[cw-discuss] Photoshop CS3

[Graham]

On Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:41:07 -0500
"Simon Roby" <simon.roby at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yeah, it's really absurb that the Gimp still lacks CYMK and layer
> styles after all those years. Sometimes I wonder if the Gimp devs are
> actually trying to provide an adequate image manupulation solution.
> For the most part they just don't seem to care.

It is my understanding that Gimp 3.0 is intended to include CYMK and
styled layers; the updates to Gimp 2.0 are in the codebase to allow
these things.  Meanwhile, there is a plug-in to allow CYMK called
Separate + at:

http://cue.yellowmagic.info/softwares/separate.html

I haven't used it myself so its not a recommendation, but it does exist
and adds to the Gimp.

Its a bit hard to say the Gimp developers don't care: they do care
about making their program as good as it can be, but they want to make
is as independent of license issues as possible and in line with truly
free software.  They are all volunteers and we should be grateful that
they have produced such a fine piece of software on so many platforms.

I asked if there was anything special about Photoshop over the Gimp -
and the only thing I have been told so far is support for CYMK, but as
we have seen, you can get that functionality by adding a plug-in.

> Meanwhile free software advocates recommend the Gimp over Photoshop,
> claiming it's "good enough for all your needs" or something like that,
> which results in lots of people having a very bad first impression
> about free software, because the Gimp is definitely not a suitable
> replacement for anyone who does advanced/professional stuff, but
> they've been told otherwise. I really hate that...

Well, the way I'd answer that is there is an old adage in computing:
get the software to meet the task and then the hardware to run it, and
nowhere is that more true than if you are using the software for
commercial purposes.  As I use my software for fairly advanced stuff
occasionally, most of the use to which I put it might be described as
"serious amateur", and I HAVE found the Gimp more than adequate.

I am a free software advocate ( "free" as in freedom) and if there is
something people don't like about a program, I'd say join the community
to make it better.  But I realise that others don't feel the same as
me.  However, when Crossover doesn't enable you to run Photoshop CS3
under an alternative operating system and the developers have great
problems in trying to make it happen, there is an alternative in the
Gimp.  The Gimp is free, open source, and regularly being upgraded.  If
you don't have it already, get it from:

http://www.gimp.org

-- 

Graham Todd