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Archive 2015 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative

  
 
Gregg B.
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


For some reasons I am unable to post this under "Latest Photography News", so I decided to post it here, since I'm a Nikon shooter.
So it looks like there is finally a good Photoshop Alternative that I'm really existing about, and happy to share with you all. I really disliked the whole software "leasing" idea Adobe introduced, and I was looking for a while for something to replace it with. It's hard, and Adobe knows that. There isn't really a true competitor so they continued doing whatever they wanted; cultivating their monopoly. But, something new has emerged that may change this. The piece of software (as of now still in Beta, and only for Mac computers) is looking good guys, and even has the same look and feel as Adobe Photoshop. It even has the same shortcuts, and supports Adobe's file formats, and plugins (they have to be 64-bit thought). This is major and I'm happy to tell you that if the price is right lots of people may switch. I almost certainly will be one. I know lots of people use Windows based PC's so this may not yet apply to you, but then again, Adobe released Photoshop for Apple computers only when they started it. Anyway, the Windows version will follow.
The currently downloadable eval version will work only for 10 days, but since this is a beta version it's understandable not too look and rely on it just yet. Take a loot at the video they have posted on their website, and some of the features they present in it... seems really promising.
Here is the link: Affinity Photoshop Alternative



Feb 09, 2015 at 05:05 PM
LeifG
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


I still use PS CS2, nothing beats it except CS3 etc, but it is so expensive. I wish there was a non Noddy and affordable photo editor. Let's hope this new tool supports Windows, and is good.


Feb 09, 2015 at 05:12 PM
Gregg B.
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


LeifG wrote:
I still use PS CS2, nothing beats it except CS3 etc, but it is so expensive. I wish there was a non Noddy and affordable photo editor. Let's hope this new tool supports Windows, and is good.

Hey LeifG,
Yes, seems like it's excellent. The biggest stopper for me to move to some other tool was plugins. But if these guys support them, I will switch. I'm going to beta test it tonight, and for the next 9 days. I'm software engineer and if I can help them in anyway I will ;-)



Feb 09, 2015 at 05:21 PM
mshi
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


Unlike Photoshop, GIMP has much better technology and its free.


Feb 09, 2015 at 05:25 PM
wileycoyote
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


if it can do what that video shows, and all for around $50, i'm very impressed.

looking forward to critical reviews!

thanks for heads-up, Gregg.



Feb 09, 2015 at 05:27 PM
Gregg B.
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


wileycoyote wrote:
if it can do what that video shows, and all for around $50, i'm very impressed.

looking forward to critical reviews!

thanks for heads-up, Gregg.





Feb 09, 2015 at 05:35 PM
Hillrg`
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


Gregg B. wrote:
The currently downloadable eval version will work only for 10 days, but since this is a beta version it's understandable not too look and rely on it just yet. Take a loot at the video they have posted on their website, and some of the features they present in it... seems really promising.


Are you sure about the 10 days? I think that applies to the design software. In any case, they are planning on releasing a new beta of AP (AffinityPhoto) every week. What they have done so far looks promising but the devil is in the details. Any competition to photoshop is a very good thing. I sure hope their business model is not to be bought out by Adobe, like past competition.




Feb 09, 2015 at 05:35 PM
Jim8EL
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


Exciting for Mac users. But based on this comment, they will be a while before any windows version appears. I've yet to see software development live up to the promises...but here's hoping

Dale February 9th, 2015
Windows version questions - could happen in 2016 or so - Serif already has Windows design apps so is developing this new range 100% for Mac before looking to other platforms...

"2016 or so"



Feb 09, 2015 at 07:15 PM
James R
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


Looks interesting. My concern is how often AP can/will provide updates supporting new cameras and lenses. Also, how often will it be upgraded (new tools and glitch fixes) and what will that cost be to the end user.


Feb 09, 2015 at 08:01 PM
mawz
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


mshi wrote:
Unlike Photoshop, GIMP has much better technology and its free.


The GIMP is completely gimped in comparison to PS. There's no comparison at all in terms of capability (or technology, which lags PS by around a decade). Little things like Layer groups only showed up with the current version (2.8, released 2.5 years ago) while a colour managed workflow has only been around since 2.4 (2007), a decade after PS. It still lacks the majority of PS's more advanced capabilities. Heck, the ability to open a 16bit TIFF as a 16bit file just arrived a few weeks ago (before it opened & edited 16bit TIFF's as 8 bit files and even that ability arrived long after full 32bit TIFF support in PS)

The closest comparison to the GIMP is actually PS Elements in terms of general capability. In UI terms it's Graphics Converter circa 1995. Aside from the (finally arrived) 16 & 32 bit support overall capability is on par with PS 7.



Feb 09, 2015 at 08:31 PM
JoshI
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


I downloaded the beta today as well, just to have a look around. I use Photoshop everyday for work and this certainly won't replace it, but I was curious anyway. My only comment so far is that, in an hour or two of testing, it's not noticeably faster than PS CC on my machine (OSX 10.10, 16GB RAM, SSD). I haven't run any formal timed tests, but the time it takes to run normal process (sharpening, cloning, etc) seem about the same.

It seems like speed is one of their big selling points, so I'll be interested to see some actual testing done once the software is out of beta.

