# Photoshop, is they a cheaper alternative?



## ByronKirk (Apr 30, 2011)

Hi Guys
Im wandering if any of you lovely people could help me find a cheaper alternative to the incredibly popular/overpriced, photoshop.
Any help would be extremely appreciated 
Thanx

www.ByronKirk.com


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## Bitter Jeweler (Apr 30, 2011)

GIMP


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## analog.universe (Apr 30, 2011)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> GIMP



+1


100% free, and I challenge you to find a computer it won't run on.  :thumbup:


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## Light Guru (Apr 30, 2011)

Photoshop Elements - Mac/Win
Pixelmator - Mac


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## 480sparky (Apr 30, 2011)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> GIMP





analog.universe said:


> Bitter Jeweler said:
> 
> 
> > GIMP
> ...



+2.


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## imagemaker46 (Apr 30, 2011)

You should be able to find a copy of photoshop lite, they used to hand it out free with printers.  It's half the calories but you won't lose any weight from your wallet.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Apr 30, 2011)

camera boy said:


> Check out the T1i vs T2i


 
Spammer!


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## skieur (Apr 30, 2011)

Paint Shop Pro X3 which can be used with Photoshop Plug-ins.

skieur


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## Bagpiper (Apr 30, 2011)

Hi there. As many have already said, GIMP is a great free app that many people use. Have you thought about Lightroom? As I don't know what you want to do with Photoshop I thought I would throw this one in the mix. It is around $300.00 US Dollars. You can download a free trial to see if that would fit your needs or give GIMP a try. I have used Lightroom almost daily with my photographs and found it to be a nice littl app. But again it really depends on what you plan on doing. Good luck and let us know what you decide on.

Cheers
Jim


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## UUilliam (Apr 30, 2011)

Photoshop IS NOT overpriced.
The work that Adobe put into photoshop is worth every single cent / penny!
Photoshop has such a wide variety of uses, it is, if anything, a bargain!
Especially if you can get the student version 

But a cheaper and more relevant program for photographers (that will also enhance your workflow by 1000%) is Adobe Lightroom 3, You WILL NOT regret it.

You get a Photo library, catalogues, Virtual edits (does not edit the original copy), on the go back up (if your computer cuts off, you images and edits are still there!)
You can also copy / sync all your file and apply edits to every file at one time, add watermarks, resize all the images at once, rename them all etc... 

Lightroom is such a great program and is better for photographers, the only reason to use photoshop is if you need to touch up / seriously manipulate an image.

Adobe also provides free trials of ALL their software, it will be worth downloading the trial and trying it out.


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## KmH (May 1, 2011)

ByronKirk said:


> Photoshop, is they a cheaper alternative?  [sic]


Yes, but they have don't the same capabilities Photoshop has.

I also don't think Photoshop is overpriced, particularly when compared with other types of professional level software.


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## AUG19 (May 1, 2011)

Photoshop is reasonably priced considering what it can do.


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## 480sparky (May 1, 2011)

Try GIMP..... it's free.  And if it doesn't do what you want it to, then pony up for something store-bought.  What do you have to lose?


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## Pure (May 1, 2011)

Any possible way to get a student discount?


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## skieur (May 3, 2011)

AUG19 said:


> Photoshop is reasonably priced considering what it can do.


 
"reasonably priced" is somewhat relative.  $1,000 Canadian can be written off as a business expense for a pro, but it may be a lot of money for some hobbiests.

skieur


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## epp_b (May 3, 2011)

The GIMP is ... gimped.  It really isn't an alternative.

I use a hodge-podge of Corel PhotoPaint, Irfvanview with a distortion-correction plugin and Nnikon ViewNX for RAW processing.


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## AUG19 (May 3, 2011)

I didn't write it was reasonably affordable.


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## skieur (May 10, 2011)

AUG19 said:


> I didn't write it was reasonably affordable.


 
Well, Paintshop Pro Photot X3 Ultimate has more Photoshop elements, than the the Photoshop Elements Program at a cost that is often around $40. Now comparing that with $1,000 for CS5, I would say that Photoshop is NOT reasonably priced. The student price is far lower, but that is NOT the price that most people pay.

Sure CS5 has more adjustment possibilities.  I have this program.  It is worth more in value but NOT that much more.

skieur


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## j28 (May 12, 2011)

Lightroom is great, and I personally love PaintShop Pro.  I was pretty upset there is no Mac version, and almost went back to PC just because of that.  I have CS5 Extended and have learned to love it, but it definitely requires a dedicated period of time for learning to use it.  I'm still learning something new I can do with it every day, and don't expect that to stop for quite a while.


