Even if you have never used Adobe s flagship image editing/enhancement tool, you have likely heard of it. Photoshop has become ubiquitous (that s fancy for popular ) among a broad range of professional fields. Comic book creators, federal intelligence agencies, graphic designers, web designers, advertising agencies, cartographers, and scientists all use this professional grade tool.
It is relatively easy to learn, but versatile enough to do nearly anything with images. For the common user, it s the daddy of all image software. Few pieces of software inspire their own verb form.
Google is one Photoshop (as in, That s been Photoshopped! ) is another. In the hands of a savvy home user, it can be used to fix that perfect photo by removing the ex , or insert a few well placed UFO s that you were sure you saw, but didn t show up on the film for some reason (we swear they were there!
). With a small amount of effort, one can start the next global conspiracy or at least a discussion on an internet forum. And yet, Photoshop has one massive flaw.
A flaw so huge, many folks will never bother to use it and many who do will rarely upgrade it.
IT COSTS A GAZZILION DOLLARS!!
($1GZ)
Well, maybe not that much. A copy of Photoshop CS2 will set you back about $650. Just a tad more than
you might pay for a root canal or a new glass eye for your cat.
Not exactly user friendly if you
ask us. Now keep in mind, on the professional side, some image handling and analysis packages cost
tens of thousands of dollars. So, 6.
5 c-notes is just a bit of icing. For a typical user though,
that s a tad much to pay for pictures proving you hang out with David Hasselhoff on Sundays.
If Photoshop sounds a bit pricey, one might consider GIMP.
GIMP is slightly cheaper, weighing in at well we don t know FREE!!!
It s touted as Photoshop for the masses (actually, we made that up but it's close enough to the truth), and supposedly, just about anything Photoshop can do, GIMP can do as well. GIMP stands for "Gnu Image Manipulation Program." It's open source and cross-platform.
The originators make no bones about the fact that it was originally designed to be a linux/UNIX Photoshop like tool.
Sounds like GIMP is muscling in on Photoshop s territory, doesn t it? Maybe it's time to introduce the two to HardwareLogic s Fight Club?
We thought you'd agree.
"In the blue corner, wearing the blue feathered trunks, the Moby from Adobe, the Cat from Silicon Alley, hailing from San Jose, California, the undisputed heavy weight imaging champion of the known universe ..
...
. Adobeeeeee PhotoooooShooopp!!
!!!
...
...
And in the red corner...
.the challenger..
..In the white trunks, sporting the studded collar, the Basher from Berkley, The Pup from the Pacific, Thaaaa GIIIIIIIMMMMMMPP!
!!!
"
*ding,ding,ding*
Unfortunately, Paul and Rich have the club house reserved for an all night (or is it all knight?) Dungeons and Dragons tournament. Instead, we'll just have to review the old fashioned way, with charts and graphics and actual information.
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