Paint shop or Photo shop

I am going to purchase one of these and was wondering which program those of you who have either or both would choose. Since I am going to spend the money I would like to get the most bang for my buck.

Well, considering that Corel Paint Shop Pro lists for $99 and can be found for much less, while Adobe Photoshop runs closer to $600 (not talking about Photoshop Elements or LE, those don't do the trick), in my opinion it's hard to go wrong with choosing PSP. On the other hand, the GimpShop is FREE, and has virtually the same capabilities as either PS or PSP.

P2

Gimp for the win.

i use psp 6 (old but good)
gimp for windows and linux

about 30000000000 other screwball packages

and ive got photoshop 7.1 if i really want to gotru 50 steps instead of 1 in the gimp

heres a listing of some free image software i give out in my understanding textures class

http://www.cheesefactory.us/NCI/modules/wflinks/viewcat.php?cid=1

theres the gimp, some screwball stuff and something called Draw + which is a decent illistrator knock off (and 3d + which allows you to bake shadows and stuff in a 3d vector enviroment)

It all depends on whether you will be using the software to make stuff for SL, thinking that it'll make you rich, or if you're going beyond that and maybe use it for part of your RL career in graphic work.

Bear in mind that PSP, at least my version, doesn't save tga files in a way that supports transparency. But because I am already familiar with it's workings, I work with it, then use gimp to convert to tga.

I used PSP 9.0 (which does support alpha channels, yes -- i.e. tga files with transparency info) and then switched to PS. One big reason was that I had used PS a little bit many years before and remembered enough that making the change was difficult. But there are some things that PS just does better... motion blur is a big one, the PS lens correction filter is very useful for creating materials textures, and I prefer the PS pen tool for doing bezier selections. I also love the history brush function in PS. I am very glad I switched to PS.

but... that said, PSP is a heckuva program for the price. For basic clothing and texture creation, PSP is more than enough. If you think you want to do a deep dive into image editing and have high-end tools at your disposal, then I would say go with PS.

I would like to thank you all for taking the time to give me your input. I just wanted a program I could use to make textures (for my classes and my own use) and maybe some clothing for myself. I have decided to go with Gimp as it was free and if I hated doing my own stuff, there was no loss.

PSP has supported transparency for many many versions. At least since 7, I know for sure. I've heard rumors of as early as 5 or 6.

its a royal pain in the butt, but psp 6 does handle alpha tga's , still its ezer to export as psd and load it up in the gimp

EDIT EDIT EDIT

my bad PSP 6 doesnt handle 32 bit TGA, just 32 bit everything else

I just double checked. I have PSP 8. It fully supports alpha channels in it's native format. But support is variable in other formats. PSP flattens a png alpha channel, so it isn't possible to re-extract the alpha channel, except by some jiggery-pokery. PSP 8 does not appear to save the alpha channel in a tga file at all.

photoshop for the win i say.. gimp isn't as good i've tried to use it before but it's much more boxed in and the effects arn't as good i say. it's fine for someone that just dosen't want to use it for much or for just a few bits and bobs but photoshop still owns opensource at the moment. again
also someone said adobe 50 steps gimp 1 well that may be which is why it's better for hobbiests and people who don't want to spend time on thing but are willing to give up features. having 50 steps means you have 50 steps to change alter and make the image look completly diffrent. the more steps the more flexiblitiy.


gimp = great for hobbiest and one off/small projects where you don't use it much.


can't comment on corel paint thought i haven't used it if you mean that since i don't see someone seriously gonna use paint to make textures.. though i have used it to make custom stick figures for signs like those men at work ones but builder at work with a little stick man rezin up a prim lol.

also try buying an old version of photoshop when the shops are selling them off or sometimes people sell them off in shops that they use to own it's cheaper then but you don't get the latest but it's still a pretty darn good program.

Yes it does. I used PSP 8 when I first came here. I know 7 supports it as well, I know people who use that.

Having used all Corel products at one point or another, your theories are unfounded. They work just fine.

Anyone know how to edit the alpha channel in PS Elements. Informed it was impossible to actually see the alpha channel.

My best guess is you can create the alpha channel as a normal layer, and then either save or load channel with that layer highlighted.

...

Or I might just get gimp for that purpose.

I'd love you to point out where.

As a GIMP, ex-Photoshop, and Painter IX user, I find GIMP to be quite full featured and excellent for nearly everything I do. It even fully supports my Wacom tablet on Windows and Linux, does a snappy job with its color Filter Pack and virtual paper system, and has the other odds and ends of drawing that I prefer.

It also avoids the evils of Adobe "try our other products" -- one of the things that rather annoys me about that company. I installed Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0, only to find it installed Photoshop Elements without my consent. Uhh... thanks?


On the other hand, I like to use Painter IX when I have need for a special brush or blending abilities of its system. The ability to blend using all layers simultaneously is quite nice, but for the cost (~$300 - 500 depending on version and timing), you really have to love the program to buy it. Which I do and did, at the time.

