A cool guide software alternative
A cool guide software alternative
148 comments
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Gimp still isn't an effective competitor
It needs gui rework from a UI designer and is still lacking in features that creatives use
Blender is amazing though
Krita is a great program for art but I wish they'd implement full vector functionality
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I'm sure for anyone who has real work to do, GIMP will hold them back compared to Photoshop.
But I grew up using GIMP and got some pretty impressive results with it. Now that I have Adobe CC access and have been using Photoshop through that, I am perpetually confused on how to do x, which I know how to do in a couple clicks in GIMP.
To be fair, I'm sure that'd go doubly so for someone who started with Photoshop since it does have an objectively cleaner UI.
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I’ve moved on to many paid, but not subscription apps mostly from independent shops. But I’m a designer using a Mac so your results may differ.
- Photoshop -> Pixelmator Pro (Affinity Photo is ok too)
- UX -> Sketch
- Illustrator -> Affinity Designer / Sketch
- Indesign -> … I hate when someone sends me a indesign file. I don’t do book, magazine, or catalog layouts anyway. PDFs are better and I can edit them in a bunch of apps.
I do still use Autodesk Fusion for 3D hobby projects, but I’m planning to switch to Ondsel (FreeBSD) over the winter.
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Yeah, I think you can argue for Krita, but it isn't fully there for everything photoshop does.
I paid for Affinity Photo 2 and that does the trick for photo editing at a reasonable price. I really wish Gimp was up to it. Blender is really showing up most of the rest of that list, and of those Photoshop is where I think the biggest opportunity would be for a Blender-quality Gimp rework or alternative.
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I don't understand why people say GIMP needs a UI rework. It seems vastly more intuitive than Blender's UI 🤷
Don't get me wrong: I love Blender--use it all the time for adding organic-like shapes to CAD stuff--but you can't just sit someone down in front of the default cube and expect them to be able to get working. They'll need a tutorial at the very least.
If you sit someone down in front of GIMP for the first time and ask them to perform common photo editing tasks they'll have it figured out pretty quickly. Eventually they'll get good at it. So much so that if you then take that person and put them in front of Photoshop they'll be annoyed that they can't follow their usually quick workflow.
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Part of the problem is that 3d nodeling is unintutive in general imo. I have used both solidworks and blender and can say after learning both, they both have very steep curves (although solidworks has fun mesh rebuild errors to top everything off).
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Reminds me of this:
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Using pirated Adobe software these days is a much bigger pain in the ass than it was back in the day.
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Those are free of price but they're not free software (libre)
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neither figma nor davinci is libre either
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Calling Figma free is like calling complimentary bread sticks a full dinner.
Penpot would be a better alternative. I never used it but it's gaining momentum.
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It's infuriating what basic features Penpot is still lacking and it trips you up all the time if you're used to working with Figma, but what's already in feels pretty good.
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Yeah I pay Figma way too much every month for my team holy hell.
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I suspect they use a different definition of "Free" than we are used to. DaVinci Resolve and Figma are not FOSS, and have free and paid levels.
I believe the others are all free (as in beer) as well as free (as in speech).
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Yup, I'd also say darktable + krita is a far better solution than gimp.
That said, for pro level stuff, resolve is much better than premier in general, so it's a solid competitor from a "Linux support" category.
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Yea, Shotcut should be there.
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Was going to find this cause Shotcut fits right there against Premere and AfterEffect. Supports HDR editing(ie. you can extract clips off playstation 5's HDR video recording) but not re-encoding and export as HDR.
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As a former Photoshop user, I found all the paradigms and ways of thinking in Gimp were just so utterly different from what I was used to. Simple things like cropping, resizing selections and layer management felt like exercises in frustration.
Tried Krita instead, and I'm immediately feeling at home and able to be productive straight away.
I'm sure Gimp is awesome but my brain didn't like it. If anyone else is feeling the same way, give Krita a try.
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I’ve used both Gimp and Photoshop. I’m not super skilled in any of these, but Photoshop feels the most natural to use. I’ve never figured out a good workflow for Gimp.
It’s a shame, because functionality wise Gimp is quite competent. It’s just the UI that’s crap.
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As a former Photoshop user, I found all the paradigms and ways of thinking in Gimp were just so utterly different
The same is true when moving the other direction.
What most people find easier is the one they learned first.
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This guide is misleading. Sure, the product functionalities overlap, but if you have a mature workflow, you will not be able to switch without investing a LOT of effort in relearning your workflow on the new product stack. This is one of my MAIN reasons I hate the "I tried to switch to Linux and failed" genre of content. You're not going to find identical like-for-like replacements in Linux world that won't require significant effort to relearn. It's something us Linux users through and through need to bear in mind.
