it suiting someone else's tastes rather than yours is worth derision when you have the freedom to tailor it specifically to yourself or find someone who can.

Zennalathas

A good app should meet user expectations, it doesn't matter it's free or not. An average user needs easy to use, intuitive to handle and stable software with short learning curve. Even if you are expert at Photoshop and other graphic software, you should read a number of tutorials to start using Gimp. The Gimp team should hire one usability expert at least and some testers. And they should hear what their users complain about. It's nothing about the features, it's all about usability. While Adobe is not close to meet user expectations with its Creative Suite 4 Gimp is far far away.

MIchael Garmahis

why god can't the image window always stay behind the pallets.

hairlessape

@tcatnat: I have used both but neither in depth. in Paint.NET it seems easier to do things like blurs, color changes (which is preety much all I have done)[It gives me quick access to the things I use the most] some of these things I have quite figured out in the GIMP. But paint.NET seems to be more limited IMO

But I believe GIMP is definately more advanced (and even more advanced with Plugins) Its the way to go because gimp is being developed faster and it has much more documentation and its cross platform incase one day I get sick of windows and migrate to Ubuntu. And I love open source software. GIMP seems to be the better investment.

metalmarious

@joeaverage: I love inkscape the most ^_^, there are even inkscape and gimp video tutorials on Miro

metalmarious

@the_boffin: hhmm then... what is the deal with the blank row in the toolbox above all the tools (where the menus used to be)

metalmarious

@gymtonic: no, I hate the photoshop interface, I love the GIMP's... I started on GIMP too... well actually I started on some crappy program called Graphics Gale, but thats a different story.

BTW: when you say "separate windows" do you mean the separate panels, or that they distance them selves from the windows OS even though most users use windows?

Swizzler121

@bigngamer: i so agree. i doubted it, but their adage came true, i wish every program had a UI like blenders!!

tjmage1

@the_boffin: Apparently, the SDI feature is Linux only... or rather I'll say non-Windows since I'm on WinXP and I'm still gettin 3 windows.......... I think it's about time I make the switch.

GrandStan

I will keep watching carefully (with bated breath!) for a compiled Mac version of the app without the issues of the one linked by bleh.fu.

To the ignorant such as I, it seems it wouldn't be that hard to compile (there ARE instructions) and then put it up on a website for download. But, then, you don't see ME doing it, eh? I'm not an old hand at Mac, just Windows. I look forward to the full-screen-like GUI mentioned above. Til then, guess I'll stick with 2.4.7

fjpoblam

@gymtonic:

No, your not. Photoshop is the bane of my existence.

threecheersfornick

Unless you're a professional artist, designer, or photographer, Photoshop is overkill.

If you don't like GIMP's interface, consider Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro Photo (both are not free).

CIM

Does GEGL now give Linux the ability to handle monitor color calibration?

papskier

@SamburgerHandwich: I haven't installed 2.6 yet so I don't know, but all three of those features are a goal of GEGL.

nighttimestereo

I also hate the way the document and tools palettes were not attached to each other. If I remember correctly each little bit of the program created a button in the taskbar, and you could activate one piece and not the others. No other program I use worked like it and it was very frustrating for casual use. I'm sticking with Paint.NET for now.

pschroeter

It seems to be faster loading up than the 2.4--that's a good thing. I look forward to using it.

mballai

@unruled: The floating windows interface is one of the main reasons I love GIMP over any other image editing program. It is incredibly useful for easily seeing and getting to stuff that would otherwise be obscured behind a large main window.

Monolith

Has anyone tested Wacom Tablet support? Previous versions didn't really work well with my Wacom tablet.

Chino

I want to like Gimp, I really do, but it seems I'm one of the few people out there who uses PHOTOshop to edit PHOTOS and Gimp seems to be lacking more of those features.

It has all the really advanced stuff, but seems to be lacking the simpler tools in Photoshop like altering the exposure and shadows and highlights (yeah, yeah, I know, I should just not suck at taking pictures and I wouldn't need those tools but sometimes you're on a deadline and it's hard to get the lighting perfect...)

I realize there's a shadows/highlights plug-in but last time I tried it, it had no preview option and was painfully slow...and didn't seem to work very well either.

shatteredmindofbob

If you have the control over your window manager, then the Gimps separate windows thing get's really convenient. For example keeping the windows mostly outside the screen but when hovering with the mouse move inside the screen and move outside again when leaving the window. I'm trying to accomplish that using FVWM, maybe compiz has something like this too.

KatrinaSnipe

@Zennalathas: The main difference here is that ubuntu and firefox's interfaces are not shit.

Also, have you ever tried recoding an entire GUI?

Good luck.

Phoshi

About the only thing that has kept me off using the GIMP (especially with GimpShop) has been the lack of layer sets. I think I am like most users in that it is not uncommon to have 50 or more layers in a project, and unless you can group them in a meaningful way things get difficult.

Paint.net was decent too, but not being able to edit a text layer is a major dealbreaker (not sure if this has changed).

thebigwave

@jonny290: I don't understand the hate on the UI? I love love love the GIMP UI. It is so much easier to work with then Photoshop. I can put the windows where ever I want on any monitor I want. I can bundle windows together, or keep them all separate. It is like 5 million times better than photoshop. I'm glad that the developers of GIMP have not tried to copy the lame UI of photoshop.

I had the same problem when Delphi copied the Visual Studio UI. I still use Delphi 7 (from 6-7 years ago) because it has a much better UI.

Ryan Fisher

@unruled: I think the separate windows is okay--I wasn't used to it at first either, but I got used to it. Supposedly, they have separate windows because it is easier to support cross platform.

madbadger

I like how the Photoshop interface is just one window, not a series of 3+ windows that clog up my taskbar... other than that I love GIMP. Just takes up so much hard drive space though...

greenwavepi

TT_TT I love gimp earlier this week end i made a Rambo Squirrel aka Sqrambo = ) and i was running off the orig 2.0 = ) cant wait to take this monster out of its cage.

DavinAmycus

why does GIMP use a photoshop mac interface if it's not native to mac (and really botches the interface by using x11 windows with focus problems)

DaoKaioshin

@Zennalathas: i agree with you entirely: you should only use gimp if you have the skills to recode it to fit your needs.

everyone who can't do so is free to complain about it, however.

DaoKaioshin