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## Tinstafl (May 14, 2011)

If you are on Mac then Aperture 3 is 79 bucks at the app store.  I could use LR or A3 and chose A3 as it works better for me. I also have CS5 for serious stuff but use it about 5 % of the time. You could get by with elements and A3 or LR3 but it is triple the price.


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## j-digg (May 14, 2011)

skieur said:


> AUG19 said:
> 
> 
> > I didn't write it was reasonably affordable.
> ...


 
Sure glad I got my CS5 for $300 :S


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## D-B-J (May 14, 2011)

The student version is quite reasonably priced. Haha


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## toddjamesphotography (May 14, 2011)

No other program can really touch the power of Photoshop in terms of what you can do with it.  It is an amazing tool.  However, I've found that much of my "editing" has been handled successfully by Lightroom.  It's incredibly more efficient than Photoshop but obviously not quite as powerful for more complicated and artistic edits.  All depends what you're looking to use it for.


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## skieur (May 17, 2011)

Lightroom is really just a cataloguing program with some basic editing features.  Part of that $40 Paintshop Pro X3 program is Express Lab, which has similar features to Lightroom.

skieur


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## molested_cow (May 17, 2011)

skieur said:


> AUG19 said:
> 
> 
> > I didn't write it was reasonably affordable.
> ...


 

That's because you are only using it as a photo editing tool. Photoshop is designed to do MUCH MUCH more. For the price, it is a CHEAP tool for any professional who needs to produce graphics. You pay the one-time $1000++ price and you are set. If you can't make that much money in a month, then you aren't doing it right. I use photoshop at work every day for various purposes. From cleaning up chicken sketches to producing photo realistic renderings of designs. Photo editing is actually the small part of what I use photoshop for. For a photographer who only use it for photo editing, it may not be the most reasonably priced tool, but for someone who uses even just 50% of what it can offer, it's a steal.











Scott Robertson is a well known Hollywood concept artist and designer, also a well known professor at Art Center college of design. His works are done mostly with Photoshop. He's just one of the thousands of artists and designers who use photoshop everyday to create amazing works, works that defy imagination.
http://www.drawthrough.com/galleries.php


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## behanana (May 18, 2011)

As you can see from the posts here, price is relative to what you are doing. There is the PaintShop Pro, I use Elements 9 because I'm not versed enough in post processing or serious enough in photography to justify even Lightroom at this point. It's true that ultimatly PS is a bargain, if you need everything PS has to offer, if not it isn't plain and simple. My reasoning behind Elements was because after the $20 rebate it was about $50-60 and I figured if I learned Elements and decided to upgrade to Lightroom or eventually needed PS at some time in the future I would already have some expieriance with Adobe and how the program worked, hoping that it would make the transition some what easier. Don't wory though, there are programs out there that are under $100 that will do basic editing for ya. Good luck finding what you need.


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## GreatPhotoRace (May 20, 2011)

There are many alternatives.  As many has said before GIMP is certainly one option.

I'll point out that there is also Adobe Photoshop Express which is a web based photo editor.  If you own a mac, which invariably, a lot of photographers do, check out Aperture.  It's only $80.

-GPR


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## diipii (May 30, 2011)

I, too, think Photoshop way overpriced and I have tried "alternatives" but none can match PS.
So maybe try Elements. It is very good value for money and closer to what Photoshop is really worth in my opinion.
( I wouldn't dare suggest an illegal copy... just too naughty)


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## KmH (May 30, 2011)

Actually, for professional grade software Photoshop CS5 is pretty cheap.

Compare what Photoshop costs, to something like AutoCAD, or SolidWorks.


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## MattTX (May 30, 2011)

Molested_cow said it best.  If all you want is a program strictly for basic work, then yes Photoshop is far more than you need.  But if you reallywantto learn how to harness some powerful stuff, then it's the best.


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## bryandadams (Aug 31, 2011)

I haven't had the privilege of using CS5 yet, mostly due to cost; however, I have found Paintshop Photo Pro X2 and X3 (Ultimate) to suite my needs well. I haven't tried GIMP yet, but at a price of $0 where's the real harm?? I also have the student verion of Photo Matix, but it is designed for HDR photography and you would still need another editor for contrast, brightness, touch ups, etc.


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## Phranquey (Aug 31, 2011)

skieur said:


> Paint Shop Pro X3 which can be used with Photoshop Plug-ins.
> 
> skieur



:thumbup:


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## 2WheelPhoto (Aug 31, 2011)

Wow the Paintshop Photo Pro X3 is so cheap. Does it "equal" Photoshop Elements?

Edit:  silly question - DLing the trial version heh


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