# Yeah, I'll have to learn Photoshop, but what about...



## StarkmanAlive (Sep 30, 2014)

Gimp?

I don't have the cash right now to use Photoshop, so what about GIMP? Is it similar enough to Photoshop so that by the time I get to Photoshop I'll have a heads up? If not, is there a particular software out there that is similar in approach to Photoshop?


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## davidedric (Sep 30, 2014)

I don't use Gimp,  and I doubt there are many here who do,  but my understanding is that while it can achieve much the same results as PS the interface is very different  -  so it wouldn't give you much of a heads up.   You could always download trial copies of each and have a look. 

( edit) Gimp itself does not handle RAW files,  unlike PS and Lightroom, so if you shoot RAW you would have to use a separate RAW converter, either stand alone or plug in. 

Dave


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## clee01l (Sep 30, 2014)

Both PS and Gimp have similar functions (Brightness, Exposure, noise adjustments, crop etc. can only have so many ways to be done.) But the learning curve is in knowing how to access the function that you want. Here PS, Gimp and any number of other pixel  editors diverge.  You probably have not memorized all of the HotKeys for LR have you?  I know that I have not.  The same is true for PS or Gimp.  Which menu sub item do you need to use to adjust the exposure?  The menu path will be different for these two editors. 

I've used Gimp in the past. I'm sure there are those that will say if you have Gimp, you don't need PS. But I found Gimp to be complex, not intuitive and generally inefficient.  The same could be said for PS, all but the inefficiency.  Yet I found PS easier (for me) to learn, but not without some instruction first.  I'm sure over time I could have become proficient with Gimp, it would have been a steep learning curve.

If you know that you are going to use PS eventually, I think you are better off spending your energy on that learning curve instead of wasting it on Gimp.


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## Replytoken (Sep 30, 2014)

You have presumed that you will have to learn PS, but what are needing to accomplish that specifically requires PS or some other pixel editor.  LR has gained many more features over the years, and a lot of folks are able to do the majority of their adjustments within the program.  That does not mean that you do not need a pixel-based editor, but it is best to bse that decision on need rather than just following the heard.  Also, with a CC subscription, you can pay approx. $10 USD/month for the use of CC, and be able to start and stop at will.  This might address your financial concerns.

Good luck,

--Ken


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## StarkmanAlive (Sep 30, 2014)

Thank you very much, all, for chiming in.

What I'm aiming for (and what my original post didn't say—my fault), is the need to find a software that can do what can't be done, or can't be done well, in Lightroom: layers; panorama stitching; enhanced spot removal; compositing (to compensate for dynamic range issues), etc.

At the moment, I can't go with a monthly subscription for Photoshop, though that's down the road. So I need to find a free program that can do all or most of what I need (as noted above), and, if possible, it would be a bonus if that program "feels" like Photoshop so that when I do go with that program it won't be total culture shock.

Thanks much


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## clee01l (Sep 30, 2014)

As Ken has pointed out. $10/mo. or $120/yr. is a CC subscription price for both LR *and* PSCC2014.  Standalone perpetual license for LR is $149 or $79 for an upgrade. When LR6 is released, it might be cost effective to get a CC Photographers bundle subscription.


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## StarkmanAlive (Sep 30, 2014)

I have Lightroom 5.6, so that part's taken care of. It's the 5 - 10% stuff I can't do in Lightroom that I need taken care of right now. And, as I said, I don't want to do a subscription right now, but that is definitely something down the road to think about.


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## davidedric (Sep 30, 2014)

There are other non-subscription paid for alternatives:  OnOne Perfect Suite, Corel PaintShopPro, for example both of which offer layers, probably the key thing Lightroom doesn't offer.  DarkTable is another free one, but I don't think it runs on Windows.

Dave


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## StarkmanAlive (Sep 30, 2014)

Well, as I say, all I really need to balance out what I can't do in Lightroom is the ability to stitch, layer, composite and enhanced spot removal / cloning. I'm not really going to worry about too much more than that.

So, I was just hoping there was something very inexpensive or free (like GIMP) that can do those few tasks.


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## davidedric (Sep 30, 2014)

GIMP will do what you want, it just won't ease your way into PS very much.  OTOH I know one or two folks who stick with GIMP and see no need to venture into PS.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Dave


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## StarkmanAlive (Sep 30, 2014)

Thanks, Dave. I appreciate the input. Let me tell you, if I could I'd put out the $10.00 a month for PS, but I'm unemployed and quite unable at the moment. So, GIMP it will probably be.

Thanks again,

Keith


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 6, 2015)

Alice19 said:


> I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5. I have downloaded the complete version of this software and it has proved to be very useful.



It's a bit confusing, but Adobe _Photoshop_ Lightroom and Adobe _Photoshop_ CC are different applications. This discussion is about things you cannot do in Photoshop Lightroom, so you need Photoshop CC or an alternative for the latter.


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## Ian.B (Nov 6, 2015)

Microsoft ICE is hard to beat for panoramas imo; especially as it is _FREE 

_As for GIMP; I have fiddled with it years ago just so I could help with questions like yours and to be honest I didn't fiddle much as I was too used to [to the better PS]; however, it is _FREE_ and I feel you have some spare free time to learn the _parts you need

_Unfortunately we are often too quick to think and say XYZ is the only way to do something. That's all fine if the money is there to do it. Modern digital photography is not cheap, and it can be very time consuming when we want to go past the average snapshots that most happy snappers would be more than happy with. That doesn't mean we have to give up; we just need to find other ways. I still use PS CS2 because it was free from adobe and I have Elements 12 because I bought that before Adobe become so nice and gave out free copies of CS2 although CS3 would have been better  . 

GIMP may not be _the best_ but then it is free! 

A nice (on your knees :angel "please Adobe" letter may get you a free CS program. The worst that can happen is a "sorry no" reply. (remind them they handed out free copies before a big launch or relaunch of CC) 

Good luck and I hope things in your life improve for you.


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## Victoria Bampton (Nov 9, 2015)

Ian.B said:


> I still use PS CS2 because it was free from adobe and I have Elements 12 because I bought that before Adobe become so nice and gave out free copies of CS2 although CS3 would have been better



Just to clarify, they weren't actually giving out free copies of the software. They just turned off the activation servers, so they made a serial number and downloads available for CS2 users who could no longer activate their software, and then the rest of the web discovered it and broadcast it as free software.  So I'm afraid a letter is unlikely to help, sorry.


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