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#1 2005-07-07 2:39 am
- andrew
- Member
- Registered: 2004-02-17
- Posts: 170
Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
Just a quick message that the forums have changed, have not been to them for quite sometime. Where did some of the titles go ? I suppose the change occurred with the advant of Tiger.
Question - Alternatives which are freeware to Illustrator / Photoshop.
Any ideas would be good.
Thanks.
Andrew
lost in china.
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#2 2005-07-07 7:09 am
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
1. The change happened yesterday.
2. Dunno about Illustrator, but a PS alternative is Gimp.
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#3 2005-07-07 7:42 am
- skymt
- Lycanthropic Cowboy
- From: Limbo until Q2 2006
- Registered: 2004-09-02
- Posts: 775
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
About the only free pro graphics software out there is ported from Linux.
The GIMP is a decent Photoshop-style image editor. You'll need X11 installed to use it.
As far as Illustrator goes, you can't go wrong with Inkscape. The downside is there's no semi-Mac-native version like the GIMP, so you'll need Fink unless you want to manually compile it.
Last edited by skymt (2005-07-07 7:42 am)
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#4 2005-07-07 9:27 am
- reefdog
- Manly man
- Registered: 2000-05-15
- Posts: 10701
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
Andrew, I've always found GraphicConverter much more difficult to use than Photoshop, but it is much cheaper and does some of the same things. (Not nearly as full-featured, though.) Although you should eventually pay the shareware fee if you like it, you can use all the features for free as long as you want, if you're willing to sit through a 30-second "register" dialogue box every time you open it.
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#6 2005-07-07 12:32 pm
- skymt
- Lycanthropic Cowboy
- From: Limbo until Q2 2006
- Registered: 2004-09-02
- Posts: 775
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
Metacell wrote:
You just can't go wrong with the GIMP. Makes me want more free X11 applications.
Fink. Take your pick. GnuCash, Inkscape, Dia, XMMS, Abiword, it's all there.
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#7 2005-07-07 5:37 pm
- b190again
- Looking outside

- Registered: 2004-03-04
- Posts: 162
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
You should try ExpressionX, its from Creature House Studios but they were bought out by microsoft, V3 is a free download and it might do everything you like.
link: http://www.microsoft.com/products/expre … _home.aspx
theres also Paintfx, but I haven't had enough time ot really put it through its paces, so far though I think its good. I don't have a link cause I found it on an old CD from MacAddict, I'm sure it can be googled.
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#8 2005-07-07 10:42 pm
- andrew
- Member
- Registered: 2004-02-17
- Posts: 170
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
Thanks one and all.
Will have a look at one and all.
Got rid of microsoft office, now using neooffice for home business.
Now the idea is to find alternatives to adobe suite of software.
Thanks again.
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#9 2005-07-10 10:56 am
- macaddictguy
- Member
- Registered: 2004-05-04
- Posts: 177
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
b190again wrote:
You should try ExpressionX, its from Creature House Studios but they were bought out by microsoft, V3 is a free download and it might do everything you like.
link: http://www.microsoft.com/products/expre … _home.aspx
Yeah, just a free download except it's the updated application and you need the other components of that application.
I'll take a look for Paintfx because I have all the MacAddict CD's since issue #1.
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#10 2005-07-11 11:02 pm
- b190again
- Looking outside

- Registered: 2004-03-04
- Posts: 162
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
The demo is on the disc for issue 82, its what i've been using since i got my old iBook and works great, I recommend it wholeheartedly to everybody.
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#11 2005-08-07 9:15 am
- andrew
- Member
- Registered: 2004-02-17
- Posts: 170
Re: Freeware Alternatives to Photoshop & Illustator
Thanks all.
Have been playing with the GIMP and Inkscape, which are both great.
Noted that Inkscape unable to import a PDF file which you are able to do with Illustrator.
Understand that GIMP is able to do so after adding to it, which is taking me some time.
Any suggestions what exactly is needed to be added to the GIMP so it can handle a PDF import.
Or for Inscape ?
Thanks again.
Andrew
Lost in China.
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