Anybody use GIMP

[Tigger By The Tail]

I've heard about an open source photo editing program called GIMP. Has anyone used it?

[MICKEY88]

I've used it in the past, it's a decent program, but since discovering PAint Shop Pro I use nothing else,,

[ThurlFan]

Yes, it's quite good. When last I used it, the modules didn't dock into a unified interface, which throws some people off (lots of windows to keep track of).

But now I've got Photoshop Elements I find I don't use the Gimp. I would rate it well above the average editing software that ships with a digital camera though.

[KrazyPete]

For what it does, it's definently worth a try. You may find that it suits your needs very well and you've really got nothing to lose.

I've seen it referred to as the open source answer to Photoshop but there's really no comparison as far as I'm concerned. I've tried several different versions of GIMP over the years hoping to avoid the cost of Adobe's products. I always come back to paying for the professional tools.

[crazydadguy]

Yeah, Ive used gimp for both windows and linux. The functionality is there, and the price is right :thumbsup2 , but there is a pretty decent learning curve to go with it. Overall though, its a pretty decent program.

[sulleyfan]

I've used it, more for image creation than photo manipulation.

It works very similar to Photoshop as far as abilities, what's nice is that you can add on additional features with plug-ins and the obvious benefit that it's free. A great article on plug-ins is here (http://lifehacker.com/337476/power-up-gimp-with-40%252B-free-plug+ins).

Another great free one to try is Paint.NET. This one is much more user-friendly, but is Windows only. You can check it out here (http://www.getpaint.net)

[10dedfish]

Ive used it as well, both at home and at work. I do know its being used by some government entities as well. The curve is ok, but I think its easier than when you first starting out with Photoshop. The curve there is about 90 degrees straight up.