Can GIMP Replace Photoshop for Web Graphics?

Hi All!

I'm a Photoshop vet. I know my way around Photoshop better than my own house.

But... I've started a web development company, and am looking for some advice.

Before I sit down and spend 100 hours learning how to use GIMP, I'm trying to find web developers that currently use it or have used it extensively in the past, to find out if it is a viable replacement for Photoshop.

So the question is:

Can GIMP Replace Photoshop for Web Graphics?

 

Gimp can certainly hold it's own but I choose photoshop over it.

 

Never. Gimp doesn't have a team, or a decent company backing to say the least, that Adobe offers to photoshop. If Gimp 3 or 4 comes out with something revolutionary, you can bet Adobe will be out with another version to pick up the slack. There are geniuses at Adobe, and Photoshop and Flash are their most popular projects. Gimp is just an alternative, and there will always be people who can't pay for photoshop and will go with Gimp, MS paint, etc.

When I decided I wanted to get into web development (just came out of the blue), GIMP 2 was my first stop. Never liked it. Got photoshop soon after and had fallin in love after my first graphic.

 

Inkscape has some usefulness that I've seen some designers use. check it out.

Lhlalyam

 

Totally. Inkscape is my replacement for Illustrator since I don't use/need vector all that often.

And you gotta hand it to the developers! (Python? wow!)

But Photoshop is just too good. Paint.NET and GIMP are good, but I can't offer professional web graphics with them.

Thanks guys.

 

For simple web graphics, gimp can do the job well enough, however when it comes to professional image manipulation, then PS has no competition.

 

Truly wise words. Thanks all, I appreciate it

 

Gimp can certainly hold it's own but I choose photoshop over it without a doubt!

 

I use PS, Gimp and Inkscape. I find the gimp can do almost anything PS can do (besides work with PSDs or do CMYK)

Most people who talk trash about the gimp and sing PS's praises have probably never used the gimp for the more than a week.

The gimp has a huge user base and there is no shortage of web sites and tutorials for it.

I find PS a pain in the ass to use and very slow (2.0ghz HT Intel 1GB of RAM).

Can anyone name something besides PSD support and CMYK that PS can do but the gimp can't ?

I've been using the gimp for a few years and can make ANY web 2.0 graphic that photoshop can do. I've made ALL of my (and my clients) web 2.0 graphics in the gimp.

PS has a million features and a million plugins but here's a question : does it matter if you're not even using them ?

Most PS users probably don't use all the whiz-bang stuff that photoshop can do so it doesn't even really matter that they use PS.

The gimp is very straightforward, very fast, very free and can do almost everything PS can do.

edit : BTW, the gimp will take you maybe a week to learn. It has almost all the same stuff as PS but it's in different places and sometimes called different things.