Web Resources You Can Afford

Free Photo & Draw Editors

Here are a few of what we consider to be the best free draw and photo editing software. PhotoPlus6 by Serif is a good straight forward photo editor that supports layers and effects. It also offers the option of a 60 page PDF download manual. Paint.NET is the new star on the block, eclipsing the GIMP. The GIMP is still a powerful program in the Adobe Photoshop mode but you will need to download and install the GTK file before installing the GIMP. Irfan Viewer is just a handy little program for quickly cropping and resizing headers, for instance. Picassa is a good program to organize your photos. And if you’re not tight on money there is always Adobe Photoshop.

The GIMP.org
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

This is the place to download the standard conventional GIMP program. You will end up at SourceForge for the download. SourceForge.net is an incubator for open source programs. With over 137,000 open source projects supported there is a lot to digest on this site.

*Note: If you don't mind the GIMP opening up into two or three windows on your desktop (and it really isn't that hard to deal with once you adjust your mind to it) then this is where to download the latest version. This is the version we recommend. However, if your mind requires something that looks more like Photoshop and you don't mind an earlier version of GIMP, then by all means download the GimpShop by Scott Moschella from the following link.

GimpShop by Scott Moschella
[The most user friendly GIMP version]
http://www.gimpshop.com/download.shtml

*Note: While this download will give you a more user friendly interface, you will be using a an older version of the GIMP.

Gimpshop is a version of the open source GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) image editor that has been modified to resemble the feel of Adobe Photoshop. This change in interface allows the use of many Photoshop tutorials as is and most of the rest can be adapted for the GIMPshop with very little effort.

The biggest difference from the standard version of GIMP is one big window to contain everything as opposed to lots of little ones all over your desktop. Drawing and manipulation tools are on the left while brush, layer, and channel tools are accessed on the right. It includes all the advantageous features of the old GIMP while correcting some common complaints concerning the program’s interface. GIMPshop structures the menu and terminology to closely resemble Photoshop. The Window’s version utilizes a plugin known as “Deweirdifier” that combines the application’s various windows in a manner that more closely matches the MDI system used in most Windows graphic packages. While you won’t be able to use any Photoshop plugins with GIMPshop, there is an ample supply of the GIMP’s own plugins and filters available.

A site with extra tips for using the GIMP
http://members.home.nl/m.weisbeek/gimp/


PhotoPlus6 by Serif:
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/default.asp

This slick little free program allows the digital photographer to optimize their exports, enhance photos, slice images, create QuickShapes, and edit text. There is also an ample supply of selection tools to fine tune almost any aspect of your photograph. This older Version 6 of PhotoPlus (they’re currently on Version 11) is free to download on Serif’s site where they offer older versions of their programs for free. After downloading them you register as if you paid for them. These are fully functional programs that will generally meet your needs. If you find that you need some of the features of later versions, they are all very competitively priced.

Paint.NET for Windows
http://www.getpaint.net/

Originally conceived as a college senior class project helped along by Microsoft this open source program was intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software bundled with Windows. It is currently being nurtured and maintained by some of the former alumni that originally worked on it.

Paint.NET version 3 is a very powerful up and coming free photo editor and image manipulator that only runs on Windows, preferably Windows XP with SP2. It loads in seconds, has an Image Pane in the top right that displays thumbnails of all currently open images, and features an automatic update option. New updates are available every 4-6 weeks. With an intuitive GUI interface Paint compares quite favorably with Photoshop®, Coral®, and the GIMP. If you have Windows you are free to download the 3.6 MB Paint.NET by right clicking this link Download Paint.NET and save target as. For more support and to visit the forum you can visit the getpaint.net site listed in the above heading.


IrfanView:
http://www.irfanview.com/

This handy freeware editor has been around for quite awhile and is perfect for the digital photo beginner. It is easy to use and fairly intuitive. IrfanView features support for many file formats, a thumbnail/preview option, cut & crop, option for email, support for Adobe Photoshop, effects (sharpen, blur, Filter Factory, Filters), and lossless JPEG rotation.

Picasa:
http://picasa.google.com/

This free software download from Google will help you find and organize all the photos on your computer. With just a few simple clicks you can edit or add effects to your photos. And you can quickly share your photos with family and friends by email, prints, or the web.

Photoshop by Adobe:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/index.html

Photoshop is the Cadillac of programs to edit your pictures. With hundreds of available plug-ins all over the net there is hardly anything this editor can’t do. If you buy from Adobe though, be prepared for a little “sticker shock” with the two different latest versions going for about $650 and $999. A quick visit to eBay might ease the pain with some earlier versions going for less than $200.

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