Also, we need to be cognisant that "just switching to Linux" narratives, fueled off infographics like this, will lead to frustration and dismissal.
No, I don't know how to change this - and morphing e.g. gimp to be a clone of Photoshop isn't the answer either.
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It's not saying that it's a drop in plug and play alternative. It's saying it's an alternative software to get you the same result.
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Hey now! The effort required to change workflows is how some of us have fun! Some of us derive joy in discovering new tools and new ways of doing things 😁
Think about it: How many people who switched to Linux at this point because they like learning new shit and fucking around? To them, a new tool that does something an old tool does in a new way is like being given a new flavor of ice cream to try! 🤣
It's why old time Linux users "just don't understand the resistance" people put up when it comes to changing apps... "WTF is your problem? If I can learn a new programming language in like two weeks surely you can learn the locations of a few new menu entries‽ I bet the new thing does stuff your old tool couldn't do! If you just poke around you might be surprised..."
Normal people's response: "Yeah... Fuck that. Spending that much effort to learn new things is what I call a waste of my time."
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I agree with your fundamental point, learning new shit is definitely fun for me. But there's lots of different people and some just don't. I can definitely sympathize with someone who's income depends on one of these workflows, and why they can't disrupt that for "fun learning sake". There's only so many hours in a day and some people have different priorities.
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This is such a classic Linux user response. Instead of taking the time to understand the many valid issues users have with Linux, you instead come to the same tired old smug conclusion that basically breaks down to "only smart people use Linux, like me!", and I say this as a Linux user.
Old time Linux users don't understand why people avoid Linux because they're not actually interested in listening and understanding peoples' issues. Perhaps these people like learning lots of new stuff and spending hours troubleshooting, but just not with their computer. If there was a Linux equivalent of a car, it's not hard to see why most people would just want the thing to work without bothering to become a mechanic for their car to work.
I'm sure there's things you've avoided learning because you consider it to be a waste of time-- does that mean you're unwilling to learn stuff, or would you agree that's probably an inaccurate characterization of you? Most Linux users I've met are in terrible physical shape or mediocre at best. As someone in pretty decent shape, I appreciate the benefits and struggles of exercise but it's just plain silly to basically shame others as lazy for the many reasons they could have for not exercising regularly.
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I don't think pretty much anybody actually cares about their OS, they'll just use whatever is installed on their computer and install their favourite applications.
There's 2 things that need to be solved here:
- Having Linux installed on their computer.
To solve this we'd need mostly laptop manufacturers to install Linux by default, this is in no way happening soon, but might happen when point 2 is satisfied.
- Having peoples favourite applications available.
There's 2 ways to solve this, A. Somehow get companies like Adobe on board with Linux and develop for it. B. Make open source applications actually good. We need people to want to use open source applications, before they even switch to Linux. That means the applications need to rival, or even surpass their closed source counterparts. Most of the Foss creative/professional applications simply don't do that yet.
Solving these issues is not an easy task and will take a long long time, but most people simply will not want to switch to Linux and have to relearn every application at the same time, so I believe it is necessary
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Your second point is key. In an ideal world, open source could rival and even beat the best paid offerings (see: blender). But in most cases it just doesn't. There's not a dedicated team working on the open source products, working with HCI experts and designers on every detail of the product. It doesn't preclude the open source being better (see, again: blender), but it does push a LOT of workload onto a bunch of hobbyist developers working in their spare time. The resultant burnout is typically why you see these projects sputtering along for years and years. I don't know how to solve those problems either, but they're your real "roadblocks".
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Calling it a guide is misleading. It's labeled as a list of alternatives and that's what it is. Audio books are an alternative to reading, but it's definitely not the same experience.
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I really wish gimp could replace Photoshop but it absolutely cannot
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Of course it can, it already does at least 90% of what Photoshop does. People are less likely to want to contribute to its development if others are always shitting on the project though.
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Agree. I have tried gimp regularly over the past decade or so and never a single time has it been anywhere near close enough to act as a "replacement". A free tool to use in a pinch, sure, but as a full on replacement? Not a chance in hell.
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Yeah, exactly. I've used it for like 20 tasks now. Every single time it's been a struggle
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GIMP sucks and still has a horrid UI experience.
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krita
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Unpopular opinion: Darktable sucks compared to Lightroom and I say this as someone who despises Adobe. There's so many simple things that Lightroom gets right that Darktable completely fucks up and it drives me nuts. Just so painfully far from user friendly, intuitive design. For any serious photographer, it pains me to say this but Lightroom is worth that disgusting subscription fee.