Josh



Feb 09, 2015 at 08:48 PM
mshi
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


You can use GIMP to fix images that have motion blurs since 2003.

What version of Photoshop gave you that function?

GIMP 2.9 gives 64-bit bit-depth precision.

Is that available in Photoshop?




Feb 09, 2015 at 08:57 PM
mawz
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


mshi wrote:
You can use GIMP to fix images that have motion blurs since 2003.

What version of Photoshop gave you that function?

GIMP 2.9 gives 64-bit bit-depth precision.

Is that available in Photoshop?



1. PS has this capability natively, via the Shake Reduction filter in CC and Smart Sharpen does it also, since CS2 in 2006. GIMP does not have this capability natively, a third party plugin offers it, which is Refocus, originally released in 2003. Photoshop has had a plugin available with this capability since 2000 (Focus Magic). So contrary to what you claim, the GIMP is between 3 and 9 years behind PS in this.

2. GIMP 2.8.12 is latest version (and added 64bit support along with 16bit and 32bit fixed precision). 2.9 doesn't yet give 64bit depth precision, since it hasn't been released. Note that 64bit color depth is a paper claim, there are no supported file formats or colour spaces which support it, no output devices which support it and you cannot readily edit in it. Photoshop supports 32bit per channel, which is what you can actually output (most likely PS does its calculations in 64bit or higher in the backend, that's how GIMP got 64bit support, it was the easiest way to do 16 and 32). Photoshop also supports 32bit floating point color, which is another real-world color format that GIMP lacks (and one of the core reasons Cinepaint forked so many years ago).



Feb 09, 2015 at 09:44 PM
mshi
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


I understand many hate freedom but love bondage.You're happy to send your payments sent to Adobe month after month. That's fine with me. Just like RAW Therapee, GIMP takes no payment from me. The OP is more interested in knowing how not to waste more money on Adobe, isn't he?


Feb 09, 2015 at 09:58 PM
mawz
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


mshi wrote:
I understand many hate freedom but love bondage.You're happy to send your payments sent to Adobe month after month. That's fine with me. Just like RAW Therapee, GIMP takes no payment from me. The OP is more interested in knowing how not to waste more money on Adobe, isn't he?


The OP's looking for a real PS alternative. I'd like one myself. The GIMP isn't it, and never will be, because the developers are more interested in playing with what interests them than delivering features that users want. Lots of toys in the GIMP, but basics like proper 16 bit support show up a decade late. My basic workflow, that I've been using for 10 years, only started being viable in the GIMP 3 weeks ago (RAW conversion->16bit TIFF, local edits, global sharpening & export to 8-bit JPEG at max quality). Heck, I could do that in PS Elements 5 years ago. The GIMP is a toy that can be useful for a basic workflow, but can't replace PS if you have any real demands on it.

BTW, did I ever say I pay Adobe monthly? I own lifetime licenses for LR5 and PS CS3, as well as a half-dozen other apps which I've tested out as alternatives. PS dominates the market because everyone else can only answer part of the workflow puzzle. PS/ACR and PS/LR answers the whole deal. Not bad for $120/year (CC for Photographers). It's actually cheaper than the only real competition (CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7, which is $27/mo or $219/year for subscription, or $550 for lifetime license with 1 year of updates)

BTW, you might want to check what bondage actually means. There's more restrictions on me using the GIMP than on me using PS due to how restrictive the GPL is in terms of library interaction. That greatly limits what you can do with plugins. PS may limit how I can alter the basic software, but I can do anything I can dream up in a plugin if I can figure out how to make the API allow it. And then I can do whatever I want with the plugin I wrote, which isn't an option with the GIMP where I'm restricted in how I distribute it should I choose to do so.



Feb 09, 2015 at 10:11 PM
rw11
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


speaking of bondage, does GIMP have as many shades of grey as PS?


Feb 09, 2015 at 10:19 PM
sjms
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


mshi wrote:
Unlike Photoshop, GIMP has much better technology and its free.


its an opinion but not shared by all as you can see.



Feb 09, 2015 at 10:44 PM
LeifG
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


sjms wrote:
its an opinion but not shared by all as you can see.


Not shared by me either, when I looked at it a few yers ago I came to the conclusion it was a toy as per Photoshop Elements and all the other neutered editors. What I want is access to basic tools including 16 bit editing, macros, and so on.



Feb 10, 2015 at 07:13 AM
Ryder
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


Any alternative to PS will be years in the making. First you need the software. Then you need it to grab a significant part of the market share. The problem now is that, when you get into a discussion about "how to" with regard to involved post processing, the pros are talking PS 98.7% of the time. If you don't use PS you are just on the sidelines so often. This won't change over night. If I buy an "alternative" it will be a matter of using both for quite some time.


Feb 10, 2015 at 07:22 AM
binary visions
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Adobe Photoshop Alternative


Suggesting GIMP as an alternative to Photoshop is fine, but don't be surprised when people point out all of the places where GIMP falls down on features.

I don't think it should be surprising that an niche, open source application does not have an equivalent feature set to a piece of $600 software with a large, dedicated development team. You don't have to pay Adobe, and in return for that freedom, you substantially reduce your feature set.



Feb 10, 2015 at 10:06 AM
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