Photoshop Versus the Gimp

Every digital and graphic artist knows about Photoshop. There is also the open source bitmap editor, the Gimp which is completely free to use for personal and commercial use. It is just a matter of preference. Here we will discuss the benefits and downfalls of both graphics programs.
Photoshop is commercial and very expensive. It is almost always considered the standard for a professional artist or photographer. The upgrades are not free and thus adds another cost in keeping up  with the latest Photoshop updates. The benefits outweigh the cost if one can afford it. Photoshop has many excellent photo editing tools but also has a steep learning curve. The good news is that there are many free tutorials to be found on the intenet on using Photoshop to its fullest potential. The Gimp, on the other hand also has many tools and filters that is totally free to use. Updates are always free and thus is the most economical graphics editor for the casual artist to the professional. 

The Gimp however lacks a shape tool that is similar to Photoshop. One can make very basic shapes in the Gimp. Photoshop, however has a much more advanced shape creator which is a very important tool for artists especially graphic artists. This is probably one of the major differences in Photoshop and the Gimp. Other than that both programs are both excellent for digital imaging and photo retouching.  It is just a matter of how much one wants to spend on graphics software. If one is just starting their out new, the Gimp is the way to go. Another alternative would be to find an older version of Photoshop which would be cheaper. This can be done by searching on Ebay or Amazon. This is not easy to do these days because those rare older copies of Photoshop still maintain their value. People are hanging on to their prized possessions and when they do appear they are snatched up as fast as they are listed. 

Clustershot Saved

The photo site Clustershot will not be closing down.  Thanks to a successful auction, the new owners will keep Clustershot alive.  This is good news for its members and other artists and photographers who use this site.  Way to go! 

Unfortunately, I would hoped that Clustershot would return but it did not happen. It was sad to see it go because it was such a good starting point for those who wanted to sell photos online.