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This is free as in free beer.
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Krita for anything graphic design. Krita's UI layout is a lot more similar to Photoshop than GIMP, which makes the switch easier.
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Figma is the complete opposite of free software. It's a cloud-only proprietary software.
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Correct me if I am wrong but DaVinci Resolve is not really free software, right? It is just free to use proprietary software. Freemium or some such
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Calling that Free Software was a bit of a poor choice by the author of this graphic
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Yes it's freemium, but it's very usable for free. I'd estimate 95% of non professional users don't care for the difference between free and paid. Also if you want to pay it's a perpetual license for the current version, not a subscription like increasingly common.
It's competitive with Adobe in terms of features and usability UX/UI, perhaps even better than Adobe in some parts.
It's probably the best choice if you want to do video, movie maker and the like are to weak for your use case, and your not an ffmpeg magician. Because you can download it for free and get used to it quickly, and it can likely do everything you want for free. Except GPU rendering.
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Replace Figma with Penpot
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Figma and blender are good the rest you're better off with the paid
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DaVinci Resolve is not exactly free but the affordable paid version is better than premiere in the eyes of many industry pros. It's pretty unique in how it gives you a full post-production package in one software so you can seamlessly progress through the various parts of the project. The colour page has long been the top dog in that space and the rest is definitely serviceable though since I don't use that heavily I can't really confirm if fusion holds up against after effects, maybe you can combine that with blender and the other tool listed here as AE alternative.
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It depends on the use cases. I don't like how this post makes it look like the "Linux" alternatives are drop in, one-to-one replacement. Inkscape has been immensely useful to me, but for professional work, it might not be a reasonable replacement.
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Photopea would be a better drop in than Gimp. But it's a website and that grinds my gears.
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It loads completely in the browser. iirc you could disable your network after loading the "website" and it would continue to work. Simply a web app, if you will
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Photopea is another good (entirely browser-based) Photoshop alternative.
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This is infinitely better than gimp if all you care about is that it's free as in beer.
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Figma balls XD
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My list is a bit different:
Photoshop ➡️ Krita Illustrator ➡️ Krita After Effects ➡️ Blender Premier Pro ➡️ kdenlive Adobe XD and Figma ➡️ Everything about these tools seems wrong to me (see comment below) Cinema 4D and 3DS Max ➡️ I thought everyone ditched those in favor of Blender long ago? LOL
I completely do not understand the appeal of tools like Figma. As a developer who's made lot of single page web applications (though not in a while... Maybe everything is different now? 🤷) tools like Figma seem like they'd create a major headache for developers.
I mean, sure: If a tool gives you a quick, easy, collaborative way to mock up a website and user interactions then by all means! But it looks like people are going far beyond that and using Figma to generate code. In my experience with such tools in the past, that's where everything goes wrong.
If the developers themselves aren't using the tool then the code will drift from the GUI design tool too much over time, becoming a boat anchor that holds development back and slows everything down. But maybe folks are just using it to get things started? I dunno. I just don't get the hype around it.
Then again, I'm a guy who does all his CAD design work in OpenSCAD so I might have something like a superpower in regards to visual reasoning that prevents me from understanding the issues others have with conceptualizing code-as-design 🤷
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I’ve seen Figma provide CSS values but I think it’s main purpose is designers can use it to create UX specs that devs can then implement. It’s definitely more convenient to make mocks in than using HTML and CSS directly. It also seems more popular than the Adobe option but it’s also super not free
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Agreed. The problem is that their customers are non-technical PMs, and their sales material acts like they offer copy/paste code generation. The PMs then expect to get their money’s worth by cutting dev time in half, and they aren’t going to blame their own decision when that doesn’t happen.
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People need to throw off the shackles of Adobe
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Every comment in this thread from beehaw is extremely negative.
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Yeah they are, wtf is happening over there?
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From what I see there are literally just two people from beehaw here.
But the guy that says Gimp sucks is right, I tried it and it feels so awful and awkward to use. I commend the attempt, but I am not going to use it. And wouldn't expect s high retention rate for any artists referred to it. Maybe it's okay for pixel artists. Idk.
Krita is better for me, but still not good.
My pirated copy of Photoshop was lost after I forgot to back it up before I formatted my PC, went without it for a while because I couldn't find another one. Ended up trying Gimp and Krita and an older version of Photoshop, used the old Photoshop occasionally but lost that one as well when my hard drive failed. Now I have Krita installed, but in general I just basically stopped drawing. It's not fucking fun and it just feels so wrong. I've been trying to find decent brushes that work with my Intuous pressure thing but idk, none of it is good. I think there was one "ink" brush that sort of worked.
