Great Image Editing Program for Free

[rcallicotte]

http://www.getpaint.net/

[Harvey Birdman]

I'll second this recommendation. For those who don't have Photoshop, this is a welcome alternative to 'Gimp'. No UI idiocy, just nice clean functionality.

[3DGuy]

The basic GIMP interface is odd, but you could try GIMPShop. It has an interface much like PS... albeit with some quirks.

[rcallicotte]

Paint.NET has a few plugins you might find helpful.  This is one - http://paintdotnet.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22819

[FrankB]

I would like to add that GIMP has improved much since late 2008. The UI is more streamlined, it really resembles photoshop much more than in previous incarnations.
You'll still find yourself searching for ways on how to apply the ways described in a ps tutorial in GIMP, but it's not totally crazy anymore.
GIMP also has a number of awesome filters, and can do essentially the same layer magic as ps can. It can transfer image into multiple color spaces and you can work from there.

I haven't found out how to make GIMP read openexr, although it's said to be able to work with ps plugins. If anyone has found out, please please please let me know.

I really suggest everyone to give it a shot.

Cheers,
Frank

[rcallicotte]

I use Paint.NET at work (no $$ for PS) and I just downloaded GIMP. 

I like Photoshop quite a bit and use it at home.  Paint.NET is really good for basic stuff, which it does really well.

[Seth]

I haven't found out how to make GIMP read openexr, although it's said to be able to work with ps plugins. If anyone has found out, please please please let me know.

yeah let us know !

[latego]

Some info about GIMP. Recently I decided to give it a go as I am not even considering shelling out more then 1000 Euros to get Photoshop to use 10% of what it does.

GIMP User interface used to be "problematic"; now you get an almost sensible 3 window layout and, reading the developers mailing lists, they are planning to create (probably already in next release) the possibily of having all items dock into one single window and supporting mutiple open images thru a tabbed interface. If they do so, GIMP will, at the end, have a sensible and confortable user interface.

W.r.t. to 16 bit and more depths, they are integrating GEGL which handles not only 16 bits but also 32 bits floats. The only snag lays in the process of exposing GEGL functionalities thru the user interface. Everywhere it is hardwired a 0-255 range for a channel value, the UI must be modified into handling any of the GEGL supported values. GIMP developers decided not to perform a piecemeal approach (a-la Photoshop) in performing this operation but a single "big bang". This means that it will take much more time (and is clearly stated in the mailing lists and blogs that this WON'T happen in next release) but it is a firm target in GIMP roadmap so it WILL happen.

To sum up, GIMP is becoming a real Photoshop competitor and it is already quite usable.

On the other hand, Paint.NET has the snag of being the usual one-man-show which means that there is no assurance at all about timetables (or even IF there will be evolutions). In addition, Paint.NET single developer is very "protective" of his code and does not like external contributions.

Bye!!!

[rcallicotte]

Thanks Latego.

Considering both GIMP and Paint.NET are free, they're both a great bargain.  I use Paint.NET due to its ease of use and have found it is useful where I don't have access to Photoshop.

[PG]

none of them edit exr though I wonder what rarcher used for his shaft of light render. probably photoshop.

[rcallicotte]

Or maybe PhotoMatix...

...probably photoshop.

[efflux]

I would like to do exr in Gimp but it isn't possible (yet). I use Cinepaint. This is easy to get working on Linux (very easy on Ubuntu 8.04 - somebody made a package). However Cinepaint is (or has been) in development for Windows and Mac. At the moment you still have to compile it for these operating systems.

http://www.cinepaint.org/