GIMP against the rest(was Re: GUIs: Motif or ...? (was Re: tlug: Fw: Could Linux Kill NT?))

[urs roesch <urs@example.com>]

Jonathan Byrne wrote:
 
> >PSP is just a patched image converter with a batch command. JASC is
 
> I can't imagine anyone who actually uses Paintshop Pro making such a
> statement.  PSP is most certainly not some patched image converter.  It
> is a full-featured, top-quality image-editing program on the same level
> as Photoshop.  It seems there are few, if any, features that Photoshop
> has that PSP does not also have. It can even use Adobe plug-ins. The big
> differences I can see between them are price (PSP is much cheaper) and
> ease of use (PSP is much easier to use).  Oh, and PSP also does
> animations.

Paintshop started as a plain vanilla image converter a few years ago.
You only could convert images. Then they patched it trying to add
editing capability. If you find Paintshop v1.0 on the net, download it
and have a look. I used it years ago.

Comparing Photoshop and PSP will just not work with the feature
argument. Look at the color accuracy of Photoshop and you will see why
nobody in the print industry would think about PSP. Beside that the
filters in Photoshop just work more precise then anything else on the
market. Gaussian Blur is just I'd like to mention. Peak under the hood
and you see the difference. End users care about features, pros about
quality. Photoshop's quality is superior to anything else on the market.
Gimp was not created with pre press in mind, I think there is no CMYK
mode so your basically limited to use it for graphics shown on a screen,
which is fine I don't need anything else.

[snip]

> What can Photoshop do that PSP can't do?

See above....
 
> I use it mostly as a paint program these days, and it's a very good
> one,and also an excellent photo editor.  Regrettably, I can't show you
> any of my recent items because they're on a password-protected site.
> They're also not good examples, because I was under instructions to make
> them ugly.  Sounds weird, I know, but this was an addition to a web site
> that had been done by another firm, and it's horrible (have you seen the
> Budd Uggly site; almost everything on there can be found on actual web
> sites in Japan!), so I'm actually kind of glad it's someplace where no
> one can just stumble across it.  I'd hate to have people actually know I
> did it :-(  When I have a chance to make something nice, I'll show it to
> you.  I actually do have some stuff buried on my computer here
> somewhere, but not on the web. It's also older stuff, from over a year
> ago. I want to find time to do some things with PSP 5.

I know what you mean by making ugly, some Bu-cho doesn't like the color
and you have to change it. 

> Gimp is, well, much better than it was.  But it ain't ready for prime
> time yet.  It's one of those things that if you just ported it as-is to
> Mac or Windows, no one would use it.  People use it on Linux because
> it's 1) free, and 2) basically the only serious graphics program
> available on the platform.  And I haven't even attacked it on Japanese
> ability grounds yet, either :-) I'm not expecting versions of Photoshop
> or PSP 5 for Linux anytime soon, so that is likely to continue.  But if
> they do come out with PSP for Linux some day and it matches the features
> of the Windows version, I'll buy it immediately.

I heard there is a Windoze version (not 100% sure here) and we will see
how popular it will become. The fact that is free will draw some
attention. The problem is more the documentation. There are tons of
books for Photoshop, probably some for PSP but none for Gimp (that I
know of). But assume there is a windoze version, Gimp already scored one
point in cross platform compatibility. PSP will probably never run
everywhere else but on the windoze platform. 

 
> The sad fact right now is that what passes for a cool graphical program
> on Linux because of the scarcity of such things remains at a level that
> few Mac or Windows users would touch.  I don't still use Windows 95
> because it's a better OS than Linux, but it sure has better
> applications.  That's one of the things that will make or break Linux in
> the next couple of years as we try to really move into the mainstream.
> The OS is nearer and nearer to prime time readiness, but the
> applications base lags well behind the OS.

The fact that the Gimp and most other graphic software is free for Linux
just bugs the crap out of my friend who uses Windoze 95. He bought Bryce
3D for about 200 bucks and thought I will not be able to get a similar
program on my Linux machine for free. But I found and downloaded blender
and moonlight creator without spending 200 bucks (moonlight creator is
not quite usable for production yet).

Gimp has its niche and that is just enough for some people to use it,
Script-Fu that is.  Let's you create new effects just by combining
existing filters and plug ins. This concept and the fact that it is not
one of those stupid watch me and record macro recorders, is unbeat. You
can create new plug ins with Script-Fu and the end user doesn't even
notice that it is a script s/he is using. 

> Do you know a program called Painter?  That's another thing I would love
> to see ported to Linux.  Speaking of things graphical, does Linux
> support any of those pressure-sensitive drawing tablets, such as the Art
> Pad or Art Pad II?  That would be cool if it did.  I'd like to do some
> work with one of those in the future.  Of course, that brings me back to
> the software problem, but . . .

Painter has the quirkiest interface I've ever seen. The learning curve
is extremely steep because of that. MetaCreation just steam rolls the
windoze interface in such a way that joe user is totally lost. Since you
are concerned about consistency in interface design that is the last
program I recommend.

Getting back to Linux after all, I read on another ML that you can use
pen and tablet in X11 (not 100% sure). If I stumble over the link or the
message I let you know. 

urs


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