Forum activity for [Hunters] is slipping badly other than the rare chance at a new member.

Not sure how many people draw, but here's something to talk about. Gimp or Photoshop, and why? Gimp is OBVIOUSLY the best since it's simple, free, and still does most of the important things Photoshop does. Might be a little bias since I don't own Photoshop, but yeah

A low (almost no) forum activity is way better than a ton of unnecessary posts just to keep the activity on a certain level.


Anyways, about Photoshop vs. Gimp:
I think both are very good programs and some years ago, I would have said that Gimp is the better choice.
However, once I got Photoshop and had the time to work with it, as well as watching tutorials about it, I have to say that I personally prefer Photoshop. It supports 3D layers, simulation of brushes, video editing and a few other things GIMP doesn't have (Most of them are more for the editing of pictures, so it doesn't really matter for draw-y purposes).

I use gimp, and it's awesome. I tried the free trial of photoshop and I didn't really liked it.

Photoshop is only for drawings, but people do it to shape things into huge penises, make horrible looking muscles, increase cleavage, and photoshop a female celebrity next to you.

I prefer any drawing tool over photoshop. It's ridiculous and should only be used if you want to fix a curve on a drawing or something.

I don't really think you can say that Gimp is a better program than Photoshop, or Photoshop is a better program than Gimp etc.
Both excel in their own ways, and each can be used for various things that the other can't do. When making a texture I generally use a bit of both, because some things in Gimp are easier to do than in Photoshop, such as shading or glossing effects. I try to think of Gimp as a more simple version of Photoshop and is much more easier to learn.

Summing it up - I personally think Gimp is better for simple art, whereas Photoshop is for more complicated designs.

I prefer Photoshop over gimp. Much easier to use, the results of editing always seems to look better due to some brilliant coding from the developers of Photoshop. It's very easy to use and it has more features that I haven't been able to use in Gimp. Though for drawing, I'm currently using a program called Clip Studio Paint. The tools feel so natural and it really feels like I'm drawing on paper (I'm using WACOM's Intuos Manga).

I don't know half the things from Photoshop.

What is your paint tool like?

@Anak: I like well-written poetry. Has to be thought-provoking with a clear message(abstraction is alright in moderation) and has to have a solid structure. Not everything has to rhyme, but everything has to flow well together. The Tyger from William Blake is one of my personal favorites, Invictus from William Ernest Henley is another.


@clan: About Photoshop/GIMP ... if you have the money or a way to get it legally(through a university/school program, workplace, whatever), Photoshop. We won't mention internet piracy since it's never alright to talk about it in an online forum. GIMP is a great free software alternative with most of Photoshop's features. Personally I think Photoshop is more capable, if only because it has been developed by a much larger team that has the financial backing of Adobe. As far as technologically advanced, Photoshop has the lead IMO. However, I'm absolutely certain that it's the artist/designer and not the tool. I've seen incredible pieces made with GIMP, and I've seen incredible pieces made with Photoshop. The vast majority of digital artists I like use Photoshop, though only a very small number use the latest version(or anything above CS4, really).

About personal preference, it is important to be aware of bias. If the first program you learned was GIMP, and you spend a few months working at it almost every day, you would try Photoshop and probably think it was terrible. If the first program you learned was photoshop, you'd probably think GIMP was terrible when you try it. Same thing can be said about operating systems. If you started out with one you'd probably dislike the others. Now personally I hate everything associated with Apple ever - I'm not a fan of anything they've done, I've read enough about Steve Jobs to know he was a total dick and not worth idolizing, and I've had to deal with their proprietary bullshit over and over again. IMO they are very restrictive and greedy and I would never want anything to do with their overpriced products. Some artist friends of mine, however, love them and they tell me that Wacom tablet + Mac OS + Photoshop is the best setup you can have if you want to go professional(or at least look professional). I don't get the OS part, but that seems to be the general consensus.

Is it bad if I prefer drawing with a mouse...? I never really drew with a pencil and learned with the mouse. I know it limits me but I can't give it up, smooth stroke on Gimp just makes it so easy. By the way, I've tried a drawing pad and didn't like it, that's how I know.

I tried a drawing pad when my sister showed it to me.

It's difficult to know where you're drawing and the mouse sensor needs to be so close to the point where you're not hovering the mouse over, you're tapping it a little.