I agree with Jeffry on that one. GIMP has some sweet filters. I dont see any animated texture filters coming free with Photoshop, nor Script-Fu, which is also a + for GIMP.

Another plus- GIMP runs nicely on just about every laptop I've tried.

Since I'm on a Mac, where neither the GIMP nor PSP actually run I can't comment on the main question of this thread. (Well, okay, if you can get X11 to work, you can use the GIMP on a Mac, but I can't, so I can't.) I throughly enjoy PS, but since I haven't used either of the others, that's not really a vaild comparison.

However, I can comment on the Geepa's question about using the Alpha channel in Elements.

Geepa, Alpha channels in Photoshop Elements are made by Saving a Selection. In fact, every time you Save a Selection, you make a new Alpha (unless you tell the software to Relpace a selection that is already there.) This is a problem for SL, since There Can Be Only One.

I don't have Elements; but I should have access to the program tomorrow. (Someone else in my household is buying it for his PC.) So I'll write and post a tutorial about it sometime this weekend, if you can wait.

But, from my experiments with it months ago when I had a demo copy, if I remember correctly you cannot exactly edit the Alpha channel; but you can load the selection on an empty layer, fill it with a color, change it, and then Save the Selection again, Replacing the existing Selection. Which should give you much the same effect.

Hope this helps!

I would like to ask the groups advice on something dealing with buying software. Just this morning I receive an email from a company offering to sell me “OEM” software for prices of less than $100.

Everything from Microsoft XP& Office as well as numerous Adobe software packages are offered. The web site looks professional and blatantly advertises the various software packages with pictures of the boxes.

What attracted my attention was Corel Painter IX , which was listed for $89.99. I have been reading Robin telling about making various cloth textures with this program and thought it would be fun to play with the program. However, I am not going to pay $400 for something I just want to fool around with, for a while.

Are these places legit? If so, how can they sell for so cheap. And, if not legit, how do they stay online? I have gotten these emails more than once. I have no idea how they got my name and email.

Jen

"OEM" means "Original Equipment Manufacturer." If, indeed, the software that is being sold is "real" OEM software, it is licensed for sale only with the purchase of a computer (think the Windows disk that came with you lst PC, for example). As such, it is illegal to sell that software on its own.

Many times, however, the sellers who put out these ads aren't even selling real OEMware, but copies of OEM disks, which is even more illegal, if that's possible.

As far as the website looking professional, hey, web designers are a dime a dozen.

P2

Almost assuredly they are not legit. They stay online because they are generally based in countries that don't give a flying f*ck about such things.

OEM software is quasi-legal... You are, at least, buying real product, not a pirated copy. It depends how much you care for certain laws. I have no particular problem with buying real OEM software, from real buisnesses although I know it's technicly a no-no... There are several legit buisness places around here that sell OEM software if you buy a 2 dollar mouse or something along with it.

I'm also not exactly sure where the law falls on the issue... it's illegal to sell it, in essense, because the store is violating its contract to only sell it with a system. I'm less sure about the legal situation of the purchaser, since they signed no contract, and often times the EULA is the same for both versions.

But most of these places aren't even selling OEM software. A friend ordered from one of them once, like an idiot. It came on a burned CD. A labled, semi-professional looking burned CD, but a burned CD none the less. If you read the fine print, most of them say something to the effect of "Buying this software does not entitle you to free updates from the manufactorer" or some other such disclaimer that should let you know something funny is going on.

I use PSP X. It's done everything I've asked it to, and at a fraction of the price of Photoshop.

To be sure, PS is the "industry standard", but for SL purposes, any of the three will do; for RL purposes, the main reason to use PS is simply because so many shops will have already heavily invested in Macintosh/Photoshop setups; we're rapidly at a point where you can do very good work with any of the three mentioned, although PS seems to remain the most "feature-rich".

Thank you Phoenix and Reitsuki for your input. I guess it was too good to be true.

Jen

Paint Shop Pro is fine, I've been using it for years. Corel's X isn't really an improvement over PSP 9, so you might be able to save money by getting 9 instead of X.

I've found myself having to use photoshop more now, though-- the brushes and stuff one can get for it (like Dave Nagel's skin and hair brushes) are far too useful, and I'm just finding I need it more and more.

So basically... PSP is fine... but the chances are you'll outgrow it. I reckon you should download the trial version of PSP and use that til it expires and then download the trial of Photoshop and use that it expires. By then you'll have had months of free useage and should be able to decide for yourself.

I have been using Paintshop Pro 7 (yes, I know it's behind the curve) since the beginning here. While I can not speak for the more recent versions of this software, I do know that I have a problem with mine when creating alpha channels. In the software itself all is fine, but as soon as I download it into Second life a single, to two pixel white line forms around the edge. Sometimes, this isn't an issue, but when attempting to make clothing this can be a problem as, against tanned skin, the while line is very visable. I have asked around about this, and no one has ever given me an answer or a fix. Perhaps there is an answer, perhaps there is not, but for sanity's sake, if you have a choice, I would suggest going with something else.