For Krita I cant even figure out how to move around the canvas without reaching for the mouse. I used to hold a pen button and drag around. Hold Z and the same pen button to zoom in and out. Idk how to do it anymore so every single change in zoom or location feels awkward.
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If I can't do it in emacs, I do it in Blender.
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Even if you don't care about open source everyone should support competition. Discord and YouTube can continue to get greedy and stop improving their products because they don't have any real competition.
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Is there any good alternative to adobe animate?
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Blender. Yes! Blender does fucking everything at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if the next release can read emails.
It's fucking good at 2D animation too! There's whole communities that worship the goddamn grease tool for animation. It's bizarre, honestly. But I can't deny their results 🤷
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🏴☠️
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Does it work on linux?
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I have been searching for years man... No luck
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Gimp should be released with photopeas
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Any recommendations for Lightroom?
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I've always heard good things about Darktable as an alternative to Lightroom, but I do not have experience using it so irdk.
Alternatively there is always the high-seas version of Adobe CC. I wouldn't be too concerned with the ethics of it seeing as this is Adobe we're talking about 🤮.
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been using Darktable for years now. had the same trouble with it as people going photoshop to gimp have at first, because my brain was all in lightroom. once i sat down and watched some videos of people explaining their own darktable process and experimented new workflows. it became everything lightroom was, but without the constantly scolding me about bumping my subscription adobe did.
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I've used darktable but do not like it. I used it for a while before I got a "demo" for light room classic. It took me like a hour and I figured out how to make my pictures exactly how I'm imaging them with LRC. Darktable is not intuitive to me and feels too clean and scared to just give me a table full of sliders and values. Masking also took like 30s to figure out and now it's so easy where I still can't in darktable well.
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I can also recommend Rawtherapee. It has a lot of features and is quite fast.
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Natron lol? Where did you get this from? Natron never really existed. Davinci has all the functions to replace AE.
Gimp sucks and should stop being mentioned as an alternative for anything.
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Lol Free Software?
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I got a 3d printer (bambu p1s per someone's recommendation here) but the bambu software allows very little in the realm of adjusting a print (size for example is mostly what I can do).
I've been heavily overwhelmed looking into a 3d software editing platform to adjust prints. I don't have the capacity to learn multiple softwares, but I heard blender does pretty poorly in creating prints with hard dimensions.
While I do like to explore the realm of figurines and characters to print, I tend to use my printer for more engineered prints, things I measure and need a replacement for, or to fill in the need of something I'm I'm constructing.
This is where Adobe got most of the positive reviews for a 3d software that's best of both worlds. Creative and engineered. While blender is heavily leaning towards creative.
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FreeCAD is an option, but it's a bit of a mess. Does the job though!
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Is there a good alternative to Adobe PDF. I mostly use it the view, print and edit PDF's. Plus forms. I've tried a few, but editing so far has sucked.
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Trying to learn how to use Natron felt impossible. It's a very different approach to what it does and I could not even start to figure it out.
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How about the iinux version of AutoCAD?
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As a mechanical engineer - there is no serviceable free CAD. The only thing you can hope for is Linux compatibility - and you have 100% of that with Onshape only (cloud based).
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Freecad is getting more and more attention. When version 1.0 releases (soon), it will be something worth checking out, but there is still work to do.
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Linux version of autocad? Is it an autodesk product? Does it support lisp?
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It's always the same. Many people tell you how a software is not a replacement for other software. Of course it isn't, because otherwise it would be exactly the same piece of software.
Tell me a replacement for LaTeX, Postfix, zsh, vim or OpenSSH. There isn't, because these are the best from my point of view.
Instead of recommending one alternative, you sometimes need to combine them. The most powerful tools are btw combinable in a tool chain and the best are controllable from common scripting or programming languages.
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InDesign had those text boxes that you could link to the next text box with the little red plus, and the words would flow back and forth. It's the only thing in all of the Adobe Creative Suite that I miss! FUCK ADOBE, GIMP FOR LIFE!
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Maybe Scribus (FOSS) could scratch that itch?
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Or just pirate everything lol
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Gimp is good. I don't know what the gimp haters are always so mad about. The buttons are in different places than in photoshop, big whoop. I have been able to do everything I've ever attempted in gimp and I do modding and game development. I just don't get it.
