What program competes with PS?

[TheBadger]

Hi,

If you did not want to deal with PS anymore, is there anything as good or better? I absolutely refuse to do this cloud bullshit, and CS6 freezes an chokes a lot. Im looking for something now or on the horizon to replace PS with.

Thanks

[yossam]

What is wrong with the cloud? 

[Zairyn Arsyn]

check this list.
http://www.creativebloq.com/photoshop/alternatives-1131641

i like Gimp, it works for most of stuff I do, but its not quite caught up to what PS has to offer.
ill needs things like CMYK color mode, 32bit color support, batch editing, etc, etc

[TheBadger]

Yossam,
Its just a personal thing. I loath the idea of these cloud based softwares for the most part. Right now I use cs6. But its pretty clear Adobe has no interest in fixing the bugs. Instead they want me to "upgrade" again, and that in its self pisses me off. But I also dislike the cloud for software.

CS3 worked perfectly. And I used it happily until cs6. I upgraded because it was necessary for features and because PCs are all upgrading. I thought I was going to get the same quality as I had in cs3... Nope.  If I want bug free, I have to upgrade. I have not gotten a suit update in a long time now

Probably there is nothing out there like PS. SO Ill get stuck like everyone else. Just want to look before I surrender.

[yossam]

I have been using CC for about 6 months.............haven't had any problems. Sooner or later, IMO all software companies will probably go to the cloud. Also, one of the advantages of cloud software are updates. Adobe updates are frequent. 

[Dune]

I use CS3, and will not change that. It has all I need, so why upgrade.

[Kadri]

I don't like the cloud approach too.
Why should i have to use a program that is depending on an internet connection.
It is only good for the developer ($) and does have zero gain for me.
It is all marketing nonsense what they say regarding the cloud aproach.

I will stay away and use other software so much i can.
Software i bought because only of this are:
Serif PhotoPlusX5 , Xara DesignerProX8 (for 90 $) and the next one will be PhotoLine probably.
If Gimp could use HDR images it would be good too.

[mr-miley]

I'm with the Badger... cloud, schmoud! For software in the cloud, read licence to print money for the software companies. I don't want to HAVE to be connected to the net to be able to use a bit of software, nor do I want to rent software, I want to buy it. Also, yossam, Updates are one of the reasons I wouldn't use cloud based software. Over the (many) years I have seen way too many really useful features removed with no warning, programs become unstable (some to the point of being unusable) with no bug fixes forthcoming from the company etc etc Once the new version is in the cloud, you can't go back. Take a look at MS Office 2013. Anemic, washed out user interface, can't find any functions because of the bloody stupid ribbon interface, Outlook 2013 won't talk to server 2003 SBS etc etc.... SOrry, rant over 
I use Corel PhotoPaint (part of the Corel Graphics Suite v16) Used it for the last 20 years (back when it was ZSoft Photofinish, before Corel bought it)  I believe Paintshop Pro isn't bad, but not used it for a few versions, and as everyone else has said, The Gimp. Tried PS many years ago, hated it

[archonforest]

Did u tried CS5? I Am using it daily and it works perfect...ok almost perfect

[jaf]

Photoline ( http://pl32.com/ ) seems to be getting some good reviews in the Lightwave forum. 

[fleetwood]

I have used Picture Window Pro quite a bit. It uses multiple copies, not layers,  a different approach than PS so there would be a re-learning curve.
Main "con" of Picture Window Pro for me is that it does not handle alpha transparency so I still need Gimp to handle that.

http://www.dl-c.com/

[zaxxon]

Cloud? Oh, you mean somebody else's server has the app on it, ummm...not for me. I have CS5 and that probably does it for any future Adobe products that are 'Cloud' based. Stubborn Libertarian software user takes head out of Cloud.  Any number of alternatives as mentioned (photoline looks interesting). My toolkit has included Discreet Logic's 'Paint' and 'Effect' for a number of years; bitmap paint, vector draw, keying, animation, 3D placement of elements in compositor, timeline with curves, etc. It was 'evolved' by Autodesk into the 'Combustion' product. Never liked that interface. Probably not available, is it 'abandonware' ? Since Autodesk bought out the developer 'Denim' most likely not (actually Autodesk bought Discreet Logic which had already bought out Denim). Sorry to digress. The whole 'Cloud' philosophy resonates with a 'Big Brother' throwback to Sun Microsystems "server/slave" model, most of us chose the "PC" model for good reason then, as I suspect most here would do so again.

[PabloMack]

http://www.gimp.org/

[PabloMack]

I have been using CC for about 6 months.............haven't had any problems. Sooner or later, IMO all software companies will probably go to the cloud. Also, one of the advantages of cloud software are updates. Adobe updates are frequent. 

Yeah, things like the software updates itself without your knowledge and it suddenly isn't working any more and you can't ever get back to the verision that you knew how it worked and liked it better. I never liked mysteriousware automatic updates. With the cloud, the network goes goes down and your program won't run any more even though you have power for your computer. I don't like the idea of some unknown "big brother" having that much control over my life.

[yossam]

It doesn't update by itself.............it asks first. I always check the release notes b4 updating.