Try The Gimp

The Gimp is very similar to Photoshop.  Some of the actions are identical.  The Gimp is free, originally for open source operating systems that are Linux based.  I dual boot Windows XP Media Center and Ubuntu (Linux).  They now have a version of The Gimp for Windows.  I would love it if some of you would download it and compare it to Photoshop.  I am poor, so free is the only option for me right now.  It is a really great program and 100% free.  No gimmick, not a trial, no strings, free.  It is Open Source.  You can get it from download.com.  It's free so it couldn't hurt to try it, right?  Also, I have some excellent tutorial videos.  If someone wants them, I could email them to you.  If you try it, let me know how it compares to Photoshop.

Thanks

~Andrea

Here is the link to it on download.com

http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-20&qt=the%20gimp&tag=srch

The question isn't is Gimp better or worse than PhotoShop. The question is will Gimp do what you need it to do, which from my little experience with it I would say yes. Reading and learning how to use ALL, or a lot of, gimp's tools will make you better than most of the photoshop crowd who use a couple of its bazillion features.


we may have to have some off-line discussions on tool names but once you know that when one of us says "I used the XX tool to do this" you know that tool is called UU in Gimp. (when someone here makes a PhotoShop suggestion, translating it for them into Gimp would be really cool)

wildmaven,

It is true that sometimes it is too easy to move the bottom layer in The Gimp.  I hear that the next release for windows will have some improvements.  I have it both for Windows and Linux.  There are quite a few differences, and the Linux version has a few more features.  I am glad to hear that some of you have used it, and like it.  I am a supporter of open source and not a huge fan of Microsoft.  All in all, it is an awesome program.