Is there something specific you do? I hated Gimp for eternity, but PhotoGimp plugin paired with the newest (v3) Gimp isn’t that bad. I do enjoy the experience, mostly. Perhaps I just got used to it, but it’s quite usable for me.
Comment on Maybe the RAM shortage will make software less bloated?
bklyn@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
I opened Photoshop, and I left it open with no document open. Just the main window. It started at 11 GB of RAM and went up to 28 gb without me doing anything.
If there was anything that was as good as Photoshop, I’d have switched years ago. But I’ve tried the alternatives, and they’re just is nothing like it. Same for InDesign. Affinity photo is really really close, but it’s just not the same.
wltr@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
bklyn@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
I do a few different types of graphic design and photo editing for some different clients, but it’s more about the workflows I’ve worked out in PS. GiMP does things very differently, and I think that’s why a lot of PS users hate it. I sure do. it took me years to master PS. I don’t want to have to go through all of that again, and I certainly don’t have the time.
I will check out the plugin you mentioned. I’ve heard of it, but didn’t think much of it before.
wltr@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
I think I have something same, I absolutely hate Gimp for many years. The plugin does not change much, so do not expect miracles. Yet, it helps me tolerate the pain of an absolutely awful UX. Yet, you still need to relearn. Also, check out Krita, it’s good, and is similar to Photoshop in many regards. What I do, is simply edit some images for web development. So it’s not much, and that’s how I can tolerate Gimp.
bklyn@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
I actually have Krita. I use it for creating digital art with my tablet. I don’t really use it for editing/compositing like PS.
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Just curious– what would you say are the main ways in which modern GIMP doesn’t live up to PS?
@pantherina@feddit.org,
Windows 11 often requires new hardware.
This was true in my case, but it was also true that I’d been using a 10yr old machine, which is pretty ridiculous. Win10 was creaking along, and Firefox wasn’t helping. So, ahead of the deadline, I got myself a ~US$350 mini-computer with modern AMD processor and 16gb. It’s been flying.
So it was a comparatively tiny investment to stay with a modern machine, and also helpful in maintaining a chain of redundancy. (i.e. if this one has a problem for whatever reason, I have a temporary backup machine) So in a way, the Win11 jump actually helped me out a lot.
Checking just now, the computer has gone up US$50 since then.
not_me@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
I’ve been running Linux on a 14 year old Asus laptop with 4Gb of ram ,works fine
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Well yes, Windows is pretty disastrous of an OS in the first place.
FWIW, I’m hoping to get Linux installed at some point.
bklyn@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
interesting you should mention your old machine. I recently upgraded my 2016 MacBook Pro to a M4 Pro MBP. Photoshop ran fine on the old one. Great, actually. The only difference I noticed was that PS launches faster and opens files faster, buuuut…. that’s about it. PS already ran fine on my 9 y/o MBP. the new machine didn’t improve much, other than the RAM, which allows me to have more large docs open at once.
my last machine only had 16GB of ram, whereas this new one has 48GB (the max for the MBP). still, the performance is pretty close– although my old machine would probably struggle if I had a bunch of large PSDs open.
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
When I was double-checking prices at Microcenter, I noticed that there was a mini (micro) Mac with modern processor, etc selling for a mere US$400. I had no idea such a thing existed, given their historically high prices. I reckon one could even use it somewhat like a laptop at times, or at the least, a portable. Just in general, though– seems like it could help out a bunch of people who like Macs.
https://www.microcenter.com/product/688173/apple-mac-mini-mu9d3ll-a-(late-2024)-desktop-computer
bklyn@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Apple’s prices have been more reasonable in recent years, although still above-market. and the Mac Mini is a pretty powerful little machine for a good price.
SARGE@startrek.website 3 weeks ago
I started out using PS but when they decided to be a subscription model, I started using GIMP.
I can’t stand trying to use photoshop anymore, and while I would love the user experience to be improved and the interface to be a little more intuitive, I’ve never been able to not do something I needed to do on gimp.
Maybe my needs are more simple than a lot of people here, I’m definitely not a photographer so if you’re using it often enough, I suppose it could be better to use photoshop.
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Similar situation here, Chief; altho I got out of PS well before the absurd subscription hurdle.
It was definitely a powerhouse, but GIMP has been sufficient for me, too. I only use it sporadically these days, but GPT5.2 has been useful in helping me when there’s 3-4 ways to do something, and I simply want to know which is easiest and most efficient. Of course, it doesn’t yet talk in Majel Barrett’s voice yet…
SARGE@startrek.website 3 weeks ago
Of course, it doesn’t yet talk in Majel Barrett’s voice yet…
That can be arranged. I’ve heard they recorded her saying a bunch of frequently used words/phrases, as well as phonetic sounds, so that her voice could be used in the future for the computer. I’m not sure how true that is, but I am a little afraid to look it up.
I’ve always hoped to hear her in the new trek shows.
morto@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
but it was also true that I’d been using a 10yr old machine, which is pretty ridiculous
Why do you think it’s ridiculous to use a 10yo machine?
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Shit… that would probably require a long-arse, detailed essay.
pantherina@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
I guess GIMP has worse auto-selection and general algorithmic things. But never tried PS
pantherina@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
That is still insane!
SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I started by swapping floppies for PS 1.0, and used it professionally since.
Cut the umbilical last year. To replace it I need a few programs for different aspects of what PS did for my workflow, and it’s not 100%, but close, it’s waywayway cheaper, and now I can pollute my RAM with all kinds of tools at once without swap loading up hard.
Affinity did a pretty good job with muscle memory for switchers, though I don’t rely on it as much as I expected.
CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It’s not coming. Not for you, anyway.
bklyn@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
lol, eat me hahaha