Bring Out the GIMP ... shop, That Is

In recent Free Friday posts, we’ve already gone over cost-free alternatives to commonly de rigueur- but also expensive- office applications and services like Microsoft Office and Quickbooks. Yet, not every enterprise’s needs are limited to accounting and word processing.

If you work in multimedia, flash, logo, or website design (like me), you are probably all too familiar with a program called Photoshop.

Photoshop is a highly versatile graphic editing tool that has set the standard for creating and editing digital images. Purchasing it also runs you approximately $700, which for many freelance designers and quite a few businesses is an unfeasibly hefty price tag.

Wouldn't it be nice to find a cheaper alternative? or even a free one?

Fortunately, much like with administrative and bookkeeping software, there are free programs that afford you graphic design and modification capabilities, but since Photoshop is a highly engineered prototype that can be used to generate everything from DVD covers to magazine spreads, there are some less than convenient variations. Some freebies let you retouch but lack digital painting options; others don’t even let you build web layouts.

Among these freeware programs, the most multifaceted seems to be GIMP/GIMPshop.

GIMP (or GNU Image Manipulation Program) gives you full image editing and processing capabilities along with vector graphics; GIMPshop is an amended version of the program that is structured to have the same interface as Photoshop for users accustomed to the look and feel of the latter.

Much like with SoftMaker and Microsoft Office, the labels of GIMPshop features are slightly different from their Photoshop counterparts, but relatively easy to figure out (the Gradient Tool is now the Blend Tool, Magic Wand is now Fuzzy Select, etc.) given the straightforward layout. GIMPshop is speedy with loading and processing images and offers great pre-loaded plug-ins and adjustable shortcuts.

The ease of editing multiple panes within a single window is still there, as are previews for your transformations and filters.

GIMPshop is compatible with PC (there’s a beta version for XP), Mac (OS and X), and Linux.