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what the gimp haters are always so mad about
You have to use a plugin to even draw a circle properly.
You can't make non-destructive changes to things like filtered elements e.g. make blurred/outlined/etc. text and then change the text.
Content-aware functions
big whoop
Just how different it is from Photoshop is literally the biggest complaint people have. And that it's just unintuitive to many even if you never used photoshop. For gimp to propel in popularity I think it has to become more familiar to what professionals are used to.
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You have to use a plugin to even draw a circle properly.
How so? I've used GIMP to draw plenty of circles without any plugins.
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I hate both Gimp and Krita, but I prefer Krita.
Ultimately, drawing freeware just feels bad to use.
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I will say this till the day I die: Krita is better than GIMP in basically every way and can even integrate with graphicmagick for its filters via a plugin (which comes built-in for the flatpak version). The UX is so close to photoshop to the point where it makes no sense to use GIMP and endure the suffering of its UI.
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only half of these are free software. the rest is freeware.
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I found it quite useful to ask ChatGPT to compare these products. Very good neutral explanations I thought. It seems that almost all of theses boil down to "are you annoyed enough by Adobe's subscription model to switch?".
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I'm no through-and-through AI hater (I use AI in certain situations where it is helpful), but I feel like this is not going to be an area where an AI is going to give much insight that's reflective of reality.
It'll likely moreso compare feature-sets for each, which will make GIMP look far better than it probably should to Photoshop. GIMP is robust and has plenty of features. It is in its user experience, UI, and the quality of each feature where it fares much worse.
Mind you, this is coming from someone who likes GIMP, grew up using it, and feels more at home with it than Photoshop. It's just all-around not as good.
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This was the result for "Gimp vs. Photoshop" (from ChatGPT 3.5):
"The choice between GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and Adobe Photoshop depends on several factors, including your needs, experience, budget, and the specific features you require. Here’s a comparison based on different aspects:
Cost GIMP: Free and open-source. It’s available for free, making it an excellent choice for those on a tight budget or for casual users. Photoshop: Requires a subscription. Adobe Photoshop is part of Adobe Creative Cloud, with a monthly or annual subscription fee.
Features GIMP: Offers a wide range of features suitable for most basic to intermediate photo editing tasks. It includes tools for painting, retouching, and enhancing images. Photoshop: Industry-standard tool with an extensive set of features. It includes advanced capabilities like 3D design, detailed photo manipulation, extensive plugin support, and superior RAW image processing.
User Interface GIMP: The interface can be less intuitive and feels less polished compared to Photoshop. It may take some time for new users to become proficient. Photoshop: Highly polished and user-friendly interface. It’s widely used in professional environments, so there are numerous tutorials and resources available.
Performance GIMP: Generally performs well, but can be slower with large files or complex tasks compared to Photoshop. Photoshop: Known for its performance, especially with large files and complex editing tasks. It’s optimized for professional use.
Compatibility and Integration GIMP: Supports various file formats, but may have compatibility issues with Adobe-specific formats and features. Less integration with other professional tools. Photoshop: Excellent compatibility with other Adobe products and industry-standard file formats. Seamlessly integrates with tools like Adobe Illustrator, Lightroom, and After Effects.
Customization and Extensibility GIMP: Highly customizable with a range of plugins and scripts available. Being open-source, it allows for extensive modifications. Photoshop: Extensive plugin ecosystem with many professional-grade plugins available. However, these can add to the overall cost.
Community and Support GIMP: Active community support with forums and documentation. Being open-source, updates and bug fixes can vary in frequency. Photoshop: Professional support available through Adobe. Extensive tutorials, forums, and official documentation are readily accessible.
Learning Curve GIMP: Steeper learning curve due to its interface and less polished user experience. Photoshop: More intuitive for new users, with a wealth of learning resources available, making it easier to pick up.
Use Cases GIMP: Suitable for hobbyists, students, and those who need basic to intermediate photo editing tools. Photoshop: Preferred by professionals in photography, graphic design, and digital art due to its extensive features and integration with other Adobe products.
Summary Choose GIMP if: You need a powerful, free tool for basic to intermediate photo editing, and budget constraints are a significant factor. Choose Photoshop if: You require advanced features, industry-standard compatibility, and integration with other professional tools, and are willing to invest in a subscription.
In conclusion, both GIMP and Photoshop have their strengths and can be the better choice depending on your specific needs and circumstances."
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Why would you ask chatgpt to make some garbage up to tell you which is likely not even correct instead of getting information from someone who has actually tried it and wrote about it.
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Chill my dude. Not everything has to be a fight.
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148 comments