Graphics Software

Anon

I have been working with PHP for about a year and have developed a very functional website. Unfortunately I am NOT an artist and don't have the skills to produce some of the excellent graphics that I see on most "professionally" designed sites. The 3D buttons, live tabs, watermark backgrounds and integrated graphics elude me.

Corel Draw and other "high end" artist programs are over my head but some of the "so called" web design programs like Sirrera's are too primitive.

Can anyone recommend a graphics program that will give me a decent "professional" looking site without taking two years to learn how to use it?

Anon

Try Paintshop Pro 7.It is affordable and user friendly.

Anon

Hi!
I think Macromedia's Fireworks is the best for you , because it's so easy to use (much more easier to create web based stuff than in any other program). I strongly recommend it. Take a try. there's 30 day trial at http://www.macromedia.com

Metin

mithril

Brian,

Two words..... The GIMP.

The GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Project) is the Linux equivalent of Photoshop but a very stable and functional Win32 port exists. It has all the functionality of Photoshop (layers, filters, scripted actions, etc, etc, etc) barring a few high-end features like CMYK Color.... which it sounds like you don't need anyways.

I have both Photoshop 6.01 and The GIMP installed, I use The GIMP almost exclusively now.

Cost: Free
Licence: GPL

HTH.

Geoff A. Virgo

Anon

I agree with you Brian, but Gimp is harder to learn and use. ý mean all those menus available from right click.They are confusing. And it doesn't have support for vector graphics and gif format.(in my versin).
So I strongly advise Fireworks.

mithril

Perhaps, certainly the right-click menus are different from what you get used to when you used Photoshop, Fireworks, PaintShop Pro, etc. However, if you're not used to using those proggies the learning curve is the same. Sorta like a computer newbie who's never used Win32 or Linux will find it easier to pick up Linux than a Win32 pro (less pre-concieved notions, bad habits, etc.).

The GIMP does have support for GIF images, you just need to download an extension and affirm that you have the legal right to use Unisys's patented LZW compression algorythm. Remember, those buggers over a Unisys managed to patent that routine through a loophole (now plugged) in US Patent Law and are now holding everyone from software designers like Adobe down to end-users like you and me hostage with licensing and/or royalty fees. In the face of all that, why even bother using an outdated format like GIF? PNG is much friendlier, much more scalable, it's open, and it's size is often smaller than the comparible GIF.

I'm not sure about The GIMP and Scalable Vector Graphics, so I'll take your word for it. However, even Photoshop doesn't do SVG's overly well. If you're playing in vector graphics in the Adobe world, you use Illustrator... not Photoshop. Based on the comments he made in his posting, I doubt Brian will be interested in SVG's for the time being anyways. Besides, there's not a whole lot of browser's that support SVG "out of the box". So, as far as I'm concerned, SVG is a non-entity in web graphics for the time being.... show's great promise, but without better browser support it's useless.

My point in suggesting The GIMP was that it is relatively easy to learn and use (I'm certainly no graphical design guru), and it's free. There are some limitations associated with it, but that's true for all software packages (like Photoshop's ever spiraling need for more system resources). Most of the limitations that exist in The GIMP are really only of interest to graphical designers who are orientating towards print media (the lack of CYKM support for example and it's poor print quality in Win32). For screen-based design and web graphics, The GIMP easily holds it's own against Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, etc.

Why settle for cheaper, scaled down graphic's software, or pay over $600 USD for Photoshop, when a software package exists for free that does almost everything the "Big Boys" do?

Cheers,

Geoff